School starts next Monday! I can't believe how quickly the summer has gone. July was a lot of camps - the kids started at Camp Ford while Tim and I went and saw Steve Martin and Martin Short at the Hollywood Bowl, with the LA Philharmonic, for the Fourth of July.
We got a lot of good beach days in, along with some good splashes at the Resort and Spa.
Ellie did two weeks of an acting camp - she initially was very cheesed with me for signing her up, but she'd had so much fun doing performances at the end of fifth grade. And the camp was less about "here we are, we are going to put on a play in two weeks" and more "this is a workshop to help you unlock your creativity and learn more about what goes on in the theater arts." They had a speaker every day, so she learned about costume design and play writing and improv, and then at the end of the two weeks they did a small demonstration for the parents and no surprise, she was a total hambone and a natural on stage.
Meanwhile, Adam went back to the day camp that he's done for several years, for his last year before he graduates to the sleep away camp. He went with his buddies Judd and Matty, and the three amigos had an absolute blast.
It really is a great two weeks for him - they do two beach days, two days of horseback riding, and then every other day is an outdoor adventure. They have archery, a rock wall, slip and slide, skateboarding, and then just the regular goofy camp stuff. Adam said he loves the long drive to the beach because "we can sing camp songs the entire way on the bus!" All the parents traded off pick ups, and I tried to win best mom award by taking them out for an ice cream most afternoons. We'd get home, run Adam through the shower to get off all the sunscreen and sweat, and then he'd flop on the couch and try to stay awake until bedtime.
Then last week I signed up him for soccer camp with Judd. Please recall that during some of his baseball season snit fits, he would holler at me that he hated baseball and he'd never asked me to sign him up for it - he wanted to play soccer (his primary reason seemed to be because in soccer "you don't play positions." Sure bro, you didn't back in kindergarten ding dong soccer, but much like how your baseball coach won't let you play a good position if you're being a bad faith actor, same will be true in soccer for fourth graders!) So, I called his bluff, via a low stakes half day camp focusing on drills and skills. He lasted less than an hour the first day before the coach called us and told us to come get him, because he was sitting on the bench refusing to participate. Tim managed to talk him down, and he went and happily participated the other days, understanding that it was okay that he wasn't as good as the other kids, most of whom seemed to be on club teams. I mean, he was the only kid on the field wearing just a tee shirt and shorts, not a full on soccer kit (I mean, he does have cleats, but we borrowed shin guards for him.) The good news is, he had a fun week, he got to hang out with Judd most afternoons, and now I don't have to deal with him and AYSO this fall!
Our big summer plan was Ellie heading back to sleep away camp. Last year I was nervous as to how she would do, but this year I was more concerned that she'd get COVID again and be unable to go (or that Lexi wouldn't be able to go.) We all had a deep breath of relief when she tested negative the day before, and got on the bus. I was like, once she's there, it's the camp's problem! At least I won't have to be the one to be there if the bad news breaks! But lo, she didn't get COVID at all and actually had an amazing time. Also, last year when we picked her up she announced that camp was "meh" and "okay" and "maybe" she'd go again but NOT ON THE BUS this year she was like "I cannot wait to go!" and when she got home all she talked about was how great it all was and how she can't wait to go back next year and also, taking the bus is awesome! (which is awesome in that it means none of the parent have to do the 15 hour round trip drive.)
As you can see, they do a lot of wonderful activities. And the camp photographer does a fantastic job of getting the parents visual evidence that their kids are alive and having fun. Though, always fun to look through the photos and wonder "whose shirt is that? Those aren't her shoes!"
I'm so happy she had such a lovely time - she had a great time with Lexi and the rest of her cabin, she got to go banana boating twice (which she loved) and she said during her free time she spent a lot of her time in the nature center and she was holding one of the baby mice when it opened its eyes for the first time (she did not feed it to the nature center snake, thankfully.) And next year, BOTH KIDS CAN GO! (can, and will!)
We're hoping to have our friends from the Bay Area down to visit this week (though they are getting over COVID) and I suppose at some point it'll be time to find their back to school supply lists and figure out what they're going to want packed in their lunches. This is my second and final year as PTA president, and while I'm a little worried about the state of the executive board for reasons various and sundries, I will still just do my best and ask for forgiveness (or hope they fire me! Either way!)
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