Laity Lodge Family Camp 2012

I think each year just keeps getting more and more fun. Probably because we keep convincing more and more people to come with us. This year we went to Echo Valley with the Schoolers, the Trusses, the Zimels and the Frenches. All in all, there were 24 of us! We all stayed in cabins near one another which made it great. The kids are all about the same age and we all live within walking distance to one another in Balcones Woods. That is amazing. Oh, and we all go to the same church! So we are living life together in one big community. God has really blessed us.

We left the littles (John and Matthew) with my mom (my dad ditched her to go hunting - grrrr. . . . ). Although we really missed having the littles along, it is so much easier when the kids that come can sleep in big kid beds and can go without naps. Next year we are excited to take John along with us.

Sigh. . . the weekend was SO fun. It was really really really hard to go back to work today and jump back into reality. Did I mention there is no cell serve in the Canyon? I hope they never get it there!

If anyone reading this is looking for a great way to re-connect with family, friends and most of all God, go to Leakey, TX and spend a weekend along the Rio Frio. It will be an experience you will treasure.

Now for the pics!

Our entire group!

Just as we arrived to Echo Valley

Will and his buddy, Grayson Truss

The beautiful waterfront

We carved pumpkins for one family activity!

Sara French

Aggie Schoolers

Grayson and Will heading off to mischief

Our first activity was riflery

Rob, Michael, and Sara enjoying the weather

Then we moved to Archery

The porch there is amazing - the kids can ride scooters all around the Dining Hall

Amber-Rose and Christy

The girls! Kim, me, Amber-Rose, Christy and Sara

The guys participating in a skit where they had to shove dum dums into their mouths.  I think they got up to around 15!

I don't think I had ever canoed before! This was a great way to learn - the water is so clear.

Funky shot that Will took of the riverfront

Dance Party with Avery

Alivia went to a cute fundraiser for some middle school girls who are raising money for their dance program. The party was at Dancer's Workshop from 5-10 pm last Saturday night. Alivia and Avery were bursting with excitement. I was a little worried that Alivia might not make it until 10 pm, but she did fine. The face painting was a little much b/c it meant we had to come home and take a full bath! Alivia loved being with her cousin and going around to all the stations that included: face painting, t-shirt design, mani/pedi, hip hop dance class, games and a movie while their nails dried. Cute!

Halloween Preview 2012

Because I am never really sure who is going to want to get their picture taken, I thought I would get some shots in a low-stress situation. John has been particularly tricky lately.

As you can see, Will is Luke Skywalker (in an Obe Juan Kanobe outfit) and John is Spidey. The boys are thrilled with their costumes and have danced around and played in them the last few days.

For $19.99 they are just what we need - comfy, easy to get on and off with few pieces and parts. I really tried to talk John out of Spiderman because there is no way he is putting on the facemask that goes with it, but he was undeterred. . . .

John is digging for gold and Will is growling like a dog

Ahh, now there is my sweet boy again

My Girl Scout Daisy

Alivia is officially a Daisy in Troop 1512. A Daisy is before Brownies which is before Girl Scouts. The troop meets at Davis Elementary and all the girls are students there, but I thought it would be a great way to meet some other kids and moms in the neighborhood and thankfully, the troop leader was willing to let a Veritas gal join the crew.

So far it has been such a sweet experience. The troop leader, Anaise, is so kind and is really into it. Alivia couldn't wait to get her uniform and go back again this past Friday. She talks about selling cookies a lot. And Will does, too. He started crying the other day when he thought he was missing out on the Girl Scout cookie sale. (We gotta get that kid into some sort of entrepreneurial venture soon).

This week she learned the Girl Scout promise and it brought back fun memories of when I was a Girl Scout!

Reading Time

One morning we were rushing around getting Will and John ready for preschool when I happened upon Alivia reading to Matthew and John. It was so absolutely precious that time stood still. I grabbed my camera to capture the moment. And then retreated into the background just watching them all together. Needless to say we were late to preschool that morning, but it was so worth it. I need to remember to take time out to enjoy these fleeting moments. I am incredibly grateful that Alivia is at Veritas so that we are given these times with one another.

I was laughing behind my lens because Matthew was totally hamming it up for the camera.

Boy in a Boat

Nanny Alva found out that Matthew loves sitting in an empty laundry basket. It is a great way to contain him for a short amount of time. While he is not crawling yet, he has learned how to roll around to get what he wants. You notice the paci in his mouth! I am trying to help him quit sucking his thumb by using a paci instead. He seems to like the paci just as much as his thumb. . . yay! Now if I can only keep a paci around at. all. times.

He's about 8 months old now.

Perseverance

Speaking of Alivia's reading. .  .it has totally taken off! She is like a new student this year. Something clicked over the summer. We just completed an interesting Occupational Therapy program and I wonder if that had anything to do with it? The program required various things from Alivia - with me - and things that she could do on her own.

I decided to make a chart for the things that she could do on her own and when she completed them, she would check them off her list. The list included things like: listening to Mozart, listening to books on tape, doing a computer program that flashed words on the screen. .  .

Alivia amazed me with her dedication and perseverance. She would almost EVERY activity EVERY day - she may have missed one or two every now and then, but for the most part she completed it on her own. And I never reminded her. Now that is amazing.

When she got close to completing the last month we told her that we would buy her the "Poo Poo Pee Pee" doll that she had been wanting for awhile. She was so excited.

Matt and I talked with her about how proud we were of her perseverance. She asked me what that meant and I said "It is doing something when you don't feel like it." This is also the trait that her teacher gave her at the end of kindergarten last year and I could not agree more.

Alivia, you amaze me! God has given you a special personality.