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I was feeling pretty good after our smooth first day of camp! But last night was rough- Sick Augustus was up all night- he just has a cold, but he couldn’t seem to get comfortable and was just restless and miserable. Olivia was also up all night- she woke up every time Augustus fussed and also seemed uncomfortable too. And then Xander was up bright and early at 6:15 and ready for the day, although more emotional than yesterday. 

I have a lot of work to do, but the goal of this week is just to get settled. In between the fun stuff, there were a lot of meltdowns, Augustus still hasn’t eaten much, and every time I told Xander “no” today, he said, “I miss Daddy!” which made me both sad and tired. It’s all normal, it’s all expected. That’s what this week is about, so that when the staff arrive and I have 3 straight weeks of intense training, my children are adjusted and stable and able to roll with the hectic pace. So we’re enjoying the days, I’m squeezing in work in the quiet moments, and we’re all just wearing our emotions on our sleeves.

Unexpectedly we said goodbye to a member of our family today. My 11 year old bulldog Olivia died and I’m trying to be strong but did burst into tears, which made Xander cry, so then we were both crying and he said, “we can be sad together” which seemed very wise, so we all crawled into bed and I bought Toy Story 3 and we snuggled until they fell asleep. I’m drained and sad and will have to write more about my beloved first baby later.

This is EXACTLY how I felt after a day of cleaning and unpacking

Day 1! Last night, Nate and the boys arrived around 10pm. I had spent the previous 7 hours scrubbing every single surface of the entire camper to get ready for them. I was exhausted and hoping we could just slide them from the car into bed, but both were bouncing off the walls with excitement and were up until 11:30pm! They slept in until 8:15am this morning!

And then we were off and running for our first full day of camp!

We ran around all over, looking at the fire pit, the beach, the archery range. It was 50 degrees today, so we decided to go to the lodge for a while and go swimming and have lunch.

I thought they would nap, but instead, we returned to camp and did some chores- drove some random garbage to the dumpster in the golf cart, more unpacking, organizing, etc.

Nate left around 3, so we played some more and then had dinner. Xander had been asking about s’mores since he woke up, so we started a fire in the fireplace and made s’mores.

Then we headed out for another golf cart ride and some rock throwing, before it was time for baths, quiet playing and then early bedtime.

It was a great first day. They were both in good moods and everything was relatively smooth. But the first week is ALWAYS hard (even before I had kids). It is an entirely new schedule and it takes some time to adjust. I’m getting better at being patient and accepting of the chaos and feelings of being unsettled. EVERYTHING is different- daily schedule, meals, bathtime, bedtime, our living space, the people around us, everything. So I am trying to find balance between re-establishing routines and accepting that a little bit of “anything goes” is ok in the midst of all that. Each day we secure a little more of a routine and adjust a little more, and so I’m not feeling too guilty about the 12 marshmallows (and little else) that Augustus ate today. Every day will get a little more normal.

Well, I’d planned to continue this blog throughout the year. I was going to post cute pictures and updates about the boys were doing. But since the last time I posted was from the day we left camp, I guess you could say I fell behind… but it’s been a great 9 months.

Summer is here again. We leave for camp in ONE WEEK. Xander has been asking about it for months. I have 1 million things on my to-do list for this week and I am not sure how I will ever get all of us ready for the summer in these few days, but ready or not, we’re heading to the woods soon.

I thought being pregnant at camp was hard (2015),
until I brought a baby to camp, which I thought was hard (2016),
until I brought a toddler to camp, while also SUPER pregnant, which I thought was hard (2017),
until I brought a toddler and an exclusively breastfeeding baby last summer (2018).

So… 2 toddlers? One of these years the pendulum of DIFFICULT has to start swinging back in the right direction, right? Here’s hoping it’s this summer.

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So here we go with summer! This will be Augustus’s 2nd summer, Xander’s 4th summer, Olivia’s 11th summer and my 20th in camping (12th at CYC). As always, I expect it will be an adventure, with many surprises around every corner.

If you’re new to the blog, welcome. You can catch up on how camp works here-
https://thekingwhitedfamily.blogspot.com/2018/05/sleepaway-camp-in-nutshell.html

If you are curious about the luxury accommodations provided to a camp director, you can check out last year’s pictures of the executive suite here (I will do an updated post when we move into camp next week. We’ve removed the crib, so we’ll have to do some re-arranging with all of our newly open space)-https://thekingwhitedfamily.blogspot.com/2018/05/home-sweet-home.html

2 toddlers, a fat bulldog, and a crazy woman walk into the woods… Sounds like the beginning of a funny joke, but no, that’s just our life for the next 12 weeks. Join us on our journey.

