Only Child, One Week Only

All three older kids spent last week at camp. That meant Luke got to experience 6 full days and nights of life as an only child. It also meant Thomas and I got to experience one week of what it would be like to have just one kid. It was quiet and peaceful and easy. 

I am attending an online course for two weeks that requires me to be on camera from essentially 8am-430pm. Luke went to camp at the YMCA and the house was so quiet. Luke enjoyed the camp and we enjoyed working without interruption. We picked up Luke around 4:30 and made some of his dinner favorites. There was no complaining about what we ate. A couple of nights, we went out to eat. The cost/benefit analysis is much easier when you are feeding 2 adults and 1 child versus 5 adults (for dining out purposes) and 1 child. We only had to run the dishwasher 2 or 3 times all week. The trash was taken out far less frequently. We answered 75% less questions of "what's for dinner," "can we go to...." "can I do...". Well, you get the idea. It was easy!

Of course, it was also a little lonely and maybe a bit too quiet at times. We definitely missed the older kids. I refreshed my e-mail about 60x daily between 7:45 and 8:15, waiting for the post office's e-mail digest to tell me if we would be getting mail from any of the three older kids that day. And, even when it showed negative, I would still anxiously check the mail--just in case. The days where I knew a letter was coming meant waiting impatiently for the mail carrier to arrive. It was very strange and unpleasant to be out of communication with them. Anna was the best correspondent. We had about 6 letters from her over the course of two weeks. Jack came in second with three, and considering he was only gone for one week, that was impressive. Although, they all came in one envelope. The first day, he missed the mail call. The second he forgot a stamp, but the third time was the charm. Kara was a distant third. She sent the required (by us) letter letting us know she she was okay after the first day of camp. *Update, today, 19 July, we received another letter postmarked 12 July from Kara that contained 3 separate letters. 

They all enjoyed the camp. Apparently, Jack was pretty social. We didn't see that coming! His favorite activity was the karaoke and ice cream social. He didn't sing--but only because they ran out of time. He actually signed up to do karaoke in front of approximately 100 of his peers and he sang backup for some of his friends. What the heck?!?!?!? They also did archery and water activities and lots of swimming. Well, Anna didn't get to do the archery. Her time slot kept getting rained out. But, she did do a scary looking ropes course. Anna's favorite activity was swimming or the bonfires. Kara's favorite was archery. They also learned lots of new games. Kara definitely wants to go back next summer. Anna would if she wasn't aging out (it is 9-13) and Jack would be on the fence.

Pick-up time was 830 on Saturday morning. We both wanted to go, but didn't necessarily want to wake Luke and drag him along, particularly since we weren't sure what check-out would be like. So, we flipped a coin and Thomas won. While he was gone, I cleaned the house (we had changed their sheets and vacuumed their rooms the night before). I also made fudge as a special treat. Thomas could remember coming home to a clean house and homemade fudge after being away as a child. It was a happy memory that he wanted to replicate. Since he was on pick-up duty, I made the fudge. When Luke got up, we made each of them a welcome home sign.

They got home around 1030 and gave me a quick hug before running in search of Luke. I think they missed him the most. They were all very chatty and happy to answer my millions of questions. It was great to have them back!

Saturday afternoon, we invited Mike and his sister, Lily, over to swim. Like Jack and Anna, Lily is going into 8th grade. She and Anna swam and then hung out inside. Anna was happy to learn that they have a lot in common and is hoping maybe they will have some classes together. We also watched the last two Lokis. It had been hard to avoid spoilers, but we did it!

Sunday, we did a bunch of errands. We got Luke baseball cleats and Thomas and the girls all got new sneakers. Thomas and I also got new baseball mitts, which is what we wanted for our birthdays. We went to the mall and had lunch in the food court and did a bit more shopping. Then, we stopped for yogurt on the way home. Jack stayed home. I think he is only social at camp. It is nice to have everyone home and things back to normal!!!

The camp will eventually post some pictures from the week on their Facebook page, if there are any good ones, I will add them here. And, if not, here are two random Luke pictures from the week:

Thursday night, we tried out a new ice cream parlor with Bevin and Beya. It was super good!

 

Luke looked forward to the Friday night campers vs. counselors kickball game all week. It was really nice sitting outside in the shade and watching the game. They didn't keep score, but I think the counselors won.

Independence Day, Camps, etc.

Sunday, July 4th, we left the house around 10 to take Anna and Kara to their first ever sleepaway camp! We all went, but when we got there (around 1130), they would only let one adult inside. So, Thomas took the girls (and their bags) in and I waited in the car with the boys. I was excited and nervous for them and it was hard to say goodbye.

