Author Archives: Natalie King

I took Axel for a walk and came back to a serious looking conference in process. Mary and the boys were BUSY today, so I guess this was the planning stage.

For a little while, Xander and Mary were out and about, and Augustus attended our fundraising planning session. He was NOT into it.

After a morning of hard work and lots of playtime for the boys, we all piled in my van, blasted some One Direction and headed to town. There is a woodfire pizza truck that I have been following on facebook for years. They are only in McGregor on Thursdays and I have never been able to leave during camp for pizza, until today! We had a pizza picnic (with full cans of soda for my children). And ya know what? WORTH THE WAIT! It was AMAZING pizza. I will go back every opportunity I get. My pizza had prosciutto, asparagus, mushrooms. It was SO good. Xander ate his entire pizza. We had to move our picnic under shelter because there was a random short rain shower, which lasted about 5 minutes (but no one wants wet pizza!), but it was still the best picnic I’ve been to recently!

We returned to camp and Meghan, Sean and I worked on our fundraiser all afternoon. I didn’t see the boys for several hours! Time flew by and we made awesome progress on our Day of Giving plan.

Dinner, bath time, and early bedtime because I didn’t sleep well last night and I am EXHAUSTED.

It was a great day!

playing cards

hanging out

The weather today was PERFECTION. Sunny and warm, with a breeze. I wished I could have laid in a hammock all day long.

The boys and I started the day with a field trip into town. We got some donuts and cookies (for later) and then headed to the playground.

Xander found a friend and they ran around and played superheroes and it was wonderful.

When we got back to camp, we had lunch and rest time and then the boys and Mary were off on another adventure. They built towers for bugs, fought off some more bad guys, and ran around.

Meghan, Sean and I worked on our upcoming fundraiser and I am feeling excited about our upcoming Day of Giving. I think we’ve got some fun ideas in store.

Later, Meghan, Mary and the boys went swimming. I didn’t think it felt quite warm enough, so I was grateful that Mary and Meghan wanted to swim so I didn’t have to get in. Axel and I hung out on the beach while they all played.

When they finished swimming, we had dinner and then we spent a little time (not nearly enough for me!) in the hammocks. At some point this summer, I am going to spend an entire hour relaxing…

The boys are feeling a little homesick, which is new this year. I’m not sure if it is because Xander is getting older and is more aware of missing home, or if there’s just not enough activity without the campers and staff and nonstop programming. They love playing with Mary and swimming and golf cart rides, but when they get tired, they both say, ” I miss home”. Nate will be back Friday, so hopefully that will help. In so many ways, it’s wonderful to be here, but it’s hard too. And being so little, they don’t have a concept of time, so that makes it tough to understand. We’ve only been here 2 weeks, so it’s still an adjustment period, but we only have 2 more weeks until will be home, so hopefully we can enjoy the time we have.

This is how I eat every meal. He was not interested in the celery offering from Augustus.

It rained overnight, and when we woke up, it was chilly. My children both put tank tops on, but eventually ended up in sweatshirts. It was actually kind of nice to not be hot and sweaty for a day.

It was sort of a boring day today for the boys. They got to play with Mary most of the day, and that’s always wonderful. But there was a lot of downtime too and it was just kind of a lazy day.

Meghan, Sean and I worked on the camp store floor for a while, and then we had a brainstorm session about a fundraiser we are hoping to launch next week.

We also decided to make a music video, so we’ve been filming scenes around camp here and there today. We shot one at sunset this evening and got some good pictures of the boys as well. Stay tuned for the final video!

Today was a day of rest. We don’t have any volunteers here for a few days and so we did a little work and a little play and it was great.

After breakfast, the boys were off with Mary for some morning adventures. I never know what they’re doing, but they’re always very happy with her, so that’s the best thing for everyone! I ran into town to go to the store, and when I got back, Sean, Meghan and I went to the camp store to work on the floor for a while. Our volunteers pulled up the linoleum and we’re trying to get all the sticky goo off the hardwood floor. We made a little progress, but mostly ended up sticky and sweaty.

