The Season of Little Kids

This Saturday I overheard Katie say this in her bedtime prayers:

“I am so thankful that my family is getting back together. Please bless us that we will not split up again.”

Fear not, this is what she was really talking about:

Eleanor and Jeffrey went to Scout camps this week.

Jeff’s Boy Scout camp was a full week at Camp Pigott with his troop. He came home all finished with the Rowing merit badge, and nearly finished with Swimming and First Aid. Nice work, Jeff! He also got to try out rifle shooting, and returned home with a stack of paper targets he had shot.

Eleanor spent a half-week at Girl Scout camp. She was especially excited, because this camp included horseback riding. I was a little concerned about Eleanor’s first sleepaway camp (unlike Jeff, she didn’t know anybody there), but she did wonderfully well, making buddies and trying out kayaking and lake swimming for the first time. (Oh yes, and riding a horse called Knobby every day, including a trail ride!) Eleanor loved it so much that when we came to pick her up, she ran and hid under a bunk in one of the wagons. She was so sad it was ending, she didn’t want to go home!

(I will admit my motherly pride was miffed that I didn’t get a hug right away.)

Meanwhile, with both big kids away at camp, the others got to enjoy what William called “the season of little kids.” We finally got to fulfill Katie’s often-repeated request to go to the zoo.

But we actually got there 45 minutes too early, so we shared pastries in a nearby coffee shop (Fresh Flours, the blueberry lemon-custard danish was incredible) and then played on some old-style super-high swings in a nearby playground.

Finally, the zoo! Katie’s favorite place in the whole world is the zoo carousel. She named her horse “Crystal” and William named his “Diamond.” When the ride was over, Katie took time to give them hugs and kisses goodbye.

We also visited the bird house, where I made a new buddy:

Katie and William made some new friends as well.

That evening Brian and I took them out to eat (another failed attempt to find good Mexican food in Seattle, alas) and then watched the sunset at Richmond Beach. It was so fun to lavish attention on these little ones, especially William. He’s so quiet-tempered that I think he gets overlooked too often.

“The season of little kids is ending,” he said, and we went home.