The boys and I stopped for lunch on the way home. When we got home, Luke did sparklers and played with some friends. He was the only boy with 5 girls, but I think he has gotten used to that. We weren't sure the weather would hold out, but it did and around 830 we went outside and starting seeing the fireworks around the neighborhood. Some of them were really impressive, comparable to a small commercial display. We saw some bats flying around and I felt bad for them and other animals. Luke did more sparklers and poppers. I finally got him inside shortly after 10, while the fireworks were still going strong. We would have let him stay out longer, but he had a big day on Monday--baseball camp!

A friend (Sunshine) had messaged me while we were in NC and asked if Luke might want to do the baseball camp with her son, Mike. She offered to provide transportation. Of course, Luke loved the idea. I was off from work on Monday, so I offered to do shuttle service, but Sunshine came along for the drop-off. We had a good conversation on the drive and I picked up two very happy, sweaty boys later that afternoon. Sunshine drove them on Tuesday and Thursday, but camp was canceled Wednesday due to Tropical Storm/sometime Hurricane Elsa. It turned into a non-event, which was slightly frustrating for camp purposes, but they had to make the call with the information they had. Luke went to Mike's house instead and had a great time.

Kim and JD came up to visit on Monday. We chatted and went to lunch at Pollo Tropical. It was strange to have Jack as the only Wilson kid. Marta drove up on Wednesday. We played Kingdominos with the boys and then Marta and I went to dinner at a restaurant I've wanted to try for awhile. When we got back, we went for a short walk. It was nice to catch-up.

We got our first letter from Anna on Thursday. Monday was a holiday, and apparently the mail takes two days (I told them to mail out a letter on Tuesday so we could see how long the mail takes). I was super excited. I get a daily e-mail from the post office around 8am each morning, so I knew it was coming. I checked the mailbox all morning to see if the flag was down (we have been sending them letters everyday, so the flag is up daily). It arrived at 1 and was a very short note she had written on Sunday, the same day we dropped her off. I don't think she realized that there would be no mail on Monday. But, regardless it was nice to hear from her.

Friday, I took the boys to camp and went in to the office. Their camp was at UCF, so it was really close to work. It was okay to be back. I got my 10-year service pin. Honestly, it feels like it has been so much longer. Six of the years were on active duty and four have been as a civilian. I feel old to only have 10 years of creditable service. But, I am still very thankful and have no regrets for the years I got to be at home with the kids. 

And, we had two letters! One from Anna and one from Kara. Kara's was fairly brief. We think she is having fun. Anna gave us a detailed account of her day. It was a fantastic letter with lots of details: they wake up around 630; lights out is at 10; they spend a lot time in the cabin, especially when it rains; the food is good; she is making friends. Today, Saturday, we had another letter from Anna. She sounded a little more homesick, but still gave us lots of good details about her life at camp (she is canoeing and swimming, maybe doing the ropes course if it doesn't rain, night-swimming, archery, etc.). She included a letter to Luke, which had some funny anecdotes (her bunk mate talks in her sleep, a frog lives in their bathroom, she saw a baby bear, etc.). If we got the letter today, that means she mailed it on Thursday morning, so she probably wrote it Wednesday. I am really glad the camp has a no electronics policy, but it is really hard to have the time-delay. 

Tomorrow, we drop Jack off. The girls wanted to do two weeks. Jack was on the fence about going at all, but we convinced (made?) him to do one week. I think he will really enjoy it. I think he was a little bored this week with Luke gone during the day and Thomas and I working. 

It has been easy having just two kids in the house. We will see what it is like with just Luke. He will be at camp during the day, and I wonder how lonely he will be in the evenings. We pick up all three kids early next Saturday, but it is still 6 nights.

Day 6: Battlefields, Drive Home & Trip Summary

We wanted to visit two Revolutionary War Battlefields that were in the area. However, both Visitor's Centers are only open on Wednesday and Thursday. We didn't want to give up Wednesday with the Wills, so we opted to make it part of our Thursday drive home. We left the rental at 8:40 and took a really scenic drive. We went past Chimney Rock and Lure Lake and proclaimed them both places we would like to visit on our next trip.

Our first stop was Copwens, we arrived right as the Visitor's Center opened at 10 and got to see the first movie showing of the day. The battle was fought on January 17, 1781. I am going to quote from the website, as they do a better job summarizing than I could: Cowpens "became known as the turning point of the war in the South, part of a chain of events leading to Patriot Victory at Yorktown. The Cowpens victory was won over a crack British regular army and brought together strong armies and leaders who made their mark on history." After the movie, we talked with a very friendly park ranger, who set Luke up with a Junior Ranger book. He had to complete 5/8 tasks. We did the outdoor walk, which was just over a mile. It was a beautiful day and Luke enjoyed finding the answers to questions in his book. He did the outdoor scavenger hunt, indoor hunt and 3 other tasks. We stayed until about 1130 and Luke was able to complete the 5 activities and be sworn in as a Junior Ranger, which he loved.