After that, Meghan suggested a beach party with snacks and One Direction music, and all of us agreed that was the best plan!

ready for the beach

We found a tiny toad on our way back from the beach.

When we finished swimming, we rested a while. The boys did some water color painting while I prepared dinner. After dinner, the boys had bubble guns and ran around.

just hanging out after dinner

It was a good balance of work and play today and both boys (and me) were very tired by the end of the day!

This was our first weekend with volunteers (after the first week with volunteers). I was a little nervous that I would be exhausted and need a break, but we had THE BEST group this weekend and they could have stayed forever. I am pretty tired, but we have a few days before our next group arrives, and we got so much done this weekend, that it’s worth the tiredness.

Nate was here and he and the boys had some quality time while I worked. They took approximately 57 ATV rides. Every time I saw them, they were cruising around.

Meghan and I found a power washer in the pole barn. I didn’t think it worked, but we decided to hook it up and try it. Never, in the history of this camp, have we ever found something and just turned it on and had it work. This was a first. But it worked GREAT! My trailer has a hose, so it was the ideal place to attempt hooking it up, and it just so happened that the trailer has been looking pretty dirty lately.

I’m not sure there is a more satisfying job than power washing. I did end up soaked, head to toe, but it was awesome. Nate somehow managed to stay drier, and he was a power washing rockstar.

I didn’t even realize the deck was dirty…

Not only did Nate power wash like a pro, he cleaned the trailer, swept the porch, weed whipped my yard and jumped the camp van (which was dead). The trailer was like a brand new place!

Meghan and Augustus off to work

We didn’t just work all weekend. We went for an after dinner swim on the boat on Saturday and after swimming, made s’mores around a campfire.

Today was another fun day for the boys and daddy, and another good day of getting things done for me. More ATV rides for the boys, but I also put them to work for a while too. Xander was not a fan of carrying dirty, kinda heavy linoleum, but he hung in for a while.

 

Nate left after lunch and everyone took an afternoon swim break. Meghan was the fun one and played with the boys the whole time. I sat on the beach and relaxed for a few glorious moments, appreciating the break.

Without campers, the wilderness is taking back over camp. The weeds in the lake are sneaking into the swim beach. We sprayed about 10 giant bees nests this weekend (I got murder-horneted in the arm and my entire bicep is swollen still). I have seen about 10 snakes (typically I see one or 2 in a whole summer). The deer are everywhere and totally unafraid of people. And now I have a mouse in my trailer, who I am battling, because the trailer is NOT wilderness-friendly.

Our volunteers were super-stars this weekend. They went cabin to cabin and fixed every ripped screen, broken step, etc. It was a MASSIVE job and I can’t believe they finished it in 2 days. Others cleaned and painted our camp store, as well as ripped up the linoleum (and like every good HGTV show, we pulled up linoleum to find hardwood floors). They re-did the boards at the tomahawk wall. They sorted costumes and props, helped clean up random junk in closets and building corners. I hadn’t realized how much unnecessary junk had accumulated, but we are spring-cleaning to the extreme and it feels so amazing. I want to go home and do the same thing with all of our unnecessary junk!

I am tired and my arm is swollen and throbbing, but I am VERY happy with this weekend! Yay for amazing volunteers!!  

I bought him a nice bed. He loves this spot in the dirt.

We said goodbye to our first set of volunteers and hello to our second group. I am not sure what I did today, but I was busy every second and I’m not sure I sat down once.

The boys were busy with Mary all day. Nate arrived around 4pm. Meghan, Sean and I made a good list of projects and I think we have a game plan for the weekend.


After dinner, we jumped on the boat for an evening swim. Xander gets braver each time we go out. Tonight he was doing cow-a-bunga spins- literally spinning around in the air as he jumped. Augustus isn’t quite as daring, but he is pretty good at jumping off the pontoon too. Meghan and I got in a few jumps as well.

