Family Camp 2008

Notable Happenings at the 2008 RCC Family Camp:\par
\par
1. We took a 3-week-old baby to Family Camp and came back alive, if not necessarily well. If I had a nickel for everytime somebody said, “Look at all that hair..” I think I might even be able to buy.. oh, a candy-bar or something.\’c2\~(inflation, you know..) Monica slept pretty well at Camp – probably as well as she would have at home, although having her sleeping in the same room as us made it harder for us to sleep well – she would wake up just a little, squawk quietly and go back to sleep, over and over again, in the early mornings. At home that’s not a problem, since I can’t hear her every snort, but when she was 4 feet away, it was more difficult.\par
\par
2. Michael discovered that our Check Engine light was on, just as we started down the road to the Oregon Coast. After checking the oil and making a few calls, we just kept going. The van performed normally the rest of the trip. The light is still on.\par
\par
3. It was rainy and cold the first two days at Camp, making it difficult to figure out what to do with the boys. The first afternoon I took them over to Grandma Rachel’s beach house to watch a movie on their tiny TV and eat snacks. They enjoyed that.\par
\par
4. Michael got the flu on Wednesday afternoon. He went to bed around 4:00 that afternoon and slept until the next morning (except when throwing up). Then he played basketball in the tournament Thursday afternoon. (his team won two and lost two)\par
\par
5. The boys painted little wooden boats. Their father supervised them by giving their creativity free reign, and now we have two largely black-ish little boats, much beloved by their owners.\par
\par
6. My friend Meghan popped her head in during the meeting on Monday morning – she and her family were just leaving Rockaway beach on the first full day of our vacation there! She got to see Baby Monica and brought gifts from herself and Mystie, who couldn’t make it.\par
\par
7. My husband was actually sighted leading campfire songs at the little kids’ campfire one night! When questioned about this he explained that he was merely helping another young man who had agreed to do the job, but didn’t know any of the songs.\par
\par
8. The last two afternoons at Family Camp were lovely so naturally many people at Camp got sunburns, including Michael and the boys (but not Monica or me!).\par
\par
9. I actually attended a Dutch Blitz game on Monday night! If you had told me last year that I would take the trouble to bring my 3-week old to a Dutch Blitz night at Family Camp, I would’ve thought you were crazy! Times change, I guess! Of course, it wouldn’t have worked if a generous\’c2\~older mother hadn’t held Monica nearly the whole time we were playing…\par
\par
10. And last, but not least, (drumroll, please!) Ezra potty trained himself at Camp! Yes, folks, after trying to potty train him 3 times, this last time lasting from sometime at the end of March ’til the present and having little success, especially in the area of BMs, the little tyke (2 3/4 years old) finally decided it was time. I’ve threatened, lectured, cajoled, promised, rewarded, disciplined, withheld treats, begged and pleaded with said 2-year-old to master this essential skill, and suddenly, without warning or explanation, he just decided to start taking care of business himself – he had NO POOPY PANTS the entire time we were at Camp! I am astounded and amazed and incredibly thankful! This alone made Family Camp 2008 an unprecedented success!\par
\par
So.. Family Camp with a newborn, sickness, and some bad weather: still fun!