Seeing what's next for in the Jr. Ranger book

This monument commemorates Major William Washington and his cavalry (erected 1856)

We have many similar pictures of the older kids doing this :)

The drive to the next battlefield was only about 30 minutes. I had looked along the route and found a Wendy's. However, the dining room was closed. So, we went next door to Popeye's. I had been wanting to try the Popeye's chicken sandwich since it became a media sensation in 2019, so I was excited about this turn of events. We all thought our food was good (we had never been to Popeye's) and would go back again.

We got to Kings Mountain at 12:45. The movie started at 1:15, so we looked in the museum first. It was really nice. It was set up like a forest and the "trees" played movies or had exhibits describing the battle. We all enjoyed walking around. We watched the movie, which was done by the History Channel and was really good. Here's the battle summary for this one: ""Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success." The battle of Kings Mountain, fought on October 7th, 1780 was an important American victory during the Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major patriot victory to occur after the British invasion of Charleston, SC in May 1780." The war had not been going well for the British in the north, but they were having a lot of success in the South. There was a possibility that they could win the South and cut off supply lines to the North. There were also more loyalists in the south. The Americans were outnumbered, but managed to claim victory at Kings Mountain, and kill Major Ferguson, which was a huge blow to the British Army. This turned the tide on the Southern campaign.

Inside the visitor's center

If those trees could talk...

The battlefield walk was about 1.5 miles and very hilly. It had an audio tour where you called from numbered spots to hear information corresponding to that part of the battlefield. It was really interesting and something I hope all battlefields incorporate. It made it very easy to understand what was happening and where the troops were positioned. We really enjoyed it (well, all but Kara and Luke who were not in the mood for more walking). We finished up about 2:45 and started the long drive home.

The stone on the left was erected in 1815 to commemorate the battle. It is the 2nd oldest memorial in the country.

The newest marker was erected in 1909.

This marker is where President Hoover spoke to 75000 people to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the battle.

Traffic was rough at points, but not as bad as the drive to NC, probably because by the time we hit Georgia, it was getting later in the day. Our last stop was Buc-cees in Daytona, a new amazing gas station that has been big news in this area. We could definitely see what the hype was about. They had 12 different icee varieties, bathrooms with dozens of stalls, over 100 gas pumps and lots of snacks, including a wall of beef jerky, a wall of gummy treats, a fudge counter, barbecue, etc. Even though it was 10:30 p.m., we couldn't resist trying a cotton candy icee (mixed reviews, I really liked it). We got home around 11:30, brought everything inside and went to bed!

For a short trip summary--I think it was an amazing vacation. It was great to be with the Wills and everyone enjoyed all the activities. It was really nice to do a more nature-focused vacation. I asked everyone to list their top three things from the trip, but people said it would be too hard to rank. So, in no particular order:

Kori and Anna: horse-back riding, river float, Catawaba Falls

Thomas: battlefields, horse-back riding, river float

Kara: floating, retrocade, horse-back riding

Luke: sliding rock, retrocade, Catawaba Falls

Jack: battlefields, retrocade, floating

Day 5: Catawaba Falls and Retrocade

Day 5 began with a trip to Catawaba Falls. It was absolutely beautiful. It was about 3 miles there and back. Along the way, we did some of the side trails and saw several mini waterfalls. It took us about 40 minutes to get to the big falls and it was incredible! I have never seen a waterfall quite like it. The kids waded in the water, to various levels of soakedness. The walk back was much quicker, unfortunately, Luke got stung by something. He handled it fairly well (no tears). I carried him on my back until he felt like he could walk and he said his pain was a 15/10. He loved the hike until that point and if he hadn't been stung, would have given it a 10/10 (the sting brought it down to a 6.5). 

Lots of hiking pictures, some are from my phone, some from Thomas' and some from Kayce's, so they aren't in order of when they occurred on the hike (and I have a hard time with pictures on Blogger lately, so I am not going to try and rearrange).

One of the many mini waterfalls

Photo cred to Kayce for this one, the falls went up even higher than this picture captures.

I circled Kara and Trevor midway up (as far as they went for safety reasons)

We finished the hike around 1145 and since a lot of us were very wet, we decided to go back to the rental for lunch. We cleaned up and changed and then headed to our next destination--the Retrocade. The Wills had enjoyed it so much the day before, we had to give it a try. They joined us for a bit and then went to a local zoo/nature center. We gave the kids the option of going with them or staying at the arcade and they all wanted to stay. We played classic games (Punch Out, QBert, Ms. Pacman, etc) and pinball and air hockey. We ended up staying for about 4 hours (and everyone could have stayed longer). 

We picked up dinner on the way to the rental. The boys got in the hot tub, and the kids enjoyed their last evening together. The adults tried another escape room and did much better than the night before. We were able to solve the clues and keep ourselves from being experimented on by a crazy dentist.