Pine Cove 2012

Last week I had the opportunity to go with Ashton to fifth grade camp at Pine Cove. I was excited to be a chaperone on this 3 day, 2 night field trip and she was excited that I was able to go too. {That won't always be the case so I am enjoying it while it lasts}.

I met at the school on Wednesday morning to get all checked in. After we got our cabin assignments, and the kiddos were loaded on the bus, I drove to Pine Cove and met them there.

Once the kiddos arrived and dropped off their stuff it was time for lunch then we hit the ground running. In case you were wondering, they kept those kids busy all day and they slept really well at night so it made my job in the cabin pretty easy at night!

The camp was extremely well run and full of hands-on activities. I wasn't sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised by the whole camp experience!

I tried to take as many pictures as I could while still doing my job as chaperone.

{This was pretty cool...they skimmed the water and investigated the dirt and things they scooped up in their net to see what living organisms live by the edge of the water. I was impressed that Ashton got down and dirty with this activity. She definitely didn't want to miss out on any part of the camp experience.}

{In this station, they had to work together as a team and build some type of structure out of mud. The counselor then showed them what happens over time with the weather elements and erosion.}

{They learned all about the forest and woods. They revisited the parts of the forest and what types of things they would find there. After the discussion, they went on a scavenger hunt.}

{I had a pretty sweet group of girls in my cabin...we were Glacier 3!}

{I loved being able to watch my girl do her thing with her friends and classmates. I also love that this is one of her more memorable moments in elementary school and I have this memory with her!}

{For those of you who know me, you know that I really don't like birds...not even a little bit. They kind of creep me out and they are dirty.  Wouldn't you know that one of the stations was on birds of prey. I didn't mind being in the room when the bird was sitting on his handler's glove and I was in the back of the room. That is until the darn bird flew right into me and landed on me thinking I was the guy in the back with the piece of chicken. Ashton thought I was going to freak out...I totally was on the inside and it took all I had to  not freak out. All I knew was that if I wasn't totally still, I would scare the bird and it would do who knows what. Everyone was pretty impressed with how I handled the incident, especially Ashton since she knows how much I dislike birds.}

{The kids thought the bird was cool and they especially loved touching it.}

{Horseback riding was another fave and it was also a first for Ashton. She has ridden ponies before, but not a real horse.}

{With the Hunger Games and Katniss craze going on right now, everyone thought the archery station was especially cool. Ashton loved it and was surprised they let the kids use real arrows.}

{This was my personal fave! I wasn't sure how my cautious, non-risk taker child would do on the zip line. I wasn't sure if she would go through with it, but she did. The counselor running this station was AWESOME and an Alabama Crimson Tide guy. She was one of the first in her group to go and she did it like a champ. It was pretty cool since it was dusk when she went. I was so proud of her. She also thought it was neat that she has done something that I haven't done before.}

{That's my girl on the left zip lining over the water!}

{Me, Bella, Ashton, McKenzie, Lillia, Grace, Jennifer, Andrea}

Miss France (Ashton's homeroom and science teacher) and Mrs. Schoenberg (Ashton's math teacher)

Canoeing...another first. She realized it isn't as easy as it looks!

Pink's 5th Grade Camp at Pine Cove was such a great experience and full of great memories. I am so glad I was able to be a part of it. I had one exhausted camper in the car with me on the way home. 

Daddy hung out with Landry while we were gone and they both had a great time. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from their time together. They were both ready for me to come home...just as I was ready to be home. It was hard on Landry not being able to talk to me while I was gone. I was busy the entire time and my phone didn't get the best reception in the woods!

Everyone in the Bryce House survived camp week! I hope I have the opportunity to go with Landry when her time comes! These are moments we will never get back...and these moments seem to fly by!