Chalk Bluff '08

I always kick myself on trips like this for not packing a little notepad to jot down the memorable things the girls say and do while we're away. I never remember them all once we get back!
I Love, love, going to Chalk Bluff each year.
Just so many moments of sweet innocence. No peer or society driven influences. No agendas, no schedules.
Just pure fun and family time.

Some of the things I heard while we were there:

From Miss A:
"Good idea, Dude!" Spoken to Miss E (complete with an enthusiastic thumbs up!) when they came up with the 'throw the Nerf ball through the fish floatie' game for some late night play.

"Mama, your a Genius!" I cannot for the life of me remember what I did or said. Very sad. I really should keep track of these things!

And...

"Eww! Grass poop!"
yes, this from Miss A, whom I was trying to convince the little bits of floating sea-weedy type stuff was not poop, but grass...


From Miss E:
-this came after I was trying to hurry them along with their evening snack, saying we were missing out on the fun. E said it was dark, what could we do after dark? I told her "this is Chalk Bluff! We can do anything!"
Her reply-hands on hips and all,
"Well, we can't go shopping, that's for sure!" (wait there's more) "But we do have a river, AND our friends and family.(now picture her, one hand extended as if holding a tray, and a bit of a head wiggle)...and THAT'S the best of BOTH WORLDS!"
I know this is a Hannah Montana song, but it was so precious and so true!

and, when I rounded her up from a friend's cabin, saying it was time to get ready for dinner:
"I thought we had a lot of daytime left! It's not fair-the days are so short at Chalk Bluff!"
I love it!

-----OK, I have to break and blog this. The girls have been giggling and whispering in E's room for a while, and this is what just emerged....


OK. Moving ON!
I may have to add more to this later. I KNOW there were other things I wanted to add to this. For now, I'll have to let the pictures do the talking. Be warned-there are a BUNCH! We had a blast!

Breakfast Time
Here's Miss E getting pancakes from the best pancake maker in the west! And a pretty darn good syrup pourer too!



Skipping Time
There was a LOT of time spent searching for the perfect skipping rock, and plenty of skipping lesson and skipping practice. The big smile from Miss E below was her first "Three Skipper!"



Quality Time


Water Time





Play Time


a quick comment on this last picture. I don't quite know what this is...some sort of merry-go-round contraption that spins by pushing/pulling on the bar at your feet. It has some kind of hydraulic pumps going across the center. And it's ANCIENT. It was ancient when I was a kid, and that was mrflefarble years ago...but the kids always LOVE it! And it somehow seems to go faster now...or maybe my stomach is just weaker. :)

Squish Time! Aww! Sisterly Love. :)



Well, I'm sure this seems a bit jumpy and awkward, but I've had this post in my edits for over a week and just need to post it. Enjoy the pics. Thanks for looking!
And to finish it off...

Bedtime.