Water Safety

Today was our first full day here at camp.  We had to be at 'flag pole' at 7:30 - before we even got breakfast! We sang our camp song, did the pledges for the Texas and US flags, and said our prayers.  After that, we got to go eat breakfast.  Food here at camp is really great!  For breakfast, you could have scrambled eggs and sausage with toast or cereal.  I'm a picky eater, but even I like that kind of breakfast! 

Cabin 15 girls at Water Safety

Meghan and I show off our swimbands.

After that, we have our morning activities.  Elena, Meghan, and I chose Water       Safety.  Elena helped Meghan and me braid our hair.  I was really glad she knew how to braid, because I was getting it all tangled!  We had to take a swim test this morning.  I earned a purple band - that means I can swim wherever, whenever!  (No, mom, not really.  There still have to be lifeguards around.)  I love to swim, so I knew I could ace that test. Meghan got a yellow band.  I think she got nervous during her test.  Meghan doesn't get to swim a lot in Russia, only when she visits here in the summers.  Meghan has to have a grownup watching if she goes in the deep end, but she is determined that she'll get her purple band by the end of the summer.  But here's the strange part - Elena got a pink band.  That means she can't swim at all!  I think she was embarrassed to tell us that she didn't know how.  She was really upset and scared to take the test, but she was really brave and did it anyway.  Elena will always have to have a grownup in the water with her.  I promised I'd help her out too.  (I'm going to need Elena's help with first aid.  Yikes - all those knots and slings and stuff...)

Cabin 15 flag

After that, we went back to our cabins and got ready for lunch.  In the early afternoon, our whole cabin has Arts and Crafts.  Today we worked really hard on our camp flag.  We decided simple was best.  We also learned some of the SECRET traditions at Camp PDC.  :)  I can't share those here, but it was fun!


In the late afternoon, we get to have free time - which means you can nap, write letters, swim, go horseback riding, play sports, or send emails.  Well, pretty soon it will be time for campfire and lights out.  I really hope Addie doesn't see any scorpions in the showers tonight.  She screamed a LOT last night.  And you know who killed it?  Amy.  I kind of thought that she'd be afraid of bugs.  Ok, I really have to go now, I can hear Anna calling me for campfire.  Talk to y'all soon!

Camp PDC

Hi everyone!  I'm using my free time tonight to catch y'all up to date on what's been going on.  Last week, I was busy packing, packing, packing.  It was tough trying to get all I needed packed into one trunk.  See what I mean?

We left Sunday afternoon and drove part of the way to Camp PDC.  We stayed at this house (my mom called it a B&B) and it was really old fashioned.  I kept thinking that Samantha probably would have really liked it.  I had to say goodbye to Julie that night.  We decided that it would be safer for her to stay at home.  Here we are saying goodbye.  I think she understands.  (Ok, I know she doesn't really understand, she's just a doll!)

We had to get up and drive some more early Monday morning so we could be there to check in that afternoon.  I was starting to get nervous.  Who would help me fix my hair?  What happens if I break my glasses?  What if I get sick?  I wasn't so sure that camp was a good idea.  I thought about telling my mom to TURN AROUND, but I knew we'd already driven a long way.  My mom told me that she cried and cried the first time she went to camp, but then she had a great time.  We finally arrived and I was almost the last one to check into my cabin!  Here's some shots of us moving in.

 Anna and Amy have known each other for a few years.  This is their third year at Camp PDC.  Last year, they met Addie, so they all decided to sleep on the ground floor.

 Meghan asked if I wanted to sleep in the loft with Elena and Emily.  This is Meghan and Emily's first time at camp.  This is Emily's FOURTH year!  She's been coming to camp since she was 5!

The girls of Cabin 15

Amy, Elena, Makennah, Emily

Addie, Meghan, Anna

Well, I need to get to bed.  Tomorrow I have Water Safety classes with Elena and Meghan.  We also have to make our cabin flag and learn some camp traditions.  I miss home, but I'm excited too!

Summer so far...

School's been out for two weeks, but I've been very busy!  First of all, we had to attend a wedding.  We drove about 3 hours and then we stayed with all my cousins (there were 13 kids).  The wedding was really hot because it was outside.  One night, my crazy older cousin decided we should swim at midnight.  It was so dark but the water was really warm.  We only screamed once.  We made a whirlpool that was so strong I kept getting swept away!  After all the cousins left, we went to visit my grandparents.  They have a pool and two kittens, so I was really excited.  When we got there, my mom decided she needed to drive half-way across the country with my aunt, and then FLY home!  I really really really wanted to go, but Mom said that I couldn't fly home.  I stayed with my grandparents and they let me eat lots of chocolate ice cream though, so it was ok.  Mom brought me a giant stained glass coloring book.  We had to go to Dallas to pick her up, so that meant we got to visit AG Dallas.  My grandmother bought me a new church dress and new ballet clothes.  I'd also fallen and bent my glasses, so I got to pick new ones out.  :) Here's a picture of me after we got back to our house.  We've been trying to talk mom into taking that picture of JFK down, but she's not listening.

