Natalie King, Author at The King-Whited Family Blog

Wednesday at Camp

I think I’ve started almost every post with, “what a gorgeous day at camp” but seriously, every day is sunny, beautiful and just fabulous.

silly boys and funny counselors at breakfast

After breakfast, Meghan took nanny duty to let me go into town to run to the store. I needed coffee and I needed a little break. When I left, the boys had on their water shoes and they were going to go to the beach to try them out. When I returned from the store, Xander said, “saw-wee mom, we went swimming in our clothes!”

Later, when I asked what the best part of the day was, he said, “chex mix” and I asked where he got chex mix, because it’s not in the camp store and I don’t have any. He described it further and what he meant was playing in the checker pit. Meghan played something involving super heros in the checker pit and Xander loved it.

I love that they can have adventures without me.

While Augustus napped, Liv and Xander hung out after rest time so that I could get some work done.

And then during 3rd activity, Xander and I joined the fishing group on the boat. 8 little boys, a handful of dead frogs that one of them had brought for bait, hooks flying everywhere- it was quite a trip. As expected, 6 minutes into it, Xander said, “ok, I’m done fishing” but he was patient until we got back to the dock. We didn’t catch anything, but yesterday he said he wanted to go fishing, so we accomplished that request. I think once per summer is probably enough until he gets a little older.

This evening, Augustus ran around during Primetime and then we went home for bath time and snacks.

I tried to convince Xander to just come home with me, because he usually only lasts a few minutes of the dance party. It’s very loud and it’s just too much for him. He INSISTED he would stay the whole time. Liv was prepared to take him home as soon as he was over it. And, as predicted, he came home after about 10 minutes. When he got home he said, “the dance isn’t quite over yet.”

I’m glad he got to go and try it out.

I’m going to have to re-title this blog, “Xander and Mary’s daily adventures”
He just loves her SO much!

A Typical Tuesday

It was a typical Tuesday at camp. The weather is gorgeous and camp life is so good. I think we’re still a little out of sorts without Katie, but Xander loves playing with the other staff and we are very lucky to have so many people to offer their attention and love.

Xander and Augustus got light sabers. I’m not sure I should have armed the toddlers, but so far, no one has gotten poked or stabbed, so we’re doing ok. Xander was SO excited to show Mary first thing this morning. She has been telling him the story of Star Wars all summer and he claims it’s his favorite movie (that he’s never seen). He was very happy to have a real light saber!

After breakfast, Xander, Augustus and Liv hung out while I got a little work done first thing. After lunch, we all headed to the beach for the beach party (today it included light sabers).

After the beach party, there was an all camp game that involved a lot of running and chasing, and Xander was very excited to play. Augustus helped for a little while and that was fun.

Before dinner, we went into the staff house to put in a load of laundry and the staff who were on break were so quick to play with and give undivided attention to my kids. Staff have one hour off in the morning and one hour off in the afternoon- otherwise they are with campers 22 hours a day! So for them to jump up and play with my kids during their precious time off is pretty impressive. They are so super wonderful!

Tonight is the campfire and Xander happily went with Mary to make a s’more and watch the counselor show. When he returned, he was triumphant and happy. So when he burst into tears in the bathtub and said, “I didn’t get a s’more!” I knew that there was something wrong with that story. I also knew, without hesitation, that every staff member there would have made him a million s’mores. Upon further questioning, he said, “Mary asked if I wanted one and I said no, but I just changed my mind right now.” So after his bath I made him one in the microwave, which was a good compromise.

A good day.

A Change

Augustus was photography
assistant during cabin pictures

On Sunday, Nanny Katie unexpectedly left camp. I’m very sad to see her go. We had a great routine and she was so great with the boys, and I hate change, so it’s a huge loss. Luckily I have the best staff who have all been quick to jump in and help, so there’s no shortage of love for the boys. I asked Xander who he wanted to hang out with on Sunday during camper check in and without hesitating, he said, “probably Leah” and luckily Leah was happy to help. Xander kept referring to her as his new nanny and I had to tell him that lots of staff will be hanging with him, not just Leah. We asked the whole staff who was willing to take nanny shifts and all of them said yes, many very eagerly, so that made me feel good. It’s hard to adjust- Katie has been here 3 years and I trusted her completely and she knew the boys so well, so this is a big change. Xander misses her already and has asked about her several times and that makes me sad too.

