Going home

After washing all the boys' camp laundry last weekend, I packed them back up so we could drive down to Southern California to visit my family in Huntington Beach. I drove with the boys while Pete stayed home to take care of the office. He was very sad to be home alone instead of hanging out with my Mom, Aunts and Grandma (yeah right!)


We had a great time hanging out on the beach by the Huntington pier. The boys kept going on and on about how warm the water was compared to Santa Cruz.

My sister met my Mom and I at the beach. Zachary took the above picture of the 3 of us. I kept trying to get him to pull the camera down and include more of us, but it was probably just as well that he didn't!


Nothing tastier than ice cream on a hot beach day!

Vinnie had a loose tooth dangling that he refused to touch or let me pull. Sure enough it fell out while eating the ice cream!



On Thursday my Aunt had a BBQ to get everyone together in one place. Above are most of my Aunts, cousins and my Grandma. It was so nice to see everyone!

My Mom was most excited to have all her grandsons together for the first time in about 3 years. My sister's boys are standing in the back, while my boys are sitting in the front.


On Friday we decided to change it up and headed over to Newport Beach to hang out.


The waves were pretty impressive so Zach and Joey rented boogie boards and had a blast.

This was a dream come true for Zachary--burying the little brother that annoys him the most. I don't know about you, but I detect a look of evil in Zach's eye!

The younger boys spent hours digging in the sand!


We then showered up and were treated to a ride on my Aunt Dede and Uncle Harry's boat around Newport bay and to a delicious dinner.

After a wonderful, relaxing trip we came home yesterday. Good thing we did because Pete was out of clean laundry and food! In his defense it was very busy in the office while I was gone. (So he says. I just don't think he knows how to work our washing machine!)

And now I am in laundry hell!

We picked up the boys from Camp Kennolyn today!!

We saw Vinnie as soon as we arrived. He immediately started talking non stop about all the fun he had!

Joey was also happy to see us. And Zachary? He spotted us across the quad and turned and walked away. Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

Cabin introductions were first. Vinnie was in Angels Camp.

Joey was in Davenport with his cousins Peter and Gian.

Zachary was in Jamestown. His good buddy Keaton is to his right.

Pete and I did enjoy the quiet with only 1 child at home, but I was happy to see the boys again!

It was so cute to see Vinnie running around telling Christopher about camp.

We spent a little time with the boys seeing some of their activities. Zachary and Joey did fencing for the first time this year. Vinnie got to try it out today as well.

Zachary and Keaton were being far too goofy to get a decent picture of them.


All of the boys did riflery this year. Joey also did carpentry, archery, outdoor cooking and jr. ropes.

Along with fencing and riflery, Zachary also did swimming, outdoor cooking, outdoor adventure, and archery.

Vincent's other activities included basketball, swimming, archery, drama (Zach said he was great in the camp skit!), and animal care.

Vinnie was the one I was a bit anxious about, since it was his first year. He is such a picky eater, and stubborn as hell about trying anything new. I was talking to one of his CILT's (counselor in training). He mentioned that Vinnie was having issues with eating, and it even worried him enough to go to the head counselor. Apparently the head counselor's response was "We have a saying here--when they are hungry enough, they will eat." And guess what? He did! He was excited to tell us he tried turkey, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, eggs, muffins, and brisket. That alone is worth the cost. I might leave him there all summer next year!


I was mortified to see the state of Joey's shoes!! No wonder all of his socks were black! Poor kid went on the 3 day backpacking trip and hiked for 12 miles in these shoes. Yikes!


And that leaves me with laundry for days. What this picture can't get across is the smell. Blech. All socks and most of their jeans went straight in the trash.


Good-bye Kennolyn! Once again the boys had an amazing time, making memories that will last a lifetime. We can't wait until next year!

Someone is missing his brothers...

Yesterday Mona (our nanny) walked into the toy room to find Christopher writing little circles on a piece of paper.


She asked him what he was doing. 'Writing a letter to my brothers," he said
She offered to write the letter for him and he could tell her exactly what to say.



*click on image to make bigger

Christopher has been kept pretty busy with friends, but nothing can substitute for his brothers!

And then there was one...

Today was Camp Kennolyn drop off day! The boys were super excited. It is Vinnie's first year, but his brothers have been filling him in on camp life for the last several weeks.

First up was our usual stop for lunch at Carpo's. Cousins Peter and Gian were already there waiting for us.


Vinnie is in Angel's Camp, which is for the youngest boys.

He immediately hit it off with Ethan (of course Vinnie could talk a post to death, so I am not surprised he quickly made a friend!) My biggest concern about Vinnie and camp is the food situation. He is the most ridiculously picky eater ever. To make matters worse, he is a cryer. I am picturing many crying meltdowns because he is hungry but refusing to eat. But who knows? Maybe he will actually try a few new things!

Joey is in Davenport cabin with his cousins Peter and Gian. There was also a kid or 2 from previous years that he was happy to see. This is Joey's 3rd year, so he is quite the pro now.

Zachary is in his 4th year at camp. He is in Jamestown cabin, with his best camp buddy Keaton (on Zach's left). They have been in the same cabin for 3 years now. Sam is another friend who Zach has known all 4 years. That is one of the many things we love about this camp--the same kids keep coming back to the same sessions. It was all I could do to get a couple of pictures of Zach before he was off with his friends!

Good by Mom and dad!! See you in 2 weeks!

Which leaves us home alone with Christopher--

So what do you do when you are an only child for the first time? Go jump in the pool all by yourself!