We're finally back home for awhile.  The strange thing is, when we got home, all my 'sisters' were gone for the summer.  Felicity went to her grandfather's house, Josefina is visiting her sister in Santa Fe, Samantha went to Piney Point with her Grandmary, Kit is with her Aunt Millie in Kentucky, Ruthie is on vacation with her family, and Molly is away at Camp Gowonagin.  I know it'll be awfully quiet around here without them. 
 I'm going to Vacation Bible School this week at our church.  We're pretending to travel to New York City. Today we learned about having faith in Jesus.  I hope I can bring Abbie with me tomorrow! 
The most exciting news is that on Sunday afternoon, I leave for Camp PDC.  Camp PDC is short for Camp Palo Duro Canyon.  I'm very very excited!  I keep packing and repacking my things.  I got my cabin list today.  Here it is:
 Girls 9-10 Cabin 15
Addie J. (Ft. Hood, TX)
Amy M. (Dallas, TX)
Anna T. (Galveston, TX)
Elena A. (San Antonio, TX)
Makennah M. (Parker, TX)
Meghan Y. (Mys Kasmenny, Russia/Lydia, TX)
Samantha P. (Topsannah, TX)
Counselor - Kristin J.

So many girls and such different places!  I don't know how I'll ever wait until Sunday.  I also had to pick my activities today, so I chose Crafts, Water Safety, and Horseback Riding.  I wonder what the other girls in my cabin chose?  Well, I'll update you if anything exciting happens!  I think I'm going to go check again and make sure I remembered to pack bug spray.

The last bits of school

Hello all!  I've had a sore throat this week and mom has been hogging the computer (it's the end of the school year, so she has lots of paperwork).  Anyway, I thought I'd update everyone on what happened the last week of school since I'm still AT school with my mom and I'm bored.  Teachers have to work a LOT at the end of the year!
First, we had our 4th Grade Play.  I was a member of the Old 300: "Stephen F. Austin's first 300 families to come to Texas."   We had to sing a song about Texas being our home and we got to wear long skirts.  My sisters helped me with my costume - I borrowed the shirt from Molly, the skirt from Josefina, and the boots from Samantha.  The only bad part was Jordan, a mean boy in my class, told me Old 300 girls didn't wear glasses.  Miss Jones told him that he should be kind and that I would be a wonderful Old 300 girl because I'm a hard worker and the Old 300 had to be hard workers.  That made me feel better.  Here I am in my costume.

 Today was the official last day of school.  We had our awards assemblies and had to clean out our desks.  I HATE cleaning out my desk.  No matter how hard I try, I still find squished valentines and candy cane crumbs and bits of Thanksgiving leaves every year.  This year, Miss Jones really tried to help me organize my things, but I'm still messy.  She told me that I'm creative and artistic, but she never told me I was neat.  I got a really special award this time - I was named Student of the Six Weeks.  Mom was very proud!  Here I am leaving school at lunch.

I mentioned how much I hated cleaning out my desk - but did I tell you how much Mom hates cleaning out my backpack?  Well, she handed me some Oreos, sat me down, and told me I wasn't moving til my things were organized.  I don't think my backpack was too messy this year - what do you think?

 Well anyway, I guess I had better go.  We just ordered pizza and Mom says we need to go pick it up.  I got a great surprise in the mail today - but more about that later!

Guess what?

Today I found out that I'm going to summer camp!  I'm so excited I can hardly wait.  I want to pack my bags tonight, but I still need a few summer outfits.  We're going to stay in a real cabin and everything.  I just have to pick my activities soon.  I can't decide!  I know I'll do crafts, and maybe horseback riding, but what about softball?  Is anyone else going to camp this summer?

Hello world!

Hi!  I'm Makennah.  I have SIX sisters.  Well, I think they're my sisters.  When I call them that, they always look at me strangely and mumble other names.  Their names are Felicity, Josefina, Samantha, Kit, Ruthie, and Molly.  They are fun to live with, even if they are different sometimes.  We have a kitten named Licorice, a basset hound named Grace, and a goat named Sombrita.  It's always interesting!  Right now, I share a room with Molly and Josefina.  It's kind of crowded and we all have very different styles, but maybe this summer I'll get a room all to myself.  Molly has been upset with Josefina and me because she tripped coming into the room the other day and scraped her nose.  She carried on for hours about not being 'mint' any longer, whatever that means.  Molly blames me because she says I'm messy.  Well, I had better go.  It's late Sunday evening and that means tomorrow we have school.  Only 9 days left!