Charlie Goes To Camp

For so many years Charlie has stayed behind with me while his big brothers went off to scout camp for days and days of fun.  I always made an effort to have a special "Camp Mom" time with him and although we did some cool stuff together, it wasn't quite the same.  So when Charlie finally got the chance to attend a camp of his very own, boy, was he excited!!  And guess who went with him? 

Me!!

Ready to head off to camp!

We spent three days at Camp Kiwanis, and those days were non-stop full-of-activities kinds of days.  Here's a peek at some of Charlie's favorites...

He took a knife skills and safety class and earned the right to carry a pocketknife while at camp.  Whittling became the thing to do in the moments between activities.  We had to hit the trading post immediately after the class so he could pick out his first pocketknife.

Ponies!!  Charlie and I learned about how to mount, dismount and guide a pony on a trail through the woods.

 His pony was a sweet boy named Bay.

Archery was difficult, says Charlie, but fun!

Row boats on the St. Croix river.   We had a little rain before we went out, but not enough to stop us.  As they say at Kiwanis, "Plan 'B' is Plan 'A' with a raincoat!"

BB Guns!  The staff at Kiwanis are really attentive and patient with the boys, and offer as much one-on-one help as needed.  Charlie loved the bb guns and shot consistently for a first-timer!

And speaking of staff, I will never understand how the camp counselors keep up the positive energy all weekend, much less all summer, because they are here all summer with new groups of kids every week.  They are an outstanding group of young adults who show such patience and kindness toward all the campers, and are always invested in the kids having fun! The staff is truly excellent!

Camp staff at lunchtime performing songs and "going bananas" for the kids.

There was so much going on at camp that I could never document it all here, but I know Charlie is storing all those memories up, and the smile he wore all weekend is proof of just how great a time it was!