Field Day!

 

 

 

It's Going To Be A Long Day

Eliza Grace is home sick today. 

I am sitting in my home office. 

She just face-timed me from the den.  Twice. 

It's going to be a long day.

Our First Official AHG Camporee! Part 2

Here are some more highlights from our recent Camporee:

Setting up and organizing under the shelter.

Males, naturally gravitating to fire

Females, naturally gravitating to meal prep

Chow line

Hobo packs ready to be put on the fire (ground beef patty, carrots, onions, potatoes, grape tomatoes, seasoning, and a bit of water, wrapped in tinfoil)
Cooking the hobo packs

Cleaning up

Schmellows on fire!

Breakfast

Weekend buddies

My little Explorer

Fire safety session

Taking a break to blow bubbles
Archery session

First aid/wound care session.  Learning how to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. (This Dad is also an ER MD and brought a training leg, complete with squirting fake blood!)
Eliza Grace with her fake wound, helping to simulate a bear attack!  She even got carried out in a home made litter.

Paracord survival bracelet making session. It was at this point that Eliza Grace fell asleep sitting up :)
Group photo!

AHG Troop NC 1230

The flag lowering ceremony on Saturday night was conducted by our troop.  They asked for a volunteer to say a prayer before we dismissed. 

My little girl took a knee and prayed a beautiful prayer.  I love how easy and honest she is in her faith.

Our First Official AHG Camporee! Part 1

Last Friday afternoon, Eliza Grace and I headed to meet Troop NC1230 and several other American Heritage Girl troops for our inaugural North Carolina AHG Camporee!

For those of you who know me, I'm not a camping kinda gal.  Oh, the things we do for our kids.

We traveled to Camp Durant in Carthage, NC.  Camp Durant is a Boy Scout camp, which kind of explained the urinals on the outside of the bath house.  I say "kind of" because, if you are a Boy Scout, do you really walk all the way to the urinal at the bath house? I don't think so.

Anyhoo, in order to earn her Camping Badge, Eliza Grace had to be the one to put up our tent.  

She did a darn good job, with very little help from me, aside from helping to hammer the stakes and holding it up as she ran the poles.

First, she unrolled and laid the ground tarp.

Next came the tent proper.

 

"Now let me see...this pole goes..."

"Whew, this is hard work."

Ta Da!!!

Photographic proof that she "got'er done!"

Prepping for a Camporee!

Eliza Grace is prepping for her first ever AHG Camporee!

First she is working on knife safety and usage by whittling a shape out of a bar of soap.

Next, she worked on some really cute "swaps" to trade with the other campers.

We are excited about going camping in a couple of days!

Sinking In

What Will typed into his iTouch this morning:

I think those Sunday morning messages are sinking in!

Almost Time For A Kindergarten Farewell

Will's last day of kindergarten is coming soon. 

It really has gone so very fast. I say that every year. And every year it is true.

Mrs. Germano and her assistant, Mrs. McPhail, have been the most wonderful teachers.  I am pretty sure that Mrs. Germano told Will she loved him every single day, even when he was scolded, even when he was praised.  What he has learned from her, far above and beyond the reading, writing and arithmetic, is that an adult, someone outside of his family, loves him, cares for him and expects the best for and out of him.

It's a priceless gift.

The past couple of weeks have been full of end of the year activities. First, they had their annual kindergarten show. That's Will in the Carolina blue polo shirt on the top riser with all the tall kids.

Suffice it to say, I was never, ever on the top riser.  

I was always, ALWAYS on the bottom riser.  Sigh.

ANYway...

In the show, Will was one of three cool mice.

He was a little shy.

And his left shoelace was untied.

But he sure looked cute up there!

Here's a quick 94 seconds of the show:

(Ok, seriously, how cute was that little Anaise
-white dress, front row?
That girl is destined for Broadway!)

Anyhoo, a week later his class had a family ice cream social and each student received a personalized book with pictures from throughout the school year.

Then Mrs. Germano presented them with a Kindergarten Certificate of Completion :)  She also told the children that she would, in fact, be hugging and kissing each and every one of them.

 

She also thanked the parents for sharing their children with her and then she teared up and could not talk.  Which of course set me to boohooing as well!

Only two more weeks and my baby will be a first grader!