But we made it through Sunday and are back to a normal(ish) week of camp. Also, Xander’s favorite Mary (lead staff Mary, not counselor Mary- though she is wonderful too!) is back after a week away from camp. Last week, Xander asked me every day, “when’s my favorite Mary coming back?” and now she’s back and he couldn’t be happier! Every 5 minutes he says, “let’s go find Mary!” or “I need to show Mary something”.

Today started out rainy, so we skipped the dining hall and had breakfast and playtime until the rain stopped at 10. I worked and the boys played very nicely, but they managed to take out every single toy and the trailer looked like a toy explosion. But I was able to get a lot of work done, so I guess this is life without a nanny. Luckily Meghan took them for bit while I met with a kid who was having a panic attack, and then Mary had both of them in the camp store and there were other times through the day I handed them off to get things done without toddler assistants at my side.

This afternoon, I assigned Counselor Liv nanny shifts, so instead of teaching activities, she was with the boys. Well, actually she was just hanging out by herself because Augustus was asleep and Xander and I were out and about at camp. But it was good to be able to split up so Augustus could sleep and Xander could still be active.

Xander was very excited because he got a package in the mail from his friends at school! His class has a fun new project- it’s a stuffed pig named Kevin Bacon, who travels to each kid’s house and you take pictures of your adventures and put them into a book. Xander was SUPER into it! We took pictures all over camp and then we tie dyed a shirt for Kevin and later in the evening, he said, “maybe we need to take more pictures”. I think we’ll have to narrow it down when we make our book page because we have SO many pictures.

Augustus and I hung out while Xander worked in the camp store. Lately, he’s been really into going into Indian Point Lodge (which is basically a dark empty building), but it turns out this chair is sitting out and he loves it. Then he put on a show on the stage- dancing, guitar playing- my kids are performers!

Cool dudes in the camp store.

Tonight, Xander played Angels and Demons, but this time, he got to be a demon! That means, he got to chase the kids and tag the kids. When he returned home, he was very excited and proud of being a demon. He was happy he got to run with Leah and I was happy he still got to be out and about.

demon buddies hanging out

More Friends at Camp!

Another SUPER fun weekend with friends at camp! This time around, Xander’s best buddy Skylar and her family headed to the woods.

Xander and Skylar met at daycare and totally hit it off. He came home talking about her every day. This past spring, I hosted several playdates for his school buddies and had a chance to meet the moms attached to the friends he talked about. And while I don’t consider myself someone who makes friends easily, I really enjoyed getting to know everyone and so, when Kate messaged me to say, “do you host people every weekend?” it seemed natural to say, yes, and “do you guys wanna come to the woods?” It turns out, yes, they did want to come and are a super awesome, very chill family who weren’t nervous about spending the weekend at a very aging rustic camp in the middle of nowhere.

We had SO much fun this weekend! Within minutes of arriving, Xander and Skylar were in their swimsuits and we were at the beach! We ate a ton of good food. We made s’mores. Saturday we jammed as much camp fun into the day as possible- we swam (twice), took a boat ride, paddle boarded, shot archery, threw tomahawks (grown ups), Xander and Skylar put on a show at the stage, rode bikes in the dining hall, made s’mores with sprinkles, and probably several other things I’m forgetting. This morning, we swam again and made an art project before it was time to say goodbye.

It was a whirlwind of fun and I am so happy they took a chance to come to camp and hang out with us. Now it’s not just Xander and Skylar who are friends, I think our whole families are friends.

I love being at camp for the summer and enjoy our life in the woods. But sometimes I miss our life at home with the people we don’t see for 3 months a year. So it’s nice to have people who are willing to come to us and let our worlds overlap for a little bit. I also love sharing camp and hope everyone can see past the dirty corners and appreciate what a magical place it is.

