Camp Week

This week the kids are off to YMCA day camp. They're exhausted and loving every minute of this week. 

They're separated into different groups because A is doing Horse Camp with her friend Lydia. So C is doing "regular" Day Camp with his friend Henry. 

A is absolutely in love with her horse, Spud. In fact, last night she couldn't fall asleep because she kept thinking about her horse! They ride for one hour every day and do regular camp things in-between. There was a mix-up with groups at the beginning of the week, so she and Lydia ended up in a group with older kids. I think it's been ok for the girls. As a result they got to try kayaking and zip-lining yesterday! Wow!

C was really excited about archery yesterday. He got to tie-dye a pillow case today and tomorrow he gets to go canoeing! He LOVES his Fort Time and described it to J and I today as "high as the ceiling and as wide as 2 bus seats." It's great! And we got to see a picture of him in his fort today!

Day Camp has been WONDERFUL for our kids. They have made new friends and tried so many new things each day. They are not afraid to go off for the whole day to play, sing, swim and get dirty (we've done laundry every night this week!). I love that they love it! And...J and I get a whole week of full days to ourselves! I'm not complaining...

Stealing

I saw someone who stole from Target today. It was kind of weird. I felt like I was on one of those undercover news shows where they tape you to see what you would do in that situation. Well, I would have failed. I tried! I really did. But I still failed. Here's how it went...

I was just coming out of the baking aisle. Said boy (about 13 or so) was coming down the aisle. I went to my next destination-the candy aisle. I got my things and headed back to the main aisle. This is when the boy came up behind me and I heard the crunching of bags. He clearly had something in the front pocket of his oversized sweatshirt. I left my cart and walked to follow him. He knew it too. He kept glancing back at me.

It was at this moment that the red shirts parted. You know what I mean. Right? At any given moment you can look from one end of the store to the other and count no less than 2 red shirts and even upwards of 5 or 6, depending where you are in the store. Well, I looked up and no red shirts were to be found. None. Zilch. Zero. I'm not sure what I thought I was going to do as I followed the kid to the door. He definitely knew I knew. But without an extra Target team member to talk to, and having not actually seen the crime take place, I walked back to my cart with a pit in my stomach.

See, I've never been in a position where I actually knew something like that had happened. It was weird. And it was weirder still that I couldn't do anything about it. I just watched it play out in front of me. Which is why it felt like I was on a session of 60 minutes or 20/20 or Rossen Reports. I felt helpless. But wait-I feel even more helpless after what happened next.

So I finish my shopping and head to the front to pay. As I'm waiting to be checked out I tell the cashier the story. She finds a lead team member and I tell her. She asks if the boy was short. I told her he was and described him further. "Oh yeah. He's already been in here today. There's nothing we can do about it." Excuse me? Nothing? Really? So anyone who is just stealing candy or one other item of lesser value can just do it and nothing happens? I find that hard to believe. Really. Really Target? Really.

So there you have it. My experience tonight with a 13 year old boy walking into Target, stealing, and no one being able to do anything about it. I think I'll be calling my local police non-emergency number tomorrow to see what can really be done. Really.

And it's the end

Well at least for this year.

I got to spend the last 171 days with the group:

This wonderful, amazing, funny, smart, spirit-filled group of kids is what I got to go to work for every morning. Aren't I lucky? I think so too. Some years aren't like that. But this year was. And I am grateful. Forever grateful to have had these kids as students over the last 9 months. Their parents too-for every great year inevitably has great parents supporting me and their child every step of the way.

I love teaching because of them

and them

and them.

Then there's these two

and this group

and this one.

I love them as if they were my own. They are. For about 6 and a half hours a day. I have 22 kids. And I love them dearly. I love what I do. Not many people can say that every day!