Hawaii Reunion

Today we drove to Waynesboro to meet up with some great friends we met in Hawaii. I am so glad that many of us have kept in contact over the years. It is hard to believe we left Hawaii almost 13 years ago!
The kids had a great time swimming in the pool. The adults had a great time catching up. Although I hadn't seem some of these friends for 10 years, it didn't seem like that long at all. Facebook and blogs are awesome for staying connected.

 

Since we had plans to visit Washington DC on our trip, and we were already close by, we headed there right after our Hawaii reunion.

Iron Pigs

Today we met with the Pastor at Edgeboro Moravian Church to discuss Zachary's baptism that is scheduled for July 3. We got to hang out with Gram for a short time before heading to the mall for the Disney Store's summer activity. The kids are collecting bracelets each week and they couldn't miss while we were on vacation. We met up with Jen and Ava and walked around the mall for a while.

This evening, we headed to Coca Cola Park for the Iron Pigs game. The Iron Pigs are a minor league team for the Phillies. The kids were excited because we had seats very close to the field. Zachary was hoping to catch a foul ball, but we had no luck.

Welcome to PA

We took a red eye flight to PA yesterday and arrived today. We had a busy day and didn't have a chance to have dinner before heading to the airport. We ate a Phil's BBQ for the first time. Zachary loved the ribs!

It's been a long time since we've all been to PA together. We looked forward to this trip for a while. When we arrived around 11am, we stopped by to see Nana and Grandpa. We had some hot dogs from Potts' and then went shopping at the Iron Pigs store.

 Coca Cola Stadium

We made arrangements with my dad to stay at his house. He took his pool down a few years ago and replaced it with a hot tub. He doesn't use a heater, so it's the perfect size pool for the kids. The cousins were excited to see each other again!

 We do not have lightening bugs in CA, so the kids enjoyed catching them on our first night in CA. I went to dinner with Megan and Brandy, so I missed their first experience catching them.

Getting things in order

This weekend we went to the outlets to pick up a few things before our trip to PA. I always think it's crazy that Mexico is right on the other side of the fence.

We've been working hard to get the house organized. The kids sold a lot of toys they no longer play with and we have a few piles of things to give away. They have spent hours and hours sorting Legos.

Welcome Home!

Kailani came home from Girl Scout camp today. We are so happy to have her back. We decided to take her to dinner at Fuji on the way home. She was very excited to tell us all about her week at camp.

 

 

Kailani, Kaia, Karlie, and Delaney

My buddy Koa keeps me company! I've been working late nights to get a lot of grading done before our trip to PA.

Day 4

Here is the newsletter post and a few pictures from day 4 of Girl Scout camp:

On the Menu:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls, Bagels, String Cheese, Cereal, Fruit, Milk

Lunch: Pita Bread, Chicken/Falafel, Hummus, Feta, Cucumber, Spianch, Fries

Dinner: Pizza (Cheese, Pepperoni, Veggie), Spinach Salad

DIY Girl

The morning started bright and early for the campers of DIY Girls by creating little dolls out of yarn. After breakfast, the campers made their way to archery to hopefully earn a couple of Golden Arrows! Throughout the rest of the day, the campers made their own bird feeders, made their own dream catchers, made little gnomes for cabin decorations and took part in Camp Whispering Oaks’ closing campfire where they got to say goodbye to all of their newly made friends.

Day 3

Today is day 3 of camp for Kailani. Although Zachary says he enjoys being by himself, he doesn't want to do anything without her. Today we just hung around the house, built Legos, and watched baseball.
We visited 2 different Disney Stores. The kids have been collecting the tsum tsum bracelets and Zachary got one for himself and one for Kailani.
Here is the newsletter from camp:

On the Menu:

Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola, Fruit, Cereal, Muffins, Milk

Lunch: Mac and Cheese, Meatballs, Salad

Dinner: Tacos, Ground Beef, Spanish Rice, Avocado, Refried Beans

DIY Girl

After starting the morning with a lot of dancing, the campers of DIY Girls participated in a fire drill and then immediately started diy-ing the day away! The campers made their own roller coasters, tie-dyed, made jewelry out of items found in nature, played card games, and had a sleep out with the campers from Art in Action!

