Punxie Camp, Day 3

The beauty of being at Camp in July is that you get a break from North Carolina summer heat. Well, not always. Last year was hot and rainy (with power outages to boot), but we hit jackpot this summer. 50s at night, and the nicest running weather ever for Kate and Paul to tackle Punxie's hilliest roads.

Cool nights make for nice days, and it's so much easier to be outside taking advantage of it all. Pappaw set up another pony riding adventure. This time Clara insisted on riding without assistance.

Hattie's not quite there yet, but she's getting more comfortable with Ricks, too.

To the pony rides and back, the cousins belted out all the lyrics to the Frozen soundtrack (caught here on video):

And we spent the afternoon hiking around Camp...

Then more swimming in the pond, and big camp fire with smores to end the day.

Punxie Camp, Day 2

We had a strict schedule to follow for our first full day at Camp, starting with our third year of Amish pony rides. Clara was intent on riding Ricks on her own this year, bareback with no adult holding on. Pappaw got her started, but then she was on her own.

Hattie gave it a try, too, but she's not quite ready to try it on her own.

Then we were off for some blueberry picking, getting them fresh off the bush.

We got back to Camp, and Clara showed off a toad she caught with her cousins...

And then it's time for the swim test! Clara was ready, and she didn't hesitate at all this time (even though she knew how cold the water was).  Did she pass? Oh yeah, she passed.We're not exactly sure yet, but we think she set a record for youngest camper ever to do it. No more swim vests for Clara.

Then Clara goes hunting for salamanders in the pond...

We had some fishin'...

And some quad riding...

Punxie Camp, Day 1

After 10 hours, two (seriously) wrong turns, 95-degree temps, and a busted AC, the Drydens limped into camp Wednesday evening tired and grumpy. But the cool mountain weather turned our moods quickly.

The big lead-up to Camp was Clara taking the swimming test and earning the right to splash in the pond with the big cousins without a life jacket. She thought hard about doing it right after we arrived, and went so far as put her swimsuit on, but decided she wasn't quite ready yet.

Instead we fed the fish and went in for dinner.

Swim Season Ends With a Twinkie!

After 6 weeks, the season ends. Tonight Clara added the breast stroke to her other three. She even stayed late enough for the Twinkie Sprint. 

Though it's not from the meet tonight, here we remember how Clara learned how to dive off boards and blocks in the last couple weeks of the season. Yes, it inevitably ends in a belly flop, but she flops with gusto!

Silly Face Contest

Hattie at 2 1/2+

There's that nursery rhyme about the little girl with the curl on her forehead. When she's good, she's good. But when she's bad...

Our lovely Hattie is a full-fledged two-year-old and giving us a full run for our money. And we love her. She's going through potty training and having more success than failure. She's talking up a storm and even telling stories.

She's become fond these past few days of telling us all the things she used to do when she was a baby but how she's now reformed. Such as..."When my was just a baby, my used to go poo-poo in my diaper. But now my go poo-poo on the potty." Sometimes her memory is questionable. Hattie told us the other day that she broke her leg when she was a baby, but she's all better now that she's a big girl.

Hattie is going through a phase of relating to villains in stories. "My not want to be hero. My bad guy. Humph!" Yes, that's an actual quote. Her favorite at the moment is the Big Bad Wolf. She likes to go around huffing and puffing and blowing things down. She feels little sympathy for the three little pigs (put she likes saying, "Not by the hair of my chinny-chinny-chinny.")

She's our little Ghengis Khan at the moment, but as we learned in the first go around the parenting carousel, the only constant is change. What she does now is not necessarily what she'll do a few weeks from now...for all the good and bad loaded in that statement.

She's our Hattie, and we love her so.

Bald Head Island - The End

All vacations must end sometime, and so on Sunday we loaded up and hit the ferry for the start of our long ride home.

After we waved goodbye to the cousins, Hattie was rambunctious and showing lots of sisterly love on the boat.

Bald Head Island - Day Three

Day three was all about the beach. We had perfect weather, and the kids were finally willing to ditch the pool for a little ocean play.

Hattie, who is becoming ever more conscious of her need to pee, gave a nod to the time honored tradition of her mother and sister, stripping her skivvies for a quick beach tinkle. She refused to put them back on. 

But the nudie shots brought back some nostalgia. Here's Kate circa 1980:

And Clara in 2010:

Beach time is exhausting, of course. And though she is no longer inclined to nap, Hattie zonked out on Dadda while watching the Three Little Pigs. It was a much needed snooze.

And then we're off to the last beach activity of the day, Howl at the Moon. For each full moon, a restaurant on Bald Head hosts a community soiree at the end of the island. They supply beer and gumbo, and everyone brings a side to share. 

A couple hundred people showed up to watch the sunset...

Partake of the goodies...

Play at the edge of the water...

And even listen to a little bag-piping...

But the main event was the moon. This one had been dubbed "Super-Moon" for its hugeness and orange glow, a rarity. And when it popped over the horizon around 8:30, the howling began...

Followed by family photo opps...

And more howling from wolf-crazed Hattie...

Then smores over the campfire...

And though it was late when we got home, Clara mustered enough energy to capture a beach toad.