Like all weekends, I’m exhausted and actually ready to go back to the regular camp routine to get some rest (which is sort of an insane thing to say if you know anything about the camp schedule!). But I am sad it’s over and I have been giggling as I look at the million photos I took. We had a blast!

Camp Boys

The talent show is on Thursdays and this week, a group did a skit involving the nativity scene. They requested one of my boys to cameo at the end as baby Jesus. I wasn’t so sure that either would cooperate, but Augustus was a star! He went right out on stage and sat down. After that, he wanted to be in EVERY skit.

After lunch, my mom and I took Xander swimming while Augustus took a long nap.

It’s been a beautiful week and it’s been really fun having my mom at camp. I’m trying to soak in every moment as the summer is quickly flying by!

Xander left dinner without even looking back to see if I was there!

Fun Day at Camp

The boys play independently really well. This morning, Xander was building with magnatiles and every now and then, Augustus would get a glint in his eye and turn to destroy Xander’s creation, they would wrestle around, and then go back to playing on their own. It happened several times in a row.

The day started a little like yesterday with me dealing with multiple phone calls, camper issues, and a million things that needed my attention right away. By 9:30, I had been on the phone nonstop, met with several people and felt like it was going to be a crazy day, but luckily after that, it calmed down.

There was an all camp carnival on the field this morning and the boys really enjoyed visiting all the stations.

Grandma Debbie arrived at lunch time. The boys were SO excited! She brought several new toys and Xander was eager to show her many things at camp. Augustus took a nap after lunch and so the three of us went swimming. After dinner, Xander showed Grandma Debbie the camp store.

It was a gorgeous, sunny, busy day!

A Series of Unfortunate Events

What a dumb day. No sugar coating, today was not great. Not with my kids- they are cute and wonderful. Look at that picture of a 3 year old in a robe. It’s been chilly the last few days and this morning was a robe kinda morning!

Camp needed some extra hands this morning, so Katie jumped in to help a group and the boys and I went into town. We went to the grocery store, the pharmacy and the bakery. Less than 10 minutes into the drive, Xander was complaining about car sickness. When we walked into the bakery, he said he was going to be sick and I managed to catch his vomit in a plastic cup, until they could give me a bag. He felt fine after that, but I was firm that the treats were “to go” so that they didn’t come back up on the ride home.

We’re having a lot of issues with the kitchen and that continues to be a multiple-time-a-day thing to deal with.

After lunch, I thought all of us would nap because none of us slept well last night and Augustus was super tired all morning. But neither child wanted to nap and then Augustus had a meltdown as rest time was ending and Katie arrived. I left her with a screaming child, which was hard to do, but also, I was so frustrated I was near tears. Luckily, Katie managed to calm him down and get him into the strolled where he fell asleep pretty quickly. I spent most of the afternoon sitting with a sleeping baby/hiding from everyone. I answered emails and assigned cabins for next week, so it was productive, but also, I was too tired and crabby to be out and about.

Xander came back around 4 and was also tired, so we all hung out and rested until dinner.

More kitchen issues at dinner.

Primetime was fun. Xander worked in the store and was being super silly with everyone. Augustus was a social butterfly and wanted to hang out with all the big kids.

We went to the campfire for a little while and then I took Augustus home for a bath. While he was in the tub, Meghan was in crisis mode in the kitchen re-planning breakfast for tomorrow and the nurse walkied with a camper issue in the health center. I walkied Katie to come back with Xander (luckily they were right outside the door), and I ran out the door to go deal with a kid in a full on panic attack. I calmed the camper down and came back grab some snacks for her, and to tell Katie she was going to have to put Xander to bed (Augustus was already asleep). I went back to the health center and then on to camper shower time. Just as Meghan and I were driving home after getting 68 girls through 6 showers (it took about 1.5 hours), another walkie from a counselor who couldn’t get a kid to turn off her flashlight. That turned into a ridiculous meltdown (and involved Meghan sitting outside in the dark for an hour). And now it’s 11:30 and I’m tired and also still kind of wired from the ridiculous day of unfortunate events. I’m SUPER hopeful that both boys sleep well and wake up feeling good. I need to get a solid night of rest so I can tackle these kitchen issues, complete some maintenance, and follow up with the anxious kid and the stubborn kid. Tomorrow should be busy.

