Camp Freelander 2008

This last week was EXTREAMLY busy. Scott got Dalton all packed for Cub Scout Camp at Camp Freelander. He spent his Father's Day doing this while I gave Dalton a haircut, well, really a buzz. We started by writing notes and stuffing them in the pockets of all his shorts. This was Scott's idea and I thought it was GREAT! Then Scott put each outfit in a gallon size ziploc bag and labeled the day of the week. This would keep things sorted and clean. Another fantastic idea from Scott (good thing he is the Eagle Scout). Before we left, we gave Dalton $5.00 a day to freely spend on what he wanted at the trading post.(we had a feeling most of it would be spent on candy) This is the first time Dalton has stayed away for more than one night, so he was a bit nervous. On the way over, we talked about how much fun he would have and he seemed pretty brave. When we got there he was much braver than I anticipated, but don't let this face fool you: or this face: I kept seeing little glimpses of how he was really feeling: There was a group of kids playing circle games on the grass, so he thought he had enough nerve to say good-bye and head off to go play. He got about 25 feet, then turned and waved good-bye. He turned around, took a few more steps toward the kids and then turned again. This time, I could see it. His bravery sheild came crashing down. The tears welled up as he ran back to me, wrapping his little 8-year-old arms around me as tight as he possibly could. I had to be strong now, or we would both be crying and that would have turned ugly. Me: What's wrong? Dalton: I'm going to miss you (big alligator tears streaming down his face) Me: Well, it's okay to miss me. I will miss you too. We don't live too far from here and Dad will be up to check on you once in a while. Dalton: When? Me: I'm not sure, it will be a surprise. We even put a few surprises in your container for you to find. You will have a great expierience and a lot of fun memories to tell us about when we pick you up. You get to spend the night in a castle, so how fun is that? Dalton: Okay. Then it starts sprinkling rain, so I run to put my camera back in the car. On my way to the car, we get this serious DOWNPOUR. I grabbed my umbrella and headed back over to the group to find Scott and to make sure that Dalton was okay. When I got back, I saw Dalton's group heading out and he was all smiles. He didn't see me there, so I think it was better that way. He was there from Monday until Thursday evening, and I only got one phonecall the very first night. After a little reassureance, he was fine. Scott got him a cool watch to get at mailcall the second day. Apparently, he was in heaven over that and the envy of the camp: