If Home Is Where Your Heart Is. . . .

Yesterday Camp Kivu officially opened its gates! This is our 10th summer out here, but our first as Camp Kivu. It was a great day and it was unexpectedly easy and bump free! Dax said that opening day of camp is is favorite day of the year--even better than Christmas, he said! I think it is more about the candy and snow cones and no FOB (nap) on this day than it is about the campers actually coming. . .for him! Here is a darling picture of Tiki that the camp photographer took. . .love it!

Last night was our 10th Annual Neighborhood Picnic and Barn Dance! I cannot believe we have been here for ten summers! Time flies! We had a great turn out for our picnic. . . probably about 125 neighbors from Bayfield and Durango showed up. It was great! And then after most of them left, we headed to our big old barn for our dance. The fire was burning in the fire pit and the barn was dressed up with rope lights. It was great! My kids had a blast! Hays is proud to claim that he danced with 14 different girls (including his mother)! He was the cutest! Maggie got in a couple of dances before she headed back to Tulsa with BeBe and PaPa. I finally even got Dax to dance with me about half way through the night!

Yesterday we headed up to Andrew's Lake for our annual family picture and staff picture. I cannot believe that this is the 10th year! Crazy! We celebrated Tiki's UN-birthday yesterday, too. Why his UN-birthday? Right now his birthday on his birth certificate is June 1, 2003. The nuns made up this birthday when he arrived to the orphanage, so it isn't actually his birthday in the first place. But, since he is being held back in Kindergarten again, I just feel like it would be best if we made him younger before he gets older. So, in changing his birthday (to February 3, 2004), we actually "missed" his birthday this year, so I thought yesterday at Andrew's Lake with the staff would be a fun time to do it. (And, we aren't sure if the judge in Missouri will approve the birthday change, so right now, every day is his UN-birthday.) So, Tiki, a VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU! Andy's parents and his aunt and uncle are in town for the weekend also. We ha...

Thursday (I know, I'm a little behind) was the kids' last day of school. I am so thankful that they are finished so that I can stop being 1/2 at camp and 1/2 at "life." Hays ended fifth grade (and elementary school) on a big high. I am so proud of him this year. He left home and friends and everything he was used to and came to Durango and jumped in physically and emotionally. He made some good friends this year and a very special best friend in Kenna. I heard (via an unnamed source) that he bawled his eyes out. . .he told Kenna that he had the best year and that this had been the best school. He was just so sad that this great year was over (I wonder if some of the tears were pre-middle school nerves?). But, it made this momma so happy to know that the move didn't ruin her boys' life. Maggie ended in typical Maggie fashion. . .no tears and no emotional drama! She headed to a friends' house to spend the night. She did great this year, too. She d...

Tiki learned how to ride his bike yesterday! That is big news (and I have NO pictures of it). He was SO proud of himself. . .he found each person in the family (and each manny) to show them. It was so cute. Yesterday I sent cupcakes to school with Maggie and Tiki. . .for their "summer" birthdays. (Note, that Tiki's birthday may not be in the summer next year. . .). They were both so excited--Tiki for sure was the most excited! Everyone was hugging him and saying "Happy Birthday, Tiki!" He's a rock star at school and he loves it! I loved seeing him beaming when I picked him up. He has looked forward to being the birthday boy for months and yesterday was his day. SO CUTE! This morning at breakfast I took all five kids to McDonald's. We are out of food in the house because we will be moving out to camp completely tomorrow afternoon. So, we're all sitting there and Gabby and Tiki start arguing about how to say "donkey." Tiki (in hi...

Well, many of you have been asking how my new babysitters are gong this summer. . .I have two guys and they are wonderful! Dalton and Chase. The kids are so happy and both "mannies" are so eager to please me and they are so amazing with the kids! It has been fun to watch them from afar. I am so excited about this summer and how much fun my kids are going to have! Chase & Tiki Dax & Dalton Dax & Jake. . .each summer we think "this will be his last" but he is still hanging on. He, like the kids, is so happy to be at camp. . .all these people brought here just to rub his belly! :) Hays, Maggie and Tiki have one more week of school before we move out to camp full time. They hate it that we have to leave camp and all of the great people and go to school. I must admit that I, too, will be excited to be finished with school for the year so that we can be out at camp 100% mind, body and soul!

I think Tiki's best friend in the orphanage was Joseph. Tiki mentioned Joseph several days ago in passing and we all kind of let it go, but on Thursday he chatted about Joseph the whole car ride from camp to our house. He says that Joseph was his best friend in Africa and that he was nine. That is pretty much all we got as far as details, but Tiki's face totally lit up when he was talking about him. Hopefully someday we can get a picture of Joseph. . .I would like to have one just for Tiki's file. I have so little (okay, nothing) about his childhood before becoming a Braner and I would love to at least have a picture of his best friend.