He's home!

Nathan is home from camp!  I am so relieved!  We were half way down to Ocala when I realized that we accidentally left the camera at home...so there are no pictures.  Other than a bee sting, he came home happy and healthy and in different clothes than when we dropped him off! 

He seemed to really enjoy himself.  Right after the closing mass, Nathan asked Fr. Henry if he could go to confession before he left!  How often does a 9 year old ask to go to confession...at summer camp?  Fr. Henry didn't hesitate, even for a second!  He said, "Absolutely!  Let's go!"....and off they went.

At camp, the boys were in the habit of saying morning & evening prayers, the Rosary and the Angelus.  This morning, when Nathan woke up, he asked me to say the Angeles with him!  I LOVE the Angelus!  This has been my favorite prayer since the 8th grade!  Several times over the last few years, I've attempted to make saying this prayer a habit in our household.  We've done well for a few weeks...and then it tapered off.  My son has re-inspired me to start this devotion again!

Happy August!

He's off!

Well..we did it! We dropped Nathan off at camp this afternoon. I did SO much better than I did last year! I didn't even cry! He gave me a quick kiss with a one armed hug...and he was off! Amelia says she's happy he's gone for a few days! Olivia cried when we sat down for dinner and his chair was empty.

Conditions are much better this year....flushing toilets, showers and shelter...not so primitive. I sent him with MUCH less clothing this time. After all, last year HE WORE THE SAME CLOTHES ALL WEEK LONG! Hopefully he'll take the time to brush his teeth and change his underwear at least once. However, I'm no dummy....hygiene is not usually a priority for boys. I guess I should just be glad I'm not the one having to clean up after this bunch (there are 33 of them)!

I will give me until about Wednesday before I start blubbering like an idiot...missing him terribly and counting the hours until we pick him up on Saturday! I'll be doing my best to keep myself very busy until then!

Have a great week.

HOTM Boys Camp - 2010

Back from the abyss....

I'm back! It's been a roller coaster of an Easter break, but I think we are over the hump. My mother-in-law is home and recovering well. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf!

During the ride, we were able to take a few days to get away. We spent the night at Gold Head Branch State Park on Thursday. What a grand place! The kids had a ball! The best part about it was that it's just barely an hour away from home! Here is just peek at our adventure...

Moss Man greeted us as we entered the park!

The girls enjoying a snack after a 2 mile hike! Amelia had blisters!

Doesn't this tree just beg for an eagle perched on the top?

During our hike.

Our "happy place"!

Aren't they cute?

No, I'm not kidding!

What a weekend! I'm so glad to have Nathan home! I missed that little guy! We got a call from him early on Friday morning to let us know that they would not be back in Jacksonville until approximately 9:00pm (they were due back at 8pm). I arrived at the church parking lot around 7:30pm....just on the off chance they were on time. I didn't want him to come home and find us not there! Once there, we got word through one of the other parents that they were going to be about 3 hours late...arriving about 10:30 or 11:00. Sigh...hurry up and wait some more!

Many parents just stood around the parking lot chatting. I found out that the girls camp (held the week before in Central Florida) had about 7 confirmed cases of swine flu! Lovely! The only common denominator that the boys camp had with the girls camp was the two priests. I just hoped they had washed their hands!

Finally, one van showed up as well as the trailer with all the kids' stuff. They began unloading great big black garbage bags full of stuff. Apparently, it rained pretty much the entire time they were there and everything was wet. Luckily, I found Nathan's stuff pretty quickly....his was not in a plastic bag. Can I just say that the smell that was coming from those bags was, well, gross!

Nathan was in the third van that showed up! He ran to me and said, "Hi, Momma! Guess what.....I threw up five times on the 4th day!" After hugging and kissing him, I realized that HE WAS IN THE SAME CLOTHES THAT HE HAD ON THE DAY I DROPPED HIM OFF!! I asked him if he had brushed his teeth at all......nope!

When we got home, I had to peel off his clothes. I scrubbed him down good and washed his hair several times. I'm not sure his finger/toe nails will ever be clean again. I emptied out his pack and sure enough, there were all of his other clothes still folded neatly. I asked him why he didn't at least change his shirt. His answer......he couldn't find one! Now, mind you, I sent him a pair of shorts and a shirt for EVERYDAY. He obviously didn't look for it.

