Front Porch Cutie

First Week of Summer Camp

The kids are halfway through their first week of summer camp, and I am recovering from cataract surgery. The surgery was not fun in the least, kind of like having a root canal on your eye. My eye has been hurting / itching / super light sensitive / watery but today so far today seems reasonably improved over yesterday and Monday. Fingers crossed.

Ben, for all his complaining about how he didn't want to do teen camp at the JCC (even though I only signed him up for 3 weeks), seems to be having a great time. They have lots of cool trips planned -- going to the whitewater center tomorrow for example and to see a movie next week, as well as doing a color war at a local park, visiting an art studio, and working with a local artist to create some tile mosaic thing that sounds pretty cool even though art is not usually Ben's thing. Basketball and being able to buy himself french fries and gatorade at the cafe are definitely his things, so he is happy that he is allowed to go to the gym to play basketball with his friends by themselves, and supplement the lunch that I pack him ;) Of course, instead of spending his own money at the cafe, he charges my card on file. So every day around lunch time I get an email receipt from the J Cafe!

Rebecca and Caroline are also both enjoying camp. Caroline is old enough now that I can drop her off and pick her up in the camp carpool line, which we did for the first time yesterday morning and she was totally fine! (Unlike Ben who I think kicked and screamed the first time I dropped him off in a carpool line).

More camp updates to come I am sure. Ben's opinion of teen camp may dampen when he realizes that on Fridays they do community service projects :)

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day dinner I attempted to recreate the tavern fish sandwich from Hickory Tavern for Joel and it came out pretty good!

Home

We made it home by about 2:45 yesterday and I have pretty much spent the entire time since then doing laundry, unpacking, cleaning up the kitchen, putting away groceries, etc.

I still need to get the kids ready for camp tomorrow -- Caroline will be in camp Katan, Ben will be in Teen camp and Rebecca will be in camp Mindy. 

Also I am having cataract surgery tomorrow afternoon which tops the list of Things I am Totally Not Looking Forward to. 

Sigh. Can we go back to the beach instead?

Baby Lizard!

So cute and tiny that each of the kids had to maul, I mean gently examine, it in turn ;)

Last Beach Pics

Happy Birthday Ben!!

Ben picked a Japanese steakhouse to have dinner at last night with everyone for his birthday. It was delicious! Today (his actual birthday and our last day in Hilton Head) we spent the morning at the beach and are splitting up later to see movies (the boys are going to Jurassic World and the girls are going to Inside Out). Happy 11th birthday Ben!!!! We love you!!!

Caroline With Attitude

Wednesday -- Girls Day Out

(And Joel). We spent the morning on the beach and then had lunch at The Crazy Crab, ice cream at the general store and took the girls to pick out souvenirs at the toy store. 

Wednesday -- the boys go fishing

Minus Joel that is, who had a "girls day" with us girls. Ben got sea sick, but despite that the trip was a success. The boys brought home dinner and even saw a dolphin following the boat!

Tuesday in Hilton Head

Headstands on the beach, inner tubes, sandcastles, boogie boarding, and Rita's!

Hilton Head Day Two

Another marathon beach day. Not pictured: the baby shark (dead), horseshoe crab (very much alive), Dolphins, sand dollars, and various other critters we disturbed (I mean discovered :)) on the beach today. 

Hilton Head Day One

Recital

Got up early yesterday morning to finish packing for the beach and to get the girls to their dance recital. The rehearsal was a good thing because Caroline knew exactly what to expect and separated easily to go back stage. She also seemed to remember more of her dance and danced much better than at the rehearsal. Becca did a great job also and both girls were very happy with the flowers and the trophies they got afterwards ("this is very very special to me, please don't let Clara eat it," Caroline told me). Great job girls!!

Dress Rehearsal

Quite a day today -- in addition to packing for the beach, we also had the dress rehearsal for the girls' dance recital (which is at 9am tomorrow morning). The dress rehearsal was pretty much exactly like the real thing (minus some sets and a few of the more advanced dancers' numbers, leaving mom to wonder.... "You mean I have to do this all *again* tomorrow?"

Caroline, having missed her nap so that mom could beat her unruly toddler hair into submission, was rather sullen and had a meltdown when it was time to go back stage. I left and found a seat in the audience rather doubtful that she would make it on stage ;) But make it onstage she did, and dance she did though she seemed to forget about half the moves and just kind of swayed in place for much of it ;) Rebecca went back stage and did both her numbers happily and confidently as usual despite complaining on the drive that she was scared/nervous. 

The real thing tomorrow, and then the beach!!

Another Last Day of School

Caroline's, this time. She said goodbye to her wonderful "3's" teacher, Ms. Betty today. When we get back from Hilton Head she will have six weeks of summer camp and then she will start in the "4's". 

And a Newly Minted Second Grader!

That deserves ice cream!

The Graduate!

My newly minted SCMS 6th grader :) The graduation ceremony was at Providence High, and the auditorium was pretty well packed. It was an hour and a half long program, which included the principal crying during her commencement address, and many short speeches from students, a really really really long award ceremony where each student was called up and given recognition for at least one thing (Ben got A/B Honor Roll - so close to A honor roll it hurts! - as well as a reading award and something about art helper? I asked Ben what art helper was about and he had no idea ;) 

Afterwards he was amenable to photo-ops with his friends and teachers, I suppose sensing that this is what you are supposed to do after a graduation. We went to brunch afterwards where we gave him his graduation present - an iPhone 5c! Quite the lucky boy this week! He deserves it though! We also got a letter from SCMS with his section placement for the fall. He will be in an Honors language arts section and a regular math section, which sounds about right to me ;) Now to enjoy the summer!

Ben's Last Day at ELE

Today is Ben's last day at the elementary school bus stop! Where did the time go???

Here he is in 2009 waiting for his very first ride on the bus to kindergarten!

And this morning looking super chill on this momentous occasion (or probably half asleep). The next time these cousins will ride the bus together again will be when they are in 6th and 8th grades!

Don't Feed the Sharks

Clearly I ignored the sign. Also had: a hot dog, chips, Gatorade, and a ring pop. Clearly she is only in this thing for the food. If Ben only knew what he was missing...