Camp Winnataska

A couple of days after we got back from the Grand Hotel, Hudson headed off for his second year at Camp Winnataska! He was SO excited! This year, his buddy Wyatt joined him and they had a bunch of other buddies in their cabin so it was super fun.

 

Camp Winnataska is still the hottest place on earth, but the kids didn't seem to notice nearly as badly as the adults. Whew...not sure how they do it, but there was some rain while they were there so I can only hope that cooled things off a bit!

 

Drop off went well! Hudson was ready for me to leave in about 5 minutes! It was much easier to leave the second time around, and thankfully, it was easier while he was gone too. Not that I didn't miss him, but I think I knew more about what to expect. However, Hudson definitely avoided the camera this year because he was only in a couple of camp pictures. Last year, he was in so many! Oh well, I knew he was having fun so it didn't matter as much!

 Harrison can't wait until it is his turn to go!

 All of these boys are Vestavia boys. I love for Hudson to make friends at camp that aren't from where we live, but it is nice to know that he has familiar faces to be around as well!

So, letters home from camp are one of THE BEST things about camp! Hudson only went for 3 nights this year (next year is full week), so our letters home actually didn't arrive until after I had picked him up, so he did warn me about this one before I actually saw it (which sort of makes it funnier because he felt bad!). I thought I read somewhere that letters only were to be given the first full day, and then care packages the second full day. I still think that's right, but clearly the other parents aren't like this rule abiding parent and sent their kids care packages the first day and Hudson only got a letter from me. This was what he wrote:

"Dear Mom, Why didn't you get me anything from the camp store. From Hudson."

Well...glad to know I was missed! :)

And then he got his big ole' care package the next day with lots of goodies and all was right in the world. But, he must have hated me for a whole day! Live and learn!

He did send another letter too (I was shocked I got two!) and it was really sweet and I should have taken a picture, but I didn't. He was definitely having a good time though.

He can't wait for next year. I'm glad to know that he loves camp. I think it's good for him to spend some time away from home having new adventures! The homecoming is always pretty sweet too!

The Grand Hotel

Two days after Joel and I got back from North Carolina, we all hopped in the car again and drove south to the Grand Hotel in Fairhope for the weekend leading up to July 4th. We had gone the year before, but only for a night, and could not wait to get back down there again! This was such a fun little 3 day weekend trip! There is so much for the kids to do. They never got bored!

 

Smores are always a big hit! Some lady caught herself on fire and that took this night to a whole new level of fun! Ha! She was fine by the way! :)

We had to dodge a few rain showers here and there, but we made the best of it. The kids were really into playing "family UNO" this summer, so we played a few rounds of that while we waited out the storm.

And of course the staff at the Grand Hotel is always prepared for anything. They had crafts for the kids when it rained and other fun activities the entire weekend.

I have to document Harrison going down the slide, because it was the only time he was able to do it all weekend long. They are serious sticklers about the height requirement for the slide and Harrison was just a small smidge below it. He tried mightily with several different life guards throughout the weekend, and he finally found one that would let him go! Unfortunately, right after this, they did a life guard switch and the next one wasn't so nice. This is the only thing that is completely ridiculous at the Grand. It really is not a big slide.

 They still had a lot of fun at the pool!

 We also rented a sea doo one afternoon and ALL the boys had fun with it!

The shooting of the cannon was the highlight of Hudson's afternoon every single day.

We had some good meals during the weekend too. We stayed on the property some and left the property as well. Breakfast 2 of the days was at Warehouse Bakery & Donuts. Seriously, the best donuts I have ever had! I think Birmingham needs one of these for sure!

It was a great weekend trip! We can't wait to go back!

The Rest of June

We had a fun rest of June after our beach trip. It rained a lot, and I was in Atlanta for work for a week, so there aren't a ton of pictures, but we did have some pool days and several trips to get ice cream, and the boys had a fabulous week of Vacation Bible School.

 

We also had some fun days and nights with Roo! The boys just adore her.

 

 Selling lemonade to raise money for church!

 The Reeds took the boys and I to see Fiddler on the Roof. It was Harrison's first "more adult" play and he absolutely loved it. I was worried, but he was wanting to go see it again the next night!

Then at the end of June, on a whim, Joel asked me if I wanted to accompany him on a work trip for 3 days to North Carolina. It was a lot of driving, but it ended up being such a great little break for us! We drove through the mountains and took the scenic route, and saw some beautiful views along the way!

 Nantahala Lake was such a beautiful place! We want to go back!

 We spent a day in Asheville and saw the Biltmore! This was an amazing place to visit.

 Had some wine along the way...

 And had some of the best food I've ever had in Winston Salem, NC!

My mouth is watering just thinking about that meal!

Back to update July soon!