He had about 6 blisters all over his feet. This would be from hiking in shoes with NO SOCKS! Again, I sent him socks for everyday. Apparently, he didn't find those or the underwear either.

He lost three items....his hat, his jacket and a pair of shorts.

They had an encounter with a bear. No one actually saw him but woke up one morning to find several packs missing and several ripped apart. Nathan's fanny pack has claw marks all over it.

This makes for great stories though!

In spite of the bear, vomiting and the hiking blisters, he seemed to have a great time. He met some wonderful friends and made the commitment to become an "Apprentice" within the Home of the Mother Youth. He has said his prayers faithfully everyday since he's been home.

On Saturday night, he mentioned that his throat hurt. I tried to ignore it but by Sunday morning, I took his temp....101. I gave him some Motrin and by that evening, his temp was still 101. By this morning, it was 102.5. So, at 9am we were on the way to the pediatrician. After a nasal swab test was done, it was confirmed....Nathan has SWINE FLU! He is miserable. He has a sore throat, achy all over, fever and chills. We were advised to treat it like the regular flu....plenty of fluids and treat the symptoms.

Gotta love summer camp! School starts on the 17th....let's hope we're all better by then. I'll share some of the cute stories he told me in another post. For now, here are some pictures.

This is what I found in his pants pockets.....Fr. Henry's card, holy card and the prayers for the Home of the Mother Youth. Thankfully, no bugs (or anything gross).

While you can't tell from this picture....this shirt used to be white. The bottom part is now a dingy beige color. I will attempt to wash it.....but I doubt it will make it.

Blistered feet.


Clean and reunited with two sisters that missed him!

He's home!

Uh-Oh

Dan got a call a little while ago from Nathan. They will be home around 9pm. Apparently, when asked if he was having a good time....the answer...."not that much". Sigh....
He also said he got sick and threw up. It's hard to think of your 8 year old son up on a mountain somewhere far away from home and sick. I was a nervous wreck all week! I think it's a mother's intuition. More to come....as well as pictures (we sent him with a camera)!!

Dear Nathan,

Only 3 more nights and you'll be home! I miss you so much! Your sisters are so bored without you! It's way too hot for them to be outside, so they've been making forts in the house with the sofa cushions and their blankets. They had peanut butter and Fluff sandwiches for lunch today.
Ms. Natalie had to work tonight so John and Lexi are here. I've got lasagna in the oven for dinner. Daddy just went to the store (he took John too) to get some garlic bread. I told John he could play in your room with the Legos. He wants to play on the computer but I'm not sure Daddy will let him. I think after dinner, I'll give Lexi and the girls a bath and then we'll watch a movie.
John's bike was stolen from his yard yesterday! Now he can't ride bikes with you, unless we let him use the blue bike. Maybe, if it's ok with you, we'll just give it to him. I guess this just reminds us that we need to put the bikes up when you are all done riding them, instead of leaving them out!
I hope you are having tons of fun and making lots of friends. I wonder if you miss us too!
I love you,
Mom

Dear Nathan...

Well, it's been one full day since you've been gone. I sure miss you! Daddy and I keep checking the radar to see if it's raining at your camp ground. It looked like you might have gotten wet this morning! I hope your clothes are still dry!

We missed you at mass this morning! We went early so mommy could go to confession. For once, there was only one person in front of me. The girls behaved...pretty well. They earned a doughnut! I talked to Mrs. Bailey. Colin is going to come for a play date the week after you come home. He's looking forward to it! I also saw Mrs. Thornton after mass. She said to tell you that she's really proud of you for going on this camping trip. She said she would pray for you!

I hope you are having a wonderful time and that you are being good! Tonight, when I went to Adoration, I said my whole rosary for you and the other boys at the camp. I hope you get some quiet time to listen to what God might be trying to say to you. I also hope you are making some life long friendships.

Oh, Grandma and Franny called to see if you got off ok! They wanted to know if I cried when I said good-bye to you. I told them NO! If you're brave enough to go on this camp/retreat for a week to learn more about your faith.....then I'm brave enough to let you!

I love you and I miss you.

Love,

Mom