It was a little windy and Nate had to adjust the boat so we didn’t blow across the lake. The first time he did it, Meghan and I stayed in the water and grabbed on the rope on the back and got dragged behind. Xander wanted to do it too, so before we went in, we let him try. He wanted to be dragged all the way back to our beach, but we cut the ride after a minute or 2. I think he’s ready to try water skiing or tubing.

I am going to miss him saying, “I just want to snuggle” and choosing my lap as the place he most wants to hang out. But geez if I couldn’t use a little space at 6:15am.

5:50am. That is the time my 2 children woke up today. I do NOT know how to get them on a better schedule, but I am going to lose my mind if we don’t start sleeping a little later.

The boys spent the morning playing with Mary and then hanging out with all of us as I led a lifeguard re-cert class.

They watched them take the swim test and then tread water without hands. They hung out and had some ipad time while we reviewed CPR and took the written test. Augustus fell asleep right after I took this picture, so I carried him home and put him in bed. He slept for 2 hours, which hopefully doesn’t mess up bedtime. 

Later in the day, they ran around with Mary some more while I worked. It was a pretty uneventful day today. Xander was also tired and it’s been a busy, exhausting week.

After dinner, we took Axel for a walk and then played outside before bath time.

Listening to the music on the jeep and being”rockstars”

The day started out rainy, which usually fills me with a sense of dread, imagining re-arranging programming the whole day and disappointed kids who won’t get to shoot archery or swim. But if there’s one silver lining to no campers, it’s that when it rains, I thought, “eh, no big deal.”

After breakfast, we all headed to Sweeney- me to clean and organize the back of the kitchen that is currently kind of a mess, the boys to ride their bikes and run around with Mary. Axel came too and hung out with them while I cleaned. 

The rain didn’t last long and the boys were off and running with Mary- they all had spy names and were solving mysteries. I don’t know all the details, but I do know that Mary is the MOST fun person on the planet and the boys are in heaven that they get to play with her all day long. I am so happy she was able to be here for this month! 

I had a headache of a day. Have you ever read that book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. It goes like this- If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he’ll probably ask you for a straw. When he ‘s finished, he’ll ask for a napkin….” and so on.

the boys helped us unload some kitchen stuff

Here’s how my day went. I took the golf cart to go get water to clean in the kitchen, but on my way there, I ran out of gas. I went to the gas shed, but there was a GIANT (like the size of my head) bees nest. So I got bee spray to get rid of it. But then all the gas cans were empty. I wanted to take the camp van because Nate has my van (it needed to be fixed), but the battery was OUT of the camp van. So I found some tarps to protect Nate’s fancy clean trunk. I brought the gas back and decided to fill both the golf cart and the 4 wheeler. But it turns out, filling the golf cart is not a one person job, because as I was holding the seat up (the gas tank is underneath), it fell and I managed to spill gas all over myself. So then I had to take a shower and google how to get gas out of clothing (vinegar- FYI). Then I decided I was DONE with that project for a while, because I was OVER it. 

Later in the day, Sean and Meghan (and the boys and Mary) helped me move all the garbage I’d cleared out, all the stored food that needed to go and I also packed up some of the paper products. I need a bunch more bins, but some wonderful supporters have already donated, so I will have those in a few days. And I never ended up getting the water to clean the kitchen, so that will have to happen another day. 

Axel’s new bed arrived in the mail today. He loves his kennel at home- it’s his safe space. But since arriving at camp, he won’t go in it. I thought maybe it was too hot, but even when it’s been mild, he’s not interested. So I bought him a cot. He’s laying on the floor as I type this, but he seemed to like it initially. Hopefully he will like it. 

We’re still adjusting to camp life, and this super hot weather is so draining, but we’re only 3 days in and have already made a lot of progress. I am excited to see what camp looks like after a month!

We’re settling into camp and trying to figure out what the summer will look like without the normal daily/weekly schedule, programming, kids, and staff. Luckily Xander’s shyness with Mary went away quickly and they had a fun first day together. In fact, every time I saw him, he would say, “don’t you have to work?” or “Mary is still going to play with us, right?”  