And just like that, it’s over. In some ways, the summer FLEW by in the blink of an eye. In some ways, I feel like we’ve been away forever.

11 weeks ago, we headed to the woods. Over the course of the summer, Augustus took his first steps. Xander learned to peddle a bike. Xander said his first swear word. Augustus learned to wave. Augustus gave up bottles. Xander grew in confidence and became more outgoing. We swam, we paddle boarded, we ended each day FILTHY dirty. Summer was a huge success.

The camp staff was the best group I’ve worked with and they were generous with their time and energy- despite being with campers 22 hours a day, they always had time to talk to, listen to, play with and give my kids attention.

It was difficult to be away from Nate, my mom, our friends, my beloved St. Paul, and normal life. But it was also wonderful. I loved spending so much time with my boys. I think when they return to daycare, I am going to have a more difficult time re-adjusting then they do.

We packed up the van, Nate’s car and my mom’s car this morning. Nate and the boys headed out a few minutes before me. I brought 2 international staff home with us for the weekend (they fly out on Monday) and now we’re all home. My house is filled with boxes, bags and piles and I am eager to spend tomorrow unpacking. It’s been a whirlwind!

Summer 2018, my 11th at CYC and 19th summer in camping, is complete.

Katie snuck up behind me and took these photos. I feel so lucky to have been able to spend quiet moments sitting on the beach throwing rocks with the boys. It’s nice to be able to slow down and spend time with them. I also really appreciate that Katie took these pictures and captured the moment for me. She is so sweet and thoughtful.

11 years ago, Shayla and I created this wall during my first summer. I am SO proud each year when I get to fill in another square. I can’t believe it’s been 11 years at CYC! The people on this wall have meant so much to me.

These photos are a little bit indulgent, but Augustus turned 1 year old on August 10, which means that I’ve been breastfeeding him for a year and also that I’m almost DONE breastfeeding him.

In the past 3 years, I’ve had 2 beautiful, healthy, perfect babies cut out of me. I pumped round the clock for a year with Xander. I breastfed Augustus for a year. Through 2 pregnancies, I gained 50 pounds. After my second c-section, I had searing pain every time I bent, lifted, turned or stood up for a full 7 months. My body has not been my own in 3 years and often I don’t recognize myself in the mirror. But, my abdomen is starting to heal and get stronger. And soon, I will not be a milk machine and I’m excited about that. I’ve loved breastfeeding Augustus and I will probably miss it. I knew I would regret it if I didn’t get a nice photo of us together.

I felt a little ridiculous requesting these photos, but they are a celebration of the last 3 years- 2 babies created, fed and growing up too fast. Reid, our camp photographer from last year is visiting this week and he’s an awesome artist. I knew he could take a pinterest-worthy photo that made me look beautiful, even though I was super sweaty, tired after a long day and wrangling 2 boys up past their bedtime (so we had the best light). He’s a 20 something dude who mostly photographs bands, so there’s no way he can understand how meaningful these are, but he did such a great job and I couldn’t be happier.

Twice a day, camper can visit the camp store. Parents put money in their account before camp starts, so they just walk up to the window, say their name and then they can buy tee shirts, water bottles, sunglasses, flashlights, as well as ice cream, chips, popcorn, etc.

Xander has his own account, and LOVES the camp store. We have a huge bag of popcorn (same brand as the camp store) in our house. But he prefers the small bags at the camp store. He is a frequent visitor and always asks about it on weekends (when it’s not open). He is going to miss his daily visits to the store when we go home!

“I want popcorn. Fank you!”

Waiting for his order.

Chatting while he waits

“Fank you so much!”

Living his best life.

Our friends came to visit us at camp this weekend! It was a little rainy on Friday night and Saturday, but we still managed to have a lot of fun. We went swimming, paddle boarding, paddle boating, played on the field, had a dance party on the stage, had a campfire, rode bikes in the dining hall, and ate a LOT of food and treats! Jo is 6 months older than Xander and Oliver is 3 months older than Xander. All three got along really well and never stopped moving. It was an awesome weekend and hopefully the first of what will become an annual tradition!

The weather yesterday and today was OUTSTANDING. Sunny, warm, no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. Xander and I went paddle boarding and swimming. Katie had the boys outside all day. Days like that make it feel like we’re living in paradise.

And then today it drizzle/misted all day and was about 60 degrees. We wore sweatpants and socks and I was still chilly all day. Poor Katie had to entertain two crabby boys who were stuck inside all day. Xander spent a good amount of time playing with this power strip (not plugged in of course). NOT paradise. I wanted to go back to bed pretty much as soon as I woke up and heard the rain.

Let’s hope tomorrow brings the sun back!