And Now For a Report In Which We All Go To Girl's Camp

I got home from Utah and went directly to Girl's Camp. I did not pass GO and I certainly did not collect $200. Luckily I had the foresight to get the majority of my camp junk packed and ready to go before I left for Minnesota and Utah. I just had a few minor things left to do. Travis helped me grocery shop and pack up. Last summer our area went from having two stakes to three stakes and we are in the newly created Jacksonville South stake. So we have girls from both stakes coming together with all their own ideas and traditions with camp. We were unable to get either camp that the other stakes had previously used and so we found a new-to-us place in Georgia, not too far away. It is owned by Woodsmen of the World (?) and is a tiny island in a salt marsh that feeds into the ocean. We were told to expect rustic. It was. But it was really nice. I liked it very much. It was pretty there, the cabins are close together, and they are also close to the bathrooms that weren't too bad, themselves. My job at camp this year was the same as last year - I was the level 2 camp instructor. I taught classes to the 2nd year girls and certified them in all the criteria in the camp manual. I had 22 girls, the biggest group there!! I also assisted a cabin mom as we are required to have 2 adults per cabin.

This was a special year in that it is Morgan's last year at camp AND it is Maddie's first year. So all the girls were there!! One night, Travis was up there too as the nightly Priesthood watchman. It was a family event. The girls have asked that I not use this picture for our Christmas card so I'll post it here instead.

This is what the cabins looked like and they sleep 11-14 girls pretty comfortably. As you can see, there isn't much grass. The biggest drawback was the dirt. I will say, though, that due to its location, we didn't have one tick!!

Here is Maddie with her friends from our ward. Maddie made friends quickly and had a great experience at camp. Like her sisters, she will be a Girl's Camp fanatic.
On the last day, awards were given out and all three girls were voted Camp Comedian for their level!! One night, I posted on Facebook "Why is it that my girls are the loudest ones in the camp?" and got a reply from a high school friend, "Maybe because their mom is, too." I can't tell you all how much fun it was to see them all there having the time of their lives.

Here is Rozzie (in red) in her skit. It was a Toy Story skit and she was Jessie.

Here is Maddie in a "Faith Factor" contest. The other girl is trying to tie a tie properly.

Rozzie is seen here in the orange shorts dancing for her "lost" item. To get your item from the lost and found, you must sing and dance "The Squirrel Song." Roz is leading the group, but she forgot to turn around to shake her bushy tail.

When all was said and done and we were saying goodbye, Morgan shed many tears. She has loved camp so much the past six years. It has been her favorite summer activity. It has served her well and taught her many skills. She has made so many great friends. She was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting about Girl's Camp - a real 10 minute talk - and she outlined the many things she has gained from her six years of Girl's Camp. She gave such a good talk and we heard from many people how good it was: well planned; well executed; easily understood; and very relevant. She had small anecdotes for each point she made. We were proud parents!!

It's All in the Details

I was gently reminded that we are interested in the details. I know I am and that is why I worked hard on these outfits. So here are some closer-up views of the peacock costume where the earrings are clearly visible, and the headband/headdress is more clear! You can also see the eye detail.
And here is the shirt. The feather was printed on in black an we added glitter paint, jewels, and one big glass bead. Very fabulous and the girls just loved it!!

In the Meantime

Now I'm backing up just a couple weeks. Please don't be confused or angry at me. Some of this happened while I was in Utah and didn't get these pictures until later - much later!

Rozzie had a dance team camp the week after school was out and I already posted a picture or two of that. However, I haven't posted the peacock costumes! During the last week of school, the dance coach asked Lani to come up with a costume for "Zoo Day" at the camp. The coach was thinking "birds" and Lani came up with "peacocks". Well, when Lani is given a task, Jenni gets a task. We did some running around looking at things and searching the Internet. Then I spent about 6 hours making earrings and helping with the shirts and headbands. The costume turned out really cute. Here is Rozzie with one of her new friends, Lauren, modeling the finished product.
On the day Rozzie had to be at dance team camp, the rest of the youth from church went to the temple in Orlando. This was Maddie's first trip there to do baptisms. They had a nice time and I'm glad Morgan was able to go with her. She is wearing heels here but, yes, she is taller than Morgan.

I have been busy this summer and finished this pair of socks out in Utah. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the effect of the yarn here. These socks are so pretty and were a lot of fun to knit.

Stay tuned for the next post in which we go to Girl's Camp (Rozzie's 3rd "camp" for the summer). Thanks for checking in.

Utah Trip 2010: Part III - The End

I know, I know. You all thought something drastic happened in my life since I haven't posted in three weeks. Well something drastic did happen. And I'll try and blog it all this week. But at this point, I must give the rest of my Utah trip some attention. Mike and Jenny took a vacation out to Utah at the same time I was out there so they came over to Park City for a day. It was lots of fun. Jenny has posted some great pictures at www.hawleyfocus.com PLEASE check it out as there is a fabulous picture of me and Violet. Actually all the pictures are great. I have a couple more that were different from Jen's so I'll show you a few!! We rode alpine slides and the girls were so funny. Annie didn't want to go too fast so I made sure we went fast enough! We beat Mike! On the way up, Annie and Mimi were fighting over who got to ride with me. Finally Mimi said, "Oh! I know, I can ride with Aunt Jenni the first time, and then Annie can ride with Aunt Jenni the next time!!" Annie shouted with joy and agreed with her whole-heartedly. Mike gave me the look of shock over someone thinking of such a novel idea. Ha ha ha ha!

Later that night, Holly took us on a Ranger ride all over the mountain and the Canyons ski resort. It was a really great ride. I think Violet liked it the best. She was a wild baby! She loved having the wind blowing in her hair! At the Canyons they have a summer Ultimate Frisbee course set up. I had to take a picture of this for Sara and her boys.
Here is a picture of Violet and Mike. The funny thing is that she is holding on to Mike by his handle there on the side of his head! She hung on all the way to the car!

Here is a picture of Maddie with some girls at the Gateway Mall. It was Brooklyn's birthday party and they went on a photo scavenger hunt all over the mall. She had a blast!

While we were doing all this stuff, Rozzie was at camp having a blast. On the Sunday that she was at camp, they went to Temple Square to see "Music and the Spoken Word." Here they are at the temple.

Here is Rozzie with all her new best friends at the reflection pool by the temple. Rozzie is right in the middle in black.

As the camp came to a close, we went to see Rozzie perform the dances she learned. Roz is in the back pointing at us. It was great to see her with new friends and have such a fun time.

Autumn and Brooklyn came along to see Rozzie's performance, too. Rozzie learned what a great place BYU is!!

We had such a nice trip in Utah. It was a great time to meet and greet with friends and family. Then we headed home on Saturday, July 3, and I had to be to Girl's Camp in Georgia on Sunday, July 4, at 5:00.

Thanks to Alden's and Smith's for such a great time!!