Big Brother Ben (week 175)

For the first week of July, the whole family went on "bacation". Dada took three days off from work so that we could go camping at Summerdale. We left really early in the morning, and even though mama told me I was supposed to sleep on the way up to Yosemite, I stayed awake the entire trip and asked questions about rock-throwing, camping, and fishing the entire (5) hours. In fact, I really didn't sleep much the night before and woke-up dada every 45 minutes or so to make sure that they weren't going to leave without me...so my first day in the mountains was kind of rough--the night: even worse, but we got better sleep every night thereafter.

This was my second trip to Summerdale and Christopher's first. Dada says that the Keislers have been going for about(28) years now...and that someday, we will be taking my grandkids to the same spot. We slept in the tent for three nights, went swimming at Bass Lake, hiking up Sentinel Dome, and threw rocks in the creek. I even caught and reeled-in my first "beautiful, big, fish". This year, the O'Dowds, the Shultz's, Grammy and Grandpa John, Uncle Josh and Aunt Andrea, and Cousin Eli went to Summerdale. Even the Temples from across the street came for a day or two. Next year, I think even more families from Carfax will be going.

When we got back from camping, we walked in the Plaza Neighborhood 4th of July Parade. There were probably a hundred people on their bikes marching around the neighborhood. In the afternoon, we went to the Van Roozboom's house for the jumphouse, swimming, and fireworks. We threw poppers at each others feet and lit sparklers...I was a little freaked-out about the sparklers, but I am a little freaked out about a lot of things right now: deep water, heights, shadows.

Project Little Brother (week 30)
Christopher absolutely loved the entire camping experience. Aside from eating a little less (he does not like his bottles cold), he slept well in the tent, loved spending the days under the trees, and has become an avid hiker. Clearly, Christopher loves to be at the center of the action and is most comfortable in the middle of a group of people. Whether at Summerdale, or hanging-out in the hot tub at the 4th of July barbecue, Christopher is the life of the party--smiling, waving his hands, and putting everything (and everyone) in his mouth.

Word of the Week
Baboon: a favorite nonsense word to exchange with Grandpa John. Can be used to describe anything from a person to a place or thing; but never fails to bring-on a laughing attack for both parties.