Encampment

In June our year of scouting culminates with unit wide camping called Encampment. This year we had over 400 participants and as it rained we converged upon Camp Saffran. This was Emma's 4th encampment and she pitched her own tent. Rachael and I were lucky to be out of the rain and in a cabin with her Brownie troop. Troops prepare for encampment weeks in advance. Each troop makes t-shirts, hats, a banner, a cheer and swaps, which are handmade little themed items on pins to trade with other girls. We had a sealife theme for our unit so the weekend was all about water and sealife. Our brownie troop picked dolphin as our theme while Emma's troop picked the angler fish.


I was happy we all had rain boots so we could easily trudge through the mud. We started with a ice cream social Friday night and the girls traded swaps. When you have a sister or friends in other troops it is easy to get the trading started and then branch out to meet new people. Our troop wore sailor hats and filled it with swaps. Emma's troop had tie died ball caps and had made shrinky dink angler fish and glow in the dark light bulbs to swap. They were very cool and a popular swap.


Saturday was full of fun, row boating, rock climbing, being human waves, fishing, trying archery and putting together our cardboard boat for the cardboard boat regatta. Each troop made a boat using only duct tape and cardboard that could hold 2 people. Betsy (my co-leader) and I spent hours building the boat and covering it in tape. Then we brought the boat to our Brownie meeting and had the girls cover the dolphin parts with duct tape. At encampment the girls helped attach the pieces together. We were very proud of how it looked.


We saw Emma throughout the day on Saturday and each time Rachael would run over to Emma for a hug. Em was not very accommodating at first but with a little coaxing from me she at least hugged back. Once Emma hugged back, Rachael became less intense. We were proud to hear that Emma had scaled the rock wall and rung the bell at the top.

Saturday night the scouts gathered at the flag pole where Rachael and her troop did the flag ceremony. We had practiced folding the flags during the day and it came to Rachael very easily. We drew names and Rachael would be the state flag folder. Rachael did great and helped the other girl's remember the parts of the ceremony.


From the flag ceremony we went to the campfire with all of the girls. At the beginning they had a bridging ceremony where girls graduate to the next scouting level. Emma bridged to Cadettes and will wear a tan vest now. As she came down the steps, Rachael leaned out to wave and startled Emma, which caused her to trip. She almost fell down the steps but recovered just in time. Then as Emma crossed the bridge she struck an silly pose for her picture. She is such a goof ball. We enjoyed lots of campfire songs, then some telescope star gazing, and finally smores back at the cabin. They were exhausted and fell asleep very quickly.


Rachael was not ready to wake up in the morning and very uncharacteristically was one of the last to get up. Sunday morning was our boat race and we needed to draw the names of the 2 girls who would get to be in the boat. Rachael's name was not picked and she was really upset. She took some time outside on her own to adjust to her disappointment but was then ready to be a part of her troop again.

There were about 20 boats entered and first they gave prizes. The dolphin came in 2nd for best sea theme and Emma's troop won most original for there Noah's ark themed boat. Then it was time for the races. There were 4 boats in our heat. Rachael and her fellow brownies cheered as did Emma and lots of her troop for the "Squeaky Dolphin". Our dolphin was sea worthy and was the only boat to make it across the pool. 2 capsized right away and 1 couldn't steer. Our girls didn't really know how to row so it was a slow struggle but they made it. Rachael and our whole troop was really excited. The older girls went next and Emma's boat floated well (much to their surprise) and they had a tight race. They came in 2nd. It was a blast to see all of these creations: crabs, a narwhal, whales, a pirate ship.

We finished with clean up and brunch in the pavilion. They were happy and completely exhausted as we headed home. We all look forward to doing it again next year. Megan included. She'll be a daisy.

The End of Pre-school and an Excavator

Of course the past few weeks have not all been about Emma. Megan had her own end of year events as she finished her 2 years at pre-school. Right before Mother's day she gave me an invitation to a luncheon. The luncheon was held in her classroom where she had helped with table clothes and setting the table with napkins. She held my hand and brought me to my seat. We sat together and shared cinnamon rolls which she had helped bake. She joined her class for songs and twisted in her spot, hands behind her back, grinning at me. It the end she proudly presented me with a sunflower plant that she grew from a seed. She and I planted it together in our garden a week or two later.


At the end of May we attended her year end ceremony. Lots of parents and family packed the room. We didn't get seats despite being early so we stood along the wall. Bridget was very wiggly and kept naming kids that she knew. Megan dressed herself that morning and had her heart set on her silver skirt. Originally she paired it with a long sleeve red velvet shirt. She wanted something shinny and only took it off when she found a tank top that had sparkles on it. They sang songs and received certificates. The highlight for me though was when each kid was given their paper bag in which they had put their egg carton caterpillar. Upon opening it Megan discovered that her caterpillar had grown wings. She had such a look of delight and surprise. Jim and both had to get to work after that but we planned to go out to eat for dinner. Megan's choice for dinner- McDonald's with the climber.




We also had fun doing work on the house. There was a bit of a valley on the side our our house where water wasn't draining well and there was mold in the basement. It was time to do a little water proofing. Our plan was to seal the exterior of the house and then grade it so water ran away from the foundation. Jim went out and began digging and we quickly realized that digging an 8 foot deep hole in clay was beyond our dedication. It was time to call in the machinery. We rented an excavator and Jim got to work. He picked it up really fast and maneuvered it skillfully. He enjoyed it way more than digging. The girls were fascinated by the machine and were eager to "help". Really they wanted to play in the hole. Jim let them take turns in the cab and even gave a few rides. This project required reseeding, replanting bushes, redoing our stone edgers and 20 new cubic feet of dirt but I finally put our landscape back together.

