Bobby had just started his new job with On Star just 2 weeks before so he wasn't able to come with us until the last 2 days. We stayed in an adorable cabin with 2 bedrooms (one with a bunk bed and a twin bed so all three of the them shared a room), one bathroom, and a full kitchen! We shopped for lunch food on the way up and the girls couldn't have been more excited to bring their lunch from home for the first time.
The first day we check in we had to hightail it to a meet and greet wine welcoming for the parents. The kids were all dropped off at sibs camp and at therapy camp. I dropped off the girls first and Avery said to me (loudly), "There's Mr. Kerry!!!!" which of course I shushed her to be quiet. Then they both SHRIEKED and took off running! It was Mr. Kerry, the infamous OT from their preschool. While they don't get services from him, he is in both of their classrooms everyday so he knows them well. They had the best week ever hanging out with him every morning and afternoon when the sibs campers got together. Jake was not happy about being dropped off with the other campers and he cried and cried.
After meeting the other parents in our squad, it suddenly dawned on me that one of the kids is a boy when has been in Jake's class for 2 years now! I had never met his parents but just immediately loved them both. They live really close and we have been talking about getting together again. They had all of the parents over on the last night for a "goodbye" dinner.
The first day they were all up early and ready to go! I dropped the girls off first (with no problems-and I don't actually think they even said bye to me because Mr. Kerry was there!). Dropping off Jake was rough. His goal for the entire week was to be flexible and work on transitioning. Day one was filled with lots of tears but they were able to distract him easily. He got to do something big each day (so did the girls) incorporating his 5 therapies (PT, OT, SLP, Music, and play). He did canoeing, wall climbing, went to the indoor water park, horseback riding, and the tubing hill. Each day after the first he cried less and less when I dropped him off. On the second day his device died and I had to bring the charger. I was really worried that he would cry so I suggested that I would just leave it outside the door for them-but his SLP suggested (brilliantly) to have him practice a transition seeing me. I walked up and asked him about his day so far and he interrupted me and said, "BYE!" My jaw hit the floor and I walked away so proud of him.
During the day I was able to go to a few parenting classes, one on sibling relationships (a therapist had spent time with the sibling camper), got great resources, hiked, read, and shopped. The 6 hours a day was BLISS but I sure did miss my kids and couldn't wait to hear about their day.
Each night there was an event to go to, a campfire, parent's night out, music in the park in Winter Park, and the night we went to Jake's best buddy Jesse's cabin for dinner. Bobby was able to join us the last night and it was so wonderful to have him there for the closing ceremonies and for Jake's 1-hour conference before we headed home. It was the most wonderful week ever and I know I will look back at this experience and smile for a very long time.
Get ready for picture overload!
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