what I did to get 1 night at girls’ camp…

Mindy, Stephanie and myself on the archery range, we’re in the YW presidency together. 

I have been in Young Womens for almost 2 years now and really wanted to go to camp this year. It took a couple months of pumping extra breast milk, and a plane ticket for my mother (she came to watch my girls) to get me up for one day... but I am glad I went. I love my girls, they are so great! It is refreshing to see youth who are trying to do what's right and who care for each other. They go out of their way to make everyone feel included in a way I don't think I ever did. It's inspirational. Watching them gives me so much confidence in the future.

Here are the 1st years we were incharge of.

Ironically the 1 night I was there was the night it rained... and hailed. Our tent held up and none of my stuff got wet, more than I can say for some of the girls :(! I was disappointed that we couldn't have our testimony meeting (my personal favorite of camp) due to the storm. The poor stake president was trying to speak to us in a pavilion during the storm, it was a disaster. The tarps put up as walls around us provided us protection from the storm but made a lot of NOISE.

These are “my” girls from our ward during the storm.

I got home Friday at noon and we packed in as much fun with Grandma as humanly possible! After a quick shower we were off to the zoo. Grandma took Sophie on her first carousel ride, she was in heaven! While waiting for her turn to ride, Soph danced in line, the operator liked her so much she let Tessa and I join her for a free ride.  Sophie also thought the penguins were being very silly swimming and scratching their tummies.

 

 
We drove straight from the zoo to pick up Dan from work to catch a movie. We saw, UP!. Great movie. We told Sophie we were going to see a movie on a BIG TV. She thought that sounded pretty cool. She was ok during the movie.  Just a little restless towards the end and wandered around the almost empty theatre.  The best part was when she saw old man Carl she kept saying, "Big nose, WOW! Look at that, big nose!" I laughed my head off, what a funny girl. Tessa was mesmerized the screen for awhile and then just played with toys.

 

After the movie we went to Chili’s where my mom treated us to dinner, she said it was for Dan’s birthday… a bit of a stretch since his bday isn’t for another month.  But we really appreciate it!!  It was really yummy.  I think mom had a good time, even though she’s not smiling in the picture.  By the way, I think waitresses should have to take a photo class, since they take so many pictures.

The next morning we went to Paul’s birthday party and then took Grandma to the airport.  The party was a lot of fun, Sophie enjoyed playing on the playground, blowing bubbles, making a balloon monster, blowing the party favor, eating cake, punching the punch balloon, AND hitting the pinata!  Phew, Susan you out did yourself!  The pinata was funny, Soph watched a few kids hit it and when the stick was offered to her she ran away crying.  She was saying, “no thank you, hit fish.” and asking to swing.  I pushed her for a minute and then told her about the candy inside the fish, convicing her to go back.  She did eventually hit it.  I think it’s that she’s just been hyper sensitive to people being hurt lately, and seeing Nemo get whacked was too much!  But she liked it when he was pulled up and down and definitely enjoyed the candy afterwards.

Thanks again mom  for coming out to Denver, it was a pure delight to have you around. Thank you so much for letting me borrow your camera, it has been so nice.  Sophie and Tessa really love their Grandma and miss you too!