Camp Foster

Greta and Sully (and I) survived their first sleep away camp :/. I was an anxious mess leading up to the week and it finally eased the closer they were to coming home. They had mixed reviews, but overall, a great experience. 

Sully was in a cabin with 5 buddies from school/soccer. They loved their freedom, and had a great time meeting other people and doing all sorts of new things. Sully was terribly homesick the first few days, he would find Greta and she would do what she could do to boost his spirits. He said he tried to call me but the councilor wouldn't let him. He wrote 5 letters in the first 2 days (which I didn't get until after he returned, thank goodness) begging me to come pick him up and saying how awful it was. By midweek, he  was better and having a lot of fun and didn't send any further letters. In the images posted by camp on their webpage, it was obvious he wore the same outfit for the first 3 days. Classic. We were so happy to be reunited, sweet Sully. 

Greta, on the other hand was in a cabin with one other friend and she had lots of fun, other than having to council Sully during free time the first few days. She met some girls from Kansas City and found out she was the only girl in the cabin who doesn't shave her legs. Her letters were full of information from all of the fun she was having and thankful for our letters. She started to miss us toward the end of the week and was glad that Saturday came quickly when the home sickness set in. I loved getting her in my arms again. 

Piper managed being the only child like a champion, surprise surprise. ;)

I was a mess, I hardly slept the first few nights, worried about them and if they were sleeping, getting eaten by bugs, or putting sunscreen on. The great news is is that they both have good friends who looked out for them and helped them navigate life without me for the week they were away. I sent them both letters every day and we might have been one of the first families to arrive at pick-up, but I survived and am proud of all of us for being brave and strong. I was so happy to be under the same roof the night we returned. 

Jam packed. 

Squad.

Proof of life on the camp site! 

Sully's cabin.

Greta's cabin.

Greta and Kennedy

Piper living her best life. 

Boy moms unite! 

One of the many letters. ;)

Fathers's Day

Father's Day looked a little different this year as we dropped Sully and Greta off at sleepaway camp in Okoboji which was a little hard on all of us, but we made the most of it. Dave, Piper, and I joined some of my family for a patio picnic with my parents and enjoyed a lovely evening. I'm so grateful for my dad and Dave, they are great fathers and people, I'm honored to call them mine. 

Piper and my parents with the Mardigons. 

My dad. xoxo

 

Camps and the Catalpa Tree

Sully and Greta had a great two weeks at Leif Ericson with nearly perfect weather, new friends, lots of fun and a sleepover for Greta in her second week. Sully thinks sleeping on turf in a sleeping bag is overrated and after Greta's first time doing it, I think she will feel the same way :). 

Piper had a low key first week with me, and loved being the only child. I enjoyed the one-on-one time, she participated in a Girls on the Run camp the second week and had a great time. It was a service based camp so she got to do all sorts of cool things around our community (the Help Line, the Banquet, neighborhood clean ups, etc.) as well as some swimming, running, and journaling she loved evey single day of it. 

All of this happened to coincide with the blooming of my Catalpa Tree, something I love to document each year, it brings me such joy.

Off to the bus stop! 

Piper and friends. 

Best crew. 

Piper soaks her one-on-one time.

So majestic.

Catalpa tree photo op in jammies. xoxo

Munsream Advenutres: Newton Hills State Park

We are officially in our 5th year with the Airstream and have our first advenure under our belts, We had so much fun at Newton Hills State Park, a quick 45 minutes south of home. Greta was able to bring a friend and we pulled out all of the stops on our favorite foods and activities and movies and adventures, we all had a great weekend. 

We arrived midafternoon with plenty of time to get set up. The biggest game changer this year is Sully being capable of being a second adult, helping Dave park and set up camp. After, the kids utilized some of the activities organized by the park, giving us plenty of time to settle in. Greta and her friend, Blake were excited to have their own space in the tent (the first night at least). 

Saturday was low key, we made a big breakfast and then went for a longer than expected hike around the park. The greenery was lush and the scenery was lovely. We returned in time to have a quick lunch and some downtime before some Sioux Falls friends joined us for a campfire and conversation while the kids explored some more. When our friends left, we made a big campfire dinner, watched movies, made s'mores lasagna and then the girls got spooked in the tent which meant they stayed in the Airstream. :/. 

We packed up and made our way home on Sunday morning to get ready for camps and summer fun. We had great weather and lots of fun on our first camping adventure of the year. 

Greta and Blake (and their tent rules). 

Campfire nachos.

Campfire nachos. 

IYKYK

Snart hike. 

Squad

The water boy, waaay behind the kids. 

Pip, my helper. 

Sully and Dave. 

Blake and G. 

Hammocks and dirty sox. 

The setup. 

Birthday Boys

We celebrated Dave and Sully's birthdays, and its safe to say, they were done in true Sully and Dave form, Dave's was as low key as we could manage, a family walk down to Crawford's where we had a great meal on their patio, and Sully's was three days long :). We had a family party on Friday with burgers and hot dogs and the most epic and memorable game of SPM (the Sully version of PIG), we had brackets and the works, he was so excited and honestly loved every singe second...and, he won! The following day, he had a bunch of buddies over to hang and swim and play soccer and watch movies and sleep over, the fun did not stop for nearly 24 hours. And finally, we wrapped up the weekend with fajitas at Inca, everybody wins! We are so thankful for Dave and Sully, both fearless leaders in our family. 

Family dinner at Crawford's for Dave.

The old guy still has it! 

Full family = Full heart. 

Brackets

Happy 13th, Sully! 

Grandma gets in on the fun. 

Party people.

Birthday bootcamp! 

Sully and buddies. 

More cake and ice cream, and home made confetti.