Horn Creek 2012

  We just got back from Horn Creek on Saturday and have been slowly adjusting back to normal non-vacation life.  We had such a great time at Horn Creek.  I wouldn’t describe it as relaxing, but it’s pretty doubtful we’ll be describing anything as relaxing in the next several years.  We met lots of new families, and since it was foster and adoptive week we (for once!) didn’t feel like the weird ones.  We didn’t even seem like we had a large family in this group – it was great!  We even got to meet a family who, prior to camp, we had only had contact through the blog!

  Tootaw did great the whole week, and I’m pretty convinced that she will be our easiest child.  She’s pretty quiet, and actually listens when I ask her to do something!  (Who knew children like that existed???)  It was a great bonding time for her with us and Bella absolutely loved having her there.

  One of my greatest concerns in having Tootaw move in has been Sylvia – because they are the same age and Sylvia will have to share Bella with someone who she is, by default, more attached to than to Sylvia. About halfway through the week Brian had a conversation with Sylvia about having Tootaw with us and gave her the opportunity to share if she didn’t like the dynamic of her being there.  Sylvia thought about it for a moment and then said, “Nope, I just like having another stister.”  That gave this Mama a little sigh of relief.  I love that girl and her big heart.

 

  We managed to come home with nothing short of one concussion, one broken arm, three cases of pink eye, one child with a fever, and one child with a bad rash all over her face.  Let’s hear it for vacation!

 

Naomi LOVED playing in the rocks and dirt.  She could have done that all day everyday and been happy.

 

 

 

Sylvia and Tootaw on the hanging log.  (They hang a log from the ceiling and you and a partner have to straddle it and try to knock each other off with pillows.) 

 

Bowling, which I’m pretty sure was Tootaw’s favorite part of the whole camp.  Although it was hard to tell.  Approximately 10 times per day she’d look up at me and say, “This is fun!”

 

 

 

Teeter tottering on half a log at the playground.

 

 

 

Catching pancakes for breakfast one morning!

 

 

 

Success!

 

Painting rocks to take home as souvenirs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swinging, which comprised about 3/4 of our week.

 

The swing that Sylvia fell off of and broke her arm.

 

Cousins.  Sylvia was saying, “It’s ok, Timmy will be safe because he is holding my hand.”

 

We drove into Colorado Springs one day and went to Garden of the Gods and Whit’s End.

 

 

 

 

 

Ice cream at Whit’s End.

 

 

 

Horseback riding at Western Night!  Sylvia and Tootaw both loved it – but after last year, we made sure that Bella stayed VERY far away from the horses!

 

 

 

Sisters at Western Night.

 

Square dancing.

 

The part of the week where everything starts to run together.  Sylvia fell off of the swing at the playground and got a concussion and broke her arm.  No. Fun.  I felt so bad for her, but she was so brave!  We took her straight to the clinic where they did x-rays and wrapped her up.

 

 

 

On a nature hike.

 

 

We had another fun year at Horn Creek.  For the returning families, it’s fun to watch everyone’s families grow and change.  We feel so blessed to get to have such a wonderful vacation tradition with our girls.

The Beach.

We just got back from a big family vacation to Emerald Isle, North Carolina with my entire side of the family.  It was so much fun, and watching all the cousins play together was great. 

We had to fight tooth and nail to get them to let Bella go (very civilized fighting…) and we finally came to a compromise that allowed her to join us.  I was thrilled.  At this point in the game, isn’t it a little ridiculous not to allow her to go on our family vacation?  She’s been with us for over a year.  She is part of our family.  (It had more to do with us going on two week long family vacations in the span of a month than anything – but still.)

In all there were 16 people staying in the same beach house for the week, which is pretty much the definition of chaotic.  But it was good, family chaotic.

I will pause here to say, if therapeutic parenting and dealing with food issues is difficult in the day to day….then doing it in a house full of chaos and tons of kids is impossible.  I just had to hold my breath and get through it – but there was absolutely nothing therapeutic about the way I parented last week.  Blegh. 

 

Bella and Sylvia’s first run down to the ocean after a 20 hour car ride.  I wish I could have recorded the giggles going on in this picture.

Anyway, it was all three of our girls first time getting to swim in the ocean and enjoy the beach, and they all had a BLAST.  I wish I could post pictures of Bella’s face when she was playing in the waves, because it was utter joy.  Naomi and Sylvia loved it – and I was in no way surprised that Naomi had absolutely no fear of the waves.  As in, she would walk straight into the ocean as if it were the baby pool at the rec center.

 

Naomi putting her feet in the ocean for the first time.  She was thrilled.  Notice she’s trying to get away from me so that she can go play in the waves by herself.  The waves that were three times as high as her head.

 

 

 

 

My little smurf in her 80’s sunscreen.

 

 

 

 

Visiting Fort Macon, which the girls were interested in for approximately 5 seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playing in the waves with Uncle Scott.

We couldn't get Bella out of the waves all week.  She’s a little fish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desi and Sylvie in the waves with Hannah.

 

 

 

 

Naked baby on the beach.  Anything cuter?  I think not.

 

 

All the cousins in their home made tie-dye shirts.

Such a fun week.  Nothing like playing in the waves.  The girls had so much fun, and I am so glad that they will have such fun family memories.  More pictures to come as soon as I get my hands on my sisters’ cameras!