Rob's at camp

Yesterday we brought Rob up to camp and he will be there for a week. I know he was looking forward to it. And it is a place where I think he grows and spreads his wings a bit. That is something that at his core he is the most reluctant of all my kids to do. Whether it is a fear that loved ones won't be there when you falter, or just that teen boy fear of looking dorky, he is the least likely to challenge himself. This is a safe environment to do that and he seems to really thrive there. Some of the counselors are the same as last year and remembered him which made him a bit more at ease as we checked him in.

We had begun the day by visiting with my mom who lives in the same state. We had about a 2 hour visit with her but left right after lunch because she had plans to go to an art festival. Mom is funny. We regularly drive 2.5 hours to visit her, but our visits must never exceed 2 hours. I am used to it; and I truly do think it is funny. But the gap from leaving her to the time we were allowed to check Rob in was fairly substantial--2 hours.

The good thing is that this camp/conferance center is a place we are all familiar with. Our church camps there for a weekend every September. Chet went to conferences with K and I when we used to run religious ed programs in our former church. So we hung out there, playing on the playground, KC and Rob shooting hoops, and then I took KC and Lissa down to the beach to play.

Kirsty is not a lover of sand. She likes to swim but hates sand. I grew up summering at a lake. We swam constantly in the lake, boated on the marsh and were sandy from dawn to dusk. Just part of summer for me. I also lifeguarded for a large part of my teen years and don't feel uncomfortable watching my kids in water. I think K does feel a bit more anxious when they are around the water. I am watchful but not anxious. So we left her to nap in the van and went and had fun.

I hadn't bothered with swim suits as the weather has been so weird I figured it would probably rain. It didn't while we were there though (saved a gigantic 90 minute thunderstorm for when we got home!) and we had so much fun. We ran on the beach and the tide was coming in and we would run down and let it chase us up the beach. KC is just a water bug and has been from the very first time he ever went to the beach. He just stood there with his arms spread wide and this huge grin splitting his face letting the water "catch him." From then it was but a hop skip and a jump to HIM chasing the waves and eventually becoming totally drenched by falling in face first. He wasn't frightened, just wet, and I was right beside him and pulled him up immediately. Lissa dipped her toes in and liked the sensation of wet sand under foot. However eventually the vastness of the ocean overwhelmed her and I just carried her. I love the way she cuddles in my arms now. She likes to link her arms around my neck. We watched gulls and then headed back to change clothes and dry off. While I had not packed bathing suits I always pack an extra change of clothes for the kids whenever we day trip. I have learned you just never know!

Best of all, the little kids had a good leave taking this year. Last year KC cried the first 30 minutes of the 2.5 hour drive home. This year he did run back for an extra hug from Rob and his lip was quivering as he said "I will miss you SO much Robbie," but he didn't cry. I think perhaps the fact that Lissa is older and more able to play with him is making that transition easier this time around.