Keeping Busy

Family

We almost couldn't attend a campout family reunion because essential stuff was packed away in our trailer but I was able to unpack enough to find them. It was Monday night playing and eating s'mores then on Tuesday we did a big family breakfast and then a treasure hunt that we learned about the girl's great grandparents that I didn't know. They weren't good at listening, but they enjoyed finding the hidden clues and getting a toy mermaid at the end of the game. There was a hot spring pool right next to the campgrounds that we all when swimming at and I wish I would have brought their life jackets because they were attached to me the whole time! They liked to go down this ramp into the slightly too deep area and throw their mermaids so they could hold onto my arms as we swam to get them and start over.

Fun

Already we have gone swimming with friends again this week and this time I brought the life jackets and Claire LOVED being independent enough to swim on her own. She didn't want to play much on the slide in the kid's area and enjoyed swimming in the lazy river or the big pool. I might buy a season pass just to take them every week while we are here because she already has asked to go back 3 times! We also had fun playing with cousins yesterday for a little water party with water guns, balloons, and a slide. They didn't want to leave but we had to go to the store to buy a present for their friend who was having a birthday party that night and there would be more water fun with a bouncy house slide. I know we have a birthday girl in two weeks so it makes me think...what am I going to do??

Claire

It is always really exciting to be back at grandparent Bell's house because the girls know the toys and the family we see when we are here. Claire likes the doll toys here and has played with them every day, but now she also adds her own pony toys into the mix. It's hard for them to ask for their toys and I know they are just in a box out in the shop so I have to say no instead of they can have them when we go home. She asked for her Lego blocks today and I tried to make her happy with substitute blocks but she didn't like it, so she whined for a bit. It may just be me but I've noticed her being a little more emotional today and I assume it is because she misses her daddy. Keeping busy earlier in the week with everything we did was fun, but not having daddy there is starting to show and she asks him every night during our prayer calls to come because she loves him.

Shay

Because she does and follows everything her sister does, she always says she wants daddy too, but she is more 'eh' about it. I know she loves Chris, but sometimes she is a momma's girl and prefers sitting in my lap during prayers, or sitting next to me on the couch for example. Her favorite things are still PJ masks and Frozen, but she has been finding a few things like watching and playing My Little Ponys with her sister. She asked to watch Mulan this past week because she found the VHS case here and I thought that was very out of ordinary for her. We have a lot of routines that I am trying to keep and Shay still thinks homework is boring, but I've been able to get her to do her puzzle while Claire is working. I want to give them the experience of school this coming year because I think they would love to meet new people, but we will have to start the year later than everyone else since we are still in this limbo. I'm just working on teaching them so they will be ready to go when they do start school.