Meghan, Sean and I spent all day Monday tearing apart closets and the office in the staff house. It’s been years of random junk piling up and it was good to get things cleared out and organized. After a hot day of work, all of us headed to the beach for some swimming. Augustus swam for a few minutes and then was done, so he and I hung out on the beach. Xander swam with Mary, Sean and Meghan. I didn’t get a good picture of Xander, but he was BEAMING. He loved every second of their undivided attention.

Both boys were still tired from the weekend and adjusting to life at camp. Augustus fell asleep while I was cooking dinner. He wasn’t happy when I woke him up, but they both ate well and then I took them back to the trailer for bath time and early bedtime.

The problem with early bedtime is that this morning, Xander woke up at 5:50! I convinced him to stay in bed until about 6:15, but it was an early morning for all of us! Xander started the day hanging out with Meghan and I while we worked, but got bored of us quickly and went back with Mary and Augustus.

Ross and Julia are former staff members who met at camp and got married and are back for the week to volunteer. They are also the hardest working, most talented people I know and I am thrilled that they are our first volunteers. They worked in the hot sun all day, rebuilding our gaga pit. They were AMAZING. Sean was also a rockstar, as he spent the day cleaning and organizing the Welcome Center and I can’t believe how awesome it looks.

Meghan and I tore apart all of the old camping gear, sorting, taking pictures and trying to figure out what to throw out and what to sell. I am trying to get rid of some junk we don’t use and hopefully raise a little money in the process.

trying out the old camping backpacks

a mess of stuff

Xander and Augustus were THRILLED to receive their first care packages of the summer.

By the late afternoon, all of us were exhausted and sweaty. Everyone else headed to the beach, but Augustus wasn’t interested. It worked out well because it gave me a chance to cook dinner while everyone cooled off.

After dinner, Mary, Sean, Meghan, the boys and I headed back to the beach to take the boat out to jump off. Both boys LOVE jumping off, and after Xander watched Meghan jump off the rail of the boat, yelling, “cowabunga!” he insisted on doing it too. And then “cowabunga-ed” off about 15 times. 

After swimming, it was bathtime, rest time and regular bedtime, which hopefully means a normal wake up time tomorrow. I am exhausted, but very excited how much progress we made in just the first 2 days. I was unsure how camp would be without campers. It’s not as energy-filled and exciting as usual, but so far, it’s as good as it could be. I’m feeling happy and grateful we are here.

My original plan was to arrive to camp on July 5, but Christine convinced me that we should be at camp for 4th of July. I used to love 4th of July at camp- the fireworks over the lake are spectacular. We’ve missed them the last few years and I thought that the boys were still too young, but we decided to try it out and I am SO glad I listened. We had such an amazingly fun weekend! It was the perfect way to kick off this crazy weird month of camp with no campers. On Friday, we got up and were so excited for our friends to arrive. We started the day going swimming. Axel spent the first 2.5 years of his life in a kennel, not well cared for. Then he spent 3 months with an amazing couple who nursed him back to health and saved his life. He lived a quiet life in the suburbs. And for the last month, he has been with 2 very loud, crazy boys who jump and scream and run and make a lot of noise. And now he’s at camp, swimming in the lake, so much to explore and I am sure he is thinking, “wtf is going on?!” but he’s SUCH a good sport and so easy going and I think he’s enjoying himself. It’s been SO hot this weekend, so he’s been stuck inside more than I’d like, but bulldogs don’t do well in 90 degree humid weather. He enjoyed the water and a boat ride though.  

swimming in the rain

When the Nelson family arrived, the kids and I took a golf cart ride while Derek and Christine unloaded and unpacked. And as soon as everyone was settled, we all got into swimsuits and headed to the beach… just in time for a huge unexpected thunderstorm. We swam in the rain for a few minutes before the thunder and lightning sent us inside. We ate dinner and when we were done, the rain was done and we went back to the beach and out on the boat to swim in the middle of the lake.

