Camp Christi 2010 Part 1

 
Sweet Gracie came to stay with us once again for Camp Christi. It was different this year. My precious, little niece who used to just love for me to let her "fix" my hair, wanted to always snuggle before bedtime, and loved for me to read to her, wanted to fix her own hair (not mine), told me she was tired and ready to go to sleep and said that reading was boring. I knew she was growing up, I just didn't realize how quickly. She's still just as precious as ever, I am just not as cool as I used to be!
 
For example, we went to the zoo Monday. I had a blue bandaid on my arm. Before we got out of the car at the zoo, she said, "Christi, you're not going to wear that bandaid, are you?" Right then and there I realized that I needed to rethink everything I had planned for the week!


I'm going to backtrack a bit. I met my sister, my mom and both of my nieces halfway between my house and theirs on Sunday to pick Gracie up. We shopped, ate at Olive Garden and then I headed back home with Gracie. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to go to the park. We went straight there and met some friends of mine.

Gracie is a great helper. It was the easiest time I've had a the park in a long time. Usually I am climbing up and going down the slides with Audrey!

One thing that was very clear this year is that Audrey adores Meredith Grace. She followed her everywhere and tried to imitate everything Gracie did!

She even tried to hang from the monkey bars like Meredith Grace did!

I did get to expose Gracie to something really cool that only an aunt like me could do... the ice cream truck! Haha!

Audrey looovves this ice cream truck! She can hear the jingle way before I can and she usually starts to head to the gate at the park saying, "ice cream, ice cream" the entire way. To my knowledge, there are not any ice cream trucks in the town Gracie lives in and if there are, they don't go out in the country where she lives. I make a point to get her an ice cream from the truck every time she's here because everyone knows ice cream is better when it comes from a truck!

After the park, we headed home and got supper, played some more and Gracie got to practice her "rock, rock" skills. For some reason, Audrey only wanted to be rocked by Gracie and Gracie LOVED every minute of it!!

The next day, we woke up and Gracie wanted to go to the zoo.  She picked out her own clothes and chose how she wanted her hair. She's at Camp Christi she can do that, you know?

She got to see a lot of different animal species such as this:

and this...

But her favorite things at the zoo were...

Addie,

Elise,

and Audrey!

Notice how Gracie has Audrey's hand with one hand and is pushing the stroller with her other hand. Isn't she a great little Momma?

I'm not sure what I was doing. From the looks of it I was letting Gracie be in charge!

While at the zoo we also took our first train ride ever. I'm not sure why but I've never riden the train with Audrey and since this was Camp Christi, we did whatever Gracie wanted to do and she wanted to ride. So.we.did.

This next picture is of my dear friend Kelly and her son, Griffin and daughter, (my god daughter) Elise. I just love how Elise is peeping out over her Mom's shoulder!

Meredith Grace-- posing

                

I don't know why but I didn't get a picture of Addie's mom, Lindy. Next time!

After the zoo, we went to lunch with our friends and then headed home for naps. Do you know this eight year old took a nap every day that she was here?!? Ahh... that part she hasn't grown out of! We also went back to the park that afternoon for more ice cream. Hee.. Hee...

Part 2 is a comin' - I got an embroidery machine about 3 weeks ago and I am finally getting around to learning how to use it. It is taking up all my free time!