Padres Volunteer Team

Today Zachary and I took it easy. We wanted to go to the pool, but it was closed for cleaning. We headed to Mountain Hawk Park instead and he played in the fountains. I ran into about 6 kids from school.

A few weeks ago we joined the Padres volunteer team, but we haven't been able to participate in any events (either because they were full or we weren't available). We were available tonight, so Jason, Zachary and I volunteered at the food bank. In 2 hours we bagged 9,000 pounds of carrots and onions that will be given to families in need. Hopefully we can do another event soon. Each time we do an event, we will earn "hits" that can be used for prizes.

Today was Kailani's second day at Girl Scout camp. Here is the excerpt from the newsletter and a few pictures they posted. 

On the Menu:

Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola, Fruit, Cereal, Muffins, Milk

Lunch: Mac and Cheese, Meatballs, Salad

Dinner: Tacos, Ground Beef, Spanish Rice, Avocado, Refried Beans

DIY Girl

After starting the morning with a lot of dancing, the campers of DIY Girls participated in a fire drill and then immediately started diy-ing the day away! The campers made their own roller coasters, tie-dyed, made jewelry out of items found in nature, played card games, and had a sleep out with the campers from Art in Action!

Girl Scout Camp

Today Kailani left for one whole week of Girl Scout camp! She went with Kaia, Karlie, and Delaney, who are also in her troop. They all decided to go to DIY Camp at Whispering Oaks near Julian. The bus picked them up in Mission Valley this morning and they arrived at camp just before lunch. Kailani has never been away from home for this long before, so I am not sure how it will go. I am glad she has such good friends with her. I am a little nervous because we are in the middle of a heat wave and Julian is one of the areas that will have 100+ temperatures this week. I know they will keep the girls well-hydrated.

I ordered Kailani a welcome kit that had a stuffed animal, water bottle, chapstick, etc. I wrote her letters that will be delivered to her each day. Hopefully she will be too busy to miss home.
Zachary is looking forward to having a week alone. We've made some fun plans. We miss Kailani already though and can't wait to see her on Friday!

 Kailani and Kaia

Getting on the bus!

The Girl Scout camp seems very well-organized. They have a website set up and posted a newsletter already to let us know the girls arrived at camp safely. They'll be posting news regularly and posting photos. Here is the post from today:

Welcome to Session One! My name is Monet “Dahlia” Richter and I am the Camp Director here at Whispering Oaks. This is my 11^th summer as camp staff. I have enjoyed meeting each of your campers today, and we are looking forward to an amazing first session.

The buses arrived on time, and full of happy campers. As soon as everyone arrived, we sang songs and split into program groups. We made sure that the campers were drinking plenty of water and will be making sure everyone keeps cool in these high temperatures we are experiencing.  We ate a kid friendly lunch of chicken strips, chips and salsa, and veggies and fruit for lunch. The groups then rotated through our “Round Robin”, where they were oriented in their cabins , met with the nurse, learned the camp rules, and gave input to their counselors about their programs. For dinner, we are having mac and cheese, hot dogs and salad.

 After dinner, each group will join the rest of the units for our camp wide opening campfire.  

Today we welcomed Friends in Fairyland, DIY Girl, I Heart Art, Robin Hoods, Mountain Chef Goddesses, Art in Action, Glee Project, and Babysitting Basics.   

Some important information for you:

Emails are printed every day at 10am.  Mail is delivered to the girls after lunch during their “me time.” No emails are delivered on the last day of camp.

Newsletter articles and pictures will be posted daily, late at night after all of the campers and counselors are in bed. My number one priority is the 99 campers and staff here on site. If you have any questions from what you see here, or about your camper, please don’t hesitate to email me at mrichter@sdgirlscouts.org.

There are no pictures today. We will have pictures for you starting tomorrow. 

Have a great night!

Dahlia

Father's Day

Today we spent Father's Day at Petco Park. It was a hot one, but luckily our seats stay pretty well shaded after the sun starts to set. It was another "play catch" day on the field after the game. The kids got to throw a ball around in the outfield for a while.

 Zachy tried the carne asada nachos today!

Jr Hero Run

Today we participated in a Jr Hero run. The run was at Liberty Station. The kids dressed up as super heroes and ran through the course shooting the villians with water guns. They had to collect a gold coin on the course and turn it in for a medal at the end of the run. They had a great time!