Our reason for coming to the USA in the middle of the Australian winter?
Camp Sunshine!
We had a great time, as usual... It was a little different this year, with families you expect to be there, absent. There were a lot of new families, and we made some new friends!
Late nights, busy days...
The schedule was jam-packed.
To give you an idea, we would start our day around 8am with breakfast.
8.50am would see you dropping the kids to their groups.. Jasper was in the 9-12 group, and Molly was in the Tot-Lot.
Then we would head to the Entertainment hall, and be spoken to by doctors and experts in the field of FA about current research, developments, what to watch out for, what treatments our kids should be getting and how often... It goes on and on.
It is baffling, sometimes, the amount of information that is given to us, but also amazing!
There is no where else in the world we can go and get this sort of information, support and love.
Break for lunch, where the kids reluctantly come with you, only to abandon you once they have food on their tray! (Molly is still young enough to want to be with us, but we barely saw Jasper - hence the lack of photos of him!!).
After lunch, kids go back to group, and we go back to the doctors. There are also psych sessions with an expert Camp Sunshine-er. They generally involve a lot of tears and chocolate!!!
Then dinner, and activities if you have the energy!!
The kids were generally in bed by 10pm... for me, a sleep-nazi, this was a bit of a disaster!!! The kids get up early, and I am pretty strict with their sleep schedule come night time. Camp time means my schedule has to wait at the door!!
Molly was wiped out, and Jasper was running on fumes!! They did really well, and had a lot of fun!
Here are some of the pictures... I posted a lot on FaceBook, as I know that not everyone on FB reads this, and not everyone who reads this is a friend of mine on FB.
Every year we go to Camp, Jasper participates in a mouth-swab study for the early detection of oral cancers. It is just tickley brushes on his tongue and side of his mouth. Ralf and Eunike are from Germany, and bring German chocolate to bribe us with!
Here are Kayla and I at the adults dinner. The photo was done with my iphone, hence the awesome quality!
Kayla and her Camp Husband. Another tradition!!
Both the kids love jerky... it tastes much better over here, and is so much cheaper.. Here they were being jerky jerks together.
Jasper fell in love a little with Alexa, one of the awesome volunteers in the 9-12 group.
Jasper has always had a soft spot for Matt.. lucky he was in the 9-12 group too!!
My cheeky girl!
Mike and Sully from Monsters Inc are permanent features, and Molly was a bit obsessed with them, once she realised they were not real, and hence not scary!!
Molly with her Aunty Kayla
The wish-boat making is something all the kids do in arts and crafts. There is a special time one evening, where we go to the little pond, light the candle, push the boats out (while holding onto their strings), make a wish, and then get the boats back.
We searched for Molly's wish boat, but it was MIA. Lucky her, got to make another one. They found the original, and so she got 2!! There is a photo further down if the kids at the waters edge.. I just cant be bothered reordering the photos!
One of the regulars at Camp Sunshine is AJ. His mum, Nancy is the resident psych, and his dad is the resident doctor. Every year, he raises money to get us lobsters for one night dinner... mmmmm. Steak is the other option, but when in Maine, EAT LOBSTER!!!
What Camp Sunshine does to children... grumpy, exhausted, and not wanting to be with his mum and dad. "can you sign me back into my group yet?"
Aunty Kayla spoiling Molly... this was her 2nd dessert... apparently it doesn't matter... Aunty Kayla said she gets a second dessert, and so she got one!!
Ah, the wishboat Jasper made. Looks impressed, doesn't he? (again, stuck with me, not with one of the volunteers!)
My kids waiting at the waters edge to launch the boats.. You can see a couple just to the left of Molly.
Jasper and his girl, Becca. (He didn't do a lot of walking.. there are a lot of willing arms to carry all the kids, they just need to ask!)
At the talent show.. Both kids abandoned me!! (Molly is on the left, Jasper is on the right).
Bit of a love fest was going on here... Molly and her English boy, Alex. Alex is 5, and has FA. He is a fire cracker, and we love him (and his family) LOTS!
Not the greatest of shots, but the Tot-Lot put on a stage performance for the Celebration Show. Molly wanted to stay on the stage, and kept asking for music to dance to!! Quite the performer. (she does NOT get that from me!)
Jasper and Becca again.
Jasper and Spencer. Spencer is 11, and his brother, Nicholas, had FA. He has passed away. Nicholas was a very special and important person in the FA world, and in the Camp Sunshine world. He is missed desperately.
Jasper and Spencer became good mates during the Camp Sunshine week. They were wrestling in the photo above. I told Spencer to be careful, because Jasper had a coldsore, and he didn't want to be touching it... so no kissing... Jasper then proceeded to chase Spencer around pretending to kiss him!! (below photo). It was very cute!
Some of the adults did the challenge course in the little bit of free time we got towards the end of Camp. It was pretty funny.. I watched and took photos!
Jasper at the lake - sandy, smiling and having a blast!
Molly and one of the volunteers in the tot lot, Julia.
Molly and her "lady", Emily. The kids tend to gravitate to one person, Molly and Emily were perfect!
Molly swinging like a monkey on the play equiptment.
Static hair on the slide.
Swinging with daddy.. we got Molly for naps most days, after lunch, and Paul would sit with her, while I would go listen and learn to the doctors.
I put my foot down one day, and made Jasper come back for a nap too. He claimed he was NOT tired, and would just lay down for 30 minutes.... Yeah, right.
The view from our room.
Molly climbing on the play equipment.
During family free time, Molly, Paul and I were on the playground... Jasper was in the above photo.. watching the teens and volunteers playing volleyball.
Molly and Alex's brother, Ethan. She chased him around for a bit calling out to me that she had to have her photo taken with him.
Jasper and Matt... Crazy kid + Crazy volunteer = crazy photos!
Cute as a button and twice as sweet!
crazy boys with chocolate brownie teeth.
the kids with Mike and Sully.
Molly with her balloon on the way to the Balloon release.
We get the helium balloons, and write messages on them. We all head down to the lake at a pre-determined time, and release them. It can tend to be a bit emotional...
I didn't get a lot of opportunity to get Jasper alone for photos, so I had to chop Wesley out of this one, to get a close up... Sorry, Wes.. love you!
There he is, my handsome boys! Jasper and Wesley. Wes has FA, like Jasper, and strangely enough, he has FANC-I like Jasper... 2 rare boys, indeed!
Balloon release loving!
And there they go... Hope their messages get to where they need to be.
Jasper and Sarah. Sarah is another volunteer, who Jasper took a shine to, and she is super sweet too!
Monster Jasper!
Molly has become a real daddy's girl this trip. She wont hold my hand, or really have anything to do with me, unless she is tired. She is all about Daddy!
Not sure what was going on here, but Jasper was super tired, and we were snuggling... a rare occasion at Camp Sunshine for us!
Aunty Kayla and her kiddies... wait, they are my kids... wait...
Another awesome volunteer, Jillian. She was in the teen group, but has been around the FA group for so long, we just absorb her as ours!! She will come and live in Australia one day to nanny for me. We are just negotiating for her to do a "no payment from employer" deal...
Ok,
thats about all I've got for Camp Sunshine... That, plus 2 pages of questions/suggestions for our doctors!!!
Thanks for reading.
Brooke
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