Eckert Family Camp Out

Where did we head on our camp out? Was it The Grand Tetons? Yosemite Valley? Tuolumne  Meadows? The Grand Canyon? Nope... it was our own backyard! Yesterday afternoon we pitched a tent, dragged in Rosie's mattress, inflated the Aerobed, and gathered our supplies for the 1st annual Eckert Family Camp Out.  We made Hobo Stew (gourmet style), roasted Smores, sang a few renditions of "Emerald Cove," and snuggled in our tent for the night. Lucky for this 6.5- months- pregnant- mama, the bathroom was just a few steps away, for my quarterly visit.... The best part of the night, however, came from Rosie of course. I had just laid her down on her mattress, said goodnight, and zipped up the tent. We were sitting around our little campfire and we hear a little voice coming from the tent:

 

Rosie: "Ron?" (pronounced "Won")

Ron: "Ummmm..... yes, Rosie?"

Rosie: "Ron, I need just a yittle drink of water."

Everyone looking well rested!

....And It Continues!

We celebrated Rosie's birthday......again! We're finally (all) home and settled. We had not yet celebrated Rosie's birthday with the Welch/Hunt side of the family. We had a great evening together celebrating, once again, little Miss R.

Night Night, YSSC

All our bags are packed, we're ready to go!

On Sunday, we head home from our time up at YSSC. Ron has spent over a month up here getting the summer started at the beginning and wrapping things up at the end, with 2 sessions of running Emerald Cove Day Camp in San Juan Capistrano sandwiched somewhere in the middle! Rosie and I have certainly loved our adventures, but are ready to head home. Ron's schedule settles just a bit while I kick it into high gear with another school year. Here we go again! Here are some of the highlights from our last week. 

Rosie gets to stay up late and watch, Emperor's New Groove, on the lawn with daddy while mom is in LA.

Our little swimmer on her way to the pool.

The time has come for us to say

that this has been a lovely day

and God's spirit dwelling in your heart

won't be leaving 'cause the sun goes down

so have a good night, have a good night, have a good night 

my good friends.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl

Happy Birthday, sweet Rosie. Our lives are more rich and meaningful since you came along. Loving and raising you is pure joy. We love watching you grow and learn- it's the greatest and most sacred gift we've been given. On the day you were born, we sat quietly and watched you.We were exhausted, but so full of joy and awe. We felt euphoric. We inspected your fingers and toes, and celebrated every squeak and coo that you made. You were a mystery to us. We didn't know what any of it meant. We did know that we were filled with a divine love for this new little person, and that our lives would never be the same.

When you turned one, we celebrated new things about you. We celebrated your giggles and interests in toys, your crawling, and anticipated your first steps. You were so close! We finally knew what your cries meant and we still delighted in the sounds that you made, especially the ones that were beginning to sound like words! You were still a mystery to us and everything was brand new.

Now you are 2! You tell us what you want and you DO what you want. We're beginning to see so much independence in you and it's all coupled with the loving, caring, helping, spunky Rosie we've known all along. Guess what! You're STILL a mystery to us. You will ALWAYS be a mystery to us because you were created by a perfect God. He knit you together in His image, with mommy's toes and daddy's eyes. You belong to Him, Rosie. We get to love you, but you're His. He's a much better parent than we are, although I promise you that we will ALWAYS do our best. We love you so very much, and jump and cheer for your 2nd year. Happy Birthday, to you.

August 1o, 2007

August 10, 2008

August 11, 2009

....And Now We Are Two!

Happy Birthday, Rosie

Hello Friends! 

It's Rosie! I thought I would give my mommy a break and update the blog for once. Guess what!? I'm 2! I had a great mini-birthday at camp. Joyce Mueller made me an amazing cake complete with pond, froggies, fishies, ducks, flowers, and a little ladybug family that reminded me a lot of my own family. Mommy said it put Chef Duff at Charm City Cakes to shame. I ate a few bites of the green frosting, but mostly shared it with my friends at camp. I got phone calls from my aunts and uncles in Arizona, a phone call from my Papa in Huntington Beach, and a special birthday card from my cousin Lucy who was hanging out with Mimi for the day. Later, I got to take a boat ride for some ice cream with my daddy and mommy. Wrigley even got to come along. I didn't go to bed until 9 and slept in until 8! That's what the big kids do, I guess.

I really liked being one, and am looking forward to being 2. I'm starting to learn my colors, love swinging and running, love playing with my daddy, and love swimming. I'm practicing saying the word, "NO!!" with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. For some reason, my mommy doesn't like this.I am also cuddly and sweet and make my mom and dad's hearts melt. I crack them up when I say, "OH, Man!!"  I love singing and dancing and especially love my family and friends. I love reading and looking at books, and am trying to learn to put the caps back on the pens after I color. I don't have a whole lot of interest in using the potty, even though my mom and day would like me to. I prefer my Dora pants. They work just fine for me. I'm starting to put whole sentences together. This morning my mommy and I saw some baby deer on the lawn. I looked at her and said, "Baby deer eating snack... grass." My mommy was pretty impressed.

I love you all-
Rosie Caroline

Rosie Goes to Camp

We were invited by a cabin to spend the morning at The Nature Center. Rosie and I frequent The Nature Center on a regular basis, but we always take the self guided tour and don't get to touch the animals. We learned about the difference between predator and prey, and then got to play with the rabbit, Guinea pig, rat, turtle, and newt.









Every session, the YSSC staff challenges the campers to try new things and take risks, even if they seem scary. When Axe, The Nature Guy, pulled out Uno, the King Snake and Sherlock, the Gopher Snake, my first instinct was to head for the hills. I DO NOT like snakes. I decided to take a lesson from the 8 year olds seated around me, and take a risk. Guess what!? It was pretty amazing. I wouldn't want to go find a snake in the wild and cuddle with it or anything, but I did walk away feeling like I had learned something.