After swimming, we got into the 4th of July spirit and Derek put on quite a fireworks show! Augustus was very afraid and did not like the loud booms. But Xander was all about it and loved holding the sparklers. He was very excited about the big, loud ones that shot into the sky. We’ve never bought any fireworks, but they were very impressive and I totally understand the draw of them after watching them.

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Despite staying up 2 hours later than usual, Xander was up early on Saturday morning, and so he and I hung out in the trailer for a while, and then eventually headed over to prepare breakfast before everyone else woke up. We took our annual 4th of July flag photo first thing in the morning and then everyone was ready for more jumping off the boat to swim (it was already hot)

Everyone except Augustus, who was NOT ready for activity. He slept in, but was still tired and at 10am, already overwhelmed and melting down. He demanded some cut up bananas and his ipad, and since we had a full day planned, I thought it was probably best to start slow. So we hung out in the trailer while Xander, Nate and the Nelsons enjoyed swimming. Xander had cannon-balled off the boat the night before and was eager to do it again. He was VERY proud of his big splashes.

By lunch, I thought Augustus was in a little better mood, but shortly after we ate, Nate took him for a car ride to see if we could get him to fall asleep. He ended up sleeping for 3 hours! He obviously needed the rest!

While he napped, we made some mid-day s’mores because we ran out of time the night before and the gaggle of kiddos was demanding some sugar! We had fancy chocolates, fudge striped cookies, caramel syrup- these were extreme s’mores!

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Eventually Augustus woke up, ate a s’more and was ready to keep up with the big kids. We tried to get everyone to rest a few times during the day, since we were planning to keep them up super late, but Xander was very excited to have friends to play with, and the Nelson’s were excited to be at camp, so no one was interested in rest (except all of the adults!).

The kids played all afternoon. We ate amazing food all weekend long, and lots of treats too.

After dinner, we shot off a few more fireworks. Augustus watched from the jeep, across the field, on the road, and he was not scared that time. 

By the time we were on the boat (about 9:30), Xander was very tired and not entirely excited for fireworks. He played with his glow wand, ate a snack and then said, “I’m just so tired! When can we go back?!” Augustus was popping skittles, chatting away, living his best 2 year old-up-hours- past-his-bedtime-life.

It was still hot and humid, but both boys snuggled under blankets in my lap for the fireworks. I think Xander saw one or 2 before he fell asleep. He slept soundly through the entire show and it was a VERY good (and loud) show!

The other 4 kids made it and the adults definitely enjoyed it. It is SO fun to be on the lake. Before kids, we used to get directly under the fireworks (as in, your shirt would end up with little burn marks because the firework fall out would sprinkle down). We didn’t get that close this time, but we were still close and it’s SO magical. Photos do not capture how amazing they are and how cool it is to be on the boat.

Today we got up and were ready for more fun. Me, Xander, Augustus and Char went swimming and Nate, Christine, Derek, Evie, and Lucas went fishing.

We had lunch and the kids played, and then we all went back to the beach for more swimming.

The Nelson family and Nate all left camp around 4pm. I was sad to see everyone go, but also very tired! The boys and I headed to the trailer for some quiet time until dinner.

By the time we headed over to eat, Meghan, Mary and Sean had arrived! The 3 of them will be at camp with us the whole month. Xander squealed, “my favorite Mary is here!” and did a little dance. And then 10 feet later, he got shy and refused to go with us to have dinner. He paced outside the trailer, hung out on the ATV, and eventually (when Mary tried to go say hi), ran into the trailer and slammed the door). I tried to convince him to come join the group, but he was overly tired and overwhelmed and he wasn’t having it. I brought his dinner back to the trailer and hopefully tomorrow he is a little calmer. His friends and dad had just left, he was tired, hot and he’s still adjusting to being at camp overall, so I knew it was going to be a tough afternoon.

 It was a FABULOUS weekend filled with swimming, sun, good food, treats, excitement, gorgeous sunsets, drinks, boat rides, and so so much fun. I am SO happy we decided to come to camp for this weekend- it was amazing!