Emma and her year-end activities

The ending of 5th grade and the preparation for middle school has filled Emma's schedule with constant fun activities. In May I joined her and her class on a field trip to Philadelphia, we broke up into small groups to tour the historic sites. Emma thoroughly enjoyed herself, drawing miniature sketches of the things she saw, hanging on her friends and seeing the places where the famous events she had just learned about took place. It was fun to be welcomed to hang out with her and her friends. I hope the invitation stays open.

Emma also had a 5th grade picnic where they played games, danced to the dj's music, and ate lots of food. I joined them for the afternoon to help out. It was fun to see Emma in action with the whole class. She played, chatted and danced with her girl friends, but when they did home room games I couldn't help but notice that all 4 of the times they had to hold hands in a game she wound up holding one particular boy's hand each time. Hmm....

Her Girl Scout troop had an overnight at the National Aquarium. I was invited to join them as a "thank you?" for being the cookie mom. We slept on the floor by the shark tank and got behind the scene tours. It was pretty neat and the floor wasn't too bad because Jim got me a self inflating mat to sleep on for an early Mother's day present. Emma is very animated, physical, and a bit of a spaz around her friends. At home she is a little lower key.

The 5th grade put on a Spring Concert, so we all attended to listen to her play violin. She knows the music very well but really didn't practice at home much. Next year Emma is signing up for cello so I do think she enjoys playing with the group. At the concert Rachael sat with a friend of hers and enjoyed the concert. Bridgie and Megs also enjoyed to upbeat songs they performed. Bridgie asked to go potty twice and was successful twice so she enjoyed skittles while she listened. The concert was pared with a school art show. Rachael had 4 pieces chosen to be shown. It comes easily to her and she enjoys the process. it was fun to see her work up. Emma's stuffed "ugly doll" was also displayed. She had created a whole story for him and had been talking about him for months. It was fun to meet the ugly doll.

Emma's piano season wrapped up with a concert. This was going to be her 1st recital but it was scheduled during GS encampment. So instead we went to watch her play at the rehearsal where all of the students play for each other. She did quite well and looks forward to continuing with lessons. Megan asked during the rehearsal why all of the kids in the audience were so quiet. It is rare to see a room full of kids listening to each other. Emma practices regularly and loves her teacher. She switched to the teenage daughter of her previous teacher. They compose tunes together as well as learning standard pieces and Emma loves it.

We spent an hour one evening at the middle school. The staff was introduced and I got more info on the GT program. Emma was giddy and when she saw a middle schooler she knew she was overly enthusiastic and got some strange looks. She'll have to learn some smoothness in middle school.

Then this past week she had her farewell assembly. Jim and I, all of the girls plus Becky's kids who I was watching all attended. The ceremony was really nice and they had a slide show of the 5th graders as toddlers followed by a current picture. It was fun to guess who each kid was. The pic of Emma was of her standing in Jim's shoes back in our townhouse in CO. Emma wore a new turquoise dress that MarySue bought for her when Em was in PA visiting Maura. Emma got lots of compliments on her dress. She looked so together and poised. She even painted her nails on her own to match the dress. On multiple occasions Emma has asked me to curl her hair. She has amazing hair but wavy is a tall task. We put it in braids the night before and then spent an hour the morning of the farewell curling and spraying it. By the end of the farewell only traces were left of our efforts. We all enjoyed the snacks at the end. Emma being one of the shortest kids was one of the first to process out. When I got back to her she had already polished off one cookie and was working on cake. She was hungry and kept popping pieces of cookies in her mouth inbetween pictures. When we got home she sat at the piano and played a line or two of "pomp and circumstance" on the piano by ear. I was impressed.

As a gift for her completion of elementary school we got Emma tickets to see the Taylor Swift concert at Meriweather Post. A huge group of her friends and their mother's were going as well and had arranged a bus. They also had t-shirts made that said "Catonsville loves Taylor Swift" and got us matching glow necklaces. It had rained all week and it was calling for more rain so we packed our rain gear. Em wanted to wear flip flops but we told her she had to wear athletic shoes. The change in shoe caused her to rethink her outfit and caused tears of frustration as she stood in front of the mirror not satisfied with her look as I insisted it was time to leave. When we arrived, of course most of the other girls had flip flops on. If Em noticed she didn't mention it because she was already having a good time.

We were tailgating so along with our gear I brought snacks to share, coke for Emma and bottles of Mike's Hard lemonade for me. Emma grabbed our bag and got on the bus first. I with most of the parents got on last. As I was getting a seat one of the parents saw girls handing out the Mike's. Quickly we rounded them up and across many bus rows we explained to Emma that they had alcohol in them. Luckily none of the girls had any and we all laughed about it. In the future I will make sure my kids know what is "adult only" ahead of time.

When we got to the concert we found a spot way at the back of the lawn, but as the night progressed everyone moved forward and could see well. The music was really good as was the show. Emma was all grins especially when Taylor came out to the lawn to sing a few songs and we could actually see her, instead of just on the big screen. The rain held off and we had a blast. Despite not owning her album, Emma knew most of Taylor swift's songs and sang right along. She picks up music quickly and had heard them at friends' houses. I grabbed Em for a bathroom break and she was all hugs and thanks. She was so exhausted when we got home she slept in her clothes, but not too exhausted to hug me and say thanks again. I think the whole next day she was asleep with her eyes open. Jim said she even played the Wii laying her head sideways on the couch.

Now it is officially summer vacation! We'll get to middle school soon enough.