Growing Pains

I just dropped off my two oldest at camp for the week. I do believe that gives a new definition to the term "growing pains".
I get Emily settled into her cabin reminding her of all the little motherly things. I tell her be sure to hang up your towel after your shower so it doesn't stink, here's your good clothes, your play clothes, etc.. In typical childlike fashion she endures the lecture all the while her eyes staring right past me and out the door. I am sure she was thinking wrap this up mom, there is a whole lot of fun waiting for me. So I take the hint and end my speech realizing she will probably not remember anything I tell her anyway. "I'll be back to say goodbye after I get your brother in his cabin." "O.k.," she shouts back to me as she goes running past me toward the door. I am sure she was thinking I better make a break for it before she starts to tear up or give me more rules that I won't remember once she leaves.
I get in the van to drive over to the other side of the camp to get Isaiah situated in his cabin. There were more girls than boys this year. The additional girls cabins were going to be housing workers so they had to put the boys into the cabins the girls usually stayed in. The boys cabins have more bunks so they could hold the extra girls. I take my son into the cabin and help him pick out a bunk. I tell him, "I stayed in this very cabin when I was little." "What?" He replies I think more out of horror than anything. He starts reading the bunks where girls have signed their names and silly little quips. He had one bunk picked out but I thought another would be better. "Amber loves boys," he reads off the bunk I had picked out.
"Mom I can't sleep in this one, whoever sleeps here Amber will love." I roll my eyes and he takes the hint getting his bed made up. I once again start into my motherly lecture. I feel this child has never been here before, surely he will want to hear my sage advice. Of course I received the typical Isaiah response. To every suggestion I have he of course has a "better" way to do it. I see this is a battle I am quickly losing. I now end the passing on of my wisdom and tell him to ride back up to front with me and I will tell you and your sister Good-bye.
"Mom, I want to go play," he replies. "Just ride up to front with me," I say while giving him the look that tells him, it's not really a suggestion. Looking for a chance to escape he says, "Can't I just walk up there while you drive?" I can tell by the look in his eyes, he won't really be missing me at least not today. "Give me a hug," I say resigned to the fact that I have been replaced at temporarily by the allure of the Gaga Ball court. I give hime one last plea to remember to shower and off he runs shouting back promises I am sure he will not keep.
I drive off to the front of the camp in hopes I will have a better response to my leaving from my oldest. I find her on the merry-go-round already engrossed in a conversation with several new found friends. I can tell once again, mom has taken a backseat in the attention category. I give her a hug squeezing a few last remembrances about being careful about what she eats. She gives me a hug and does the slow backing away thing. Nodding in agreeance with what I am saying as she cast glances over her shoulder looking for a means of escape.
Can it be that I am that old already? My children old enough to be off on their own for a whole week. Taking baby steps toward their future, while mom takes one step back. Weren't they just crying as I left them in the nursery, not wanting mom to be gone from them or out of their sight for even one minute? It is perhaps not only children that are the ones to experience growing pains. I feel I have just been forced to grow in one morning several inches in a matter of minutes.

Vacation at Home

We are not taking a big formal vacation this year, so we are trying to have a few fun days around town. Yesterday, Grandma and Aunt Susan took the kids to the waterpark for the afternoon. (I got to spend the afternoon at the Doctor's office laying still for a picture of my gallbladder) Today we slept in, went for a walk, played games, went rollerblading and biking, out to Eat at the Boathouse and now some Fireworks.
It was our first time ever to eat at the Boathouse which is only a block and a half from our house. What's even funnier is that we lived in this town for about 4 years before I even realized there was a restaurant around the corner from our house. It was pretty good. The neighbors are having their roof done and the construction guy asked if it was ok if he drove his truck up our driveway so he didn't have to haul the trash down the hill. He gave us a certificate for that, I wasn't expecting that. But of course, I don't turn down a free meal.
Sunday we will go to Tim's family party at his Aunt's house. They do a hayride and a supper and fireworks. Then on monday we will take the kids to a friends house to swim and then hang out at the party there for awhile.
Two of my sister's and their families along with my mom are at Family Camp. I wish we could have gone, but we are registered for next year. So for this summer it's just finding more fun activities around home. That's ok though. I thought it was a nice afternoon as I sat on my couch and looked around at the kids all playing games. Enjoying family is really what a vacation is about, not where you go.