A Camping we will go!

This week was cub scout day camp. Randy and I had both participated before but this was the first time we had a son attending (we let him go early since his 8th birthday is not far off). He was kept busy and wasn't so sure how much he enjoyed it after the first day but each day after seemed to have a different station that was his favorite. Here he is fishing...he caught one the first day when his group fished in the morning but other days were not so successful. The second day he earned his badge for BB shooting and didn't seem to have any problem figuring out how to aim and shoot. Another day he came home singing a space song to the tune of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean and with a painted space ship. Then there are the knots he is tying and the one that magically disappears when you pull it tight. Oh, and the piece of soap that is being turned into a fish. Isn't camp great!
Peter wasn't the only one to enjoy the week. The girls spent three days at the sibling camp making crafts, playing on the toys, and having lunch with Dad. Randy was a staff member in charge of helping out, which turned into being the camera man and then filling in for two days when the craft person got sick. He came home tired. The kids on the other hand still had energy to play in our little shark sprinkler pool with the neighborhood kids.

During the week I learned that having less children at home does not translate into getting anything more done. Instead I spend all that extra time I was suppose to have trying to keep Paul entertained or holding him. He really had a hard time knowing what to do with himself when no one was around to copy or play with. He was extra hard to put down at nap time and bed time. One night Peter was kind enough to climb down and sleep in bed with him.

Since it was a camping week. We participated in the Great American Backyard Campout. We even registered our camp site on-line and got a call from the local paper asking us about our plans and how we got involved, what other things we do outside with the kids, and they came to take our picture for the paper. Here is what it looked like, except that we were sitting in the chairs singing "The Ants Go Marching" (partly because it had been raining). Now you can see everyone climbing inside. As you can imagine, it took quite some time to get five children to fall asleep in the tent and then it took even more effort to get myself to stay asleep in the tent. But being awake gave me a good chance to ponder about what I would say in the talk I was asked to give in sacrament meeting on Sunday!

Randy wanted to hike the Appalacian Trail again on Saturday. I have been dropping Randy and the kids off, parking the car, and hiking in to meet them (though it never seems to go that smoothly). I hiked in our lunch for this one...it was about 3 1/2 miles. The kids were not too thrilled about it but I enjoyed telling them about my tubing experiences as we watched people tubing down the river, my fence fixing experiences (since that is the only childhood hiking I could remember doing), and talking about Pres. Monson's final story in his last conference talk so that we could focus on what we were glad about instead hearing everything they wanted to complain about. I had fun anyway.

Then I dragged Randy out to try some new furniture. My couch and loveseat were falling apart and so I found some used ones for sale as well as a recliner. We had to make sure that allergies wouldn't be an issue and then got some help to haul them home. My only disappointment is that I just discovered a hole in one arm of the loveseat...I'll have to see if I can patch it up somehow before the kids find it. I am really enjoying the recliner...brings back memories of home when I read, rested, and slept in the recliner. I enjoyed a nice nap in it today with 4 month old Levi while we waited for the home teachers to arrive.