“Watch this!”

Today was nonstop fun. It was a little chilly, but sunny and clear and we were busy! We started the day picking raspberries with Meghan. The entire camp is covered in berry bushes and they are ripe.

After morning berry picking, the boys hung out with Katie while I tie dyed with the campers.

After lunch, Augustus took a nap and Xander came with me around camp. He was a camp director while we went to activities to observe. We watched the dance class. We checked out the forts. We shot a few arrows at archery.

Then we went to the warped wall. That turned in to him ninja-kicking the sign next to it. After doing that for a few minutes, he needed to go change into an all black outfit and find a ninja headband. After the wardrobe adjustment, we went back for more ninja kicking. I’ve read a million articles about the value of free play. My instinct is to plan things for the boys, so I have to remind myself that allowing him to guide us and use his imagination is so important. He said, “watch this” approximately 100 times and it was really fun.

After ninja kicking, we ran through a puddle. Then we went to the sky chairs.

I had to lifeguard during the activity before dinner, so Xander went with Katie. Augustus was awake and they all played and also helped put the camper mail into mailboxes. When I got to dinner, Xander was making plans with Counselor Becca. I never figured out what they were up to, but I am thankful every day for wonderful staff who, even in the few quiet moments they aren’t with their campers, are willing to play with my kids.

There was lots of singing and dancing at dinner tonight.

After dinner, Xander worked in the camp store and I hung out with Augustus. Often during the day, while Augustus naps, I get to spend big chunks of time doing fun things with Xander. So it’s nice to get one on one time with Augustus too.

We finished the day with Xander playing all camp game while Augustus took a bath and relaxed. Xander came home and took a bath. Both boys had a snack and then snuggled into bed. It’s still chilly and both were wrapped in blankets and warm and snug. A wonderful day!

Rainy Sunday

This morning, we slept late, relaxed, did a few chores and then Nate left around 11 (that’s our typical routine for Sundays- it’s wonderful). The boys both have colds, so after lunch, they had quiet time until Katie came and then it was more quiet time for the whole afternoon. And then the rain came!

I HATE rain on check in day! The parents can’t take a camp tour. The whole routine is a mess. We had to move check in and luggage to the dining hall. Ugh. I had to hide my crabby attitude all day! I smiled and greeted parents, but I wasn’t happy!

But we survived and everyone was smiling (maybe they were all faking it too) and both campers and parents were pretty flexible. It was a perfectly fine day, despite the rain.

We had dinner and then the boys and I headed back for baths. They were both asleep by 7!

The rain stopped right around camper bedtime, but it’s supposed to be nice the rest of the week. I’m hopeful that both boys wake up feeling better and that my body continues to fight off the sneezes directly into my mouth.

Here’s to week #5!!

2nd Annual St. Paul Friends at CYC!

Our second annual St. Paul friends at CYC weekend was a huge success. So much good food, lots of drinks, perfect weather, nonstop activity, kids running everywhere. Jake, Anna, Paul and Jo slept in a tent! Grayson, Sarah and Oliver brought 7 week old Elliot! Jamie and Ryan were unfazed as always by the madness of 5 toddlers. And the King-Whiteds- we were excited to have friends join us in the woods!

Everyone arrived on Friday and immediately started running around (literally- running up the warped wall), all the kids took turns in the jeep, I got to hold baby Elliot (Xander was also very interested in him!), Jake and Anna put up a tent that all of the kids were excited to check out, and then we had dinner, put the kiddos to bed and stayed up way too late having drinks by the fire.

Today has been nonstop from the moment we woke up and enjoyed breakfast pizza and donuts. We headed right to the beach for a boat ride. After that, we swam until lunch.