Yesterday was my birthday; I turned 29.

“How long have you been 29,” some of you Twilight fans might ask.

“Awhile…,” I might reply.

Megan, my 16 year-old, finds my being 29 more and more disturbing each year as my age at her birth continues to decrease. Ben at 6, however, is less concerned. When asked yesterday how old I was, he replied, “I think… 19.” Which is why he is now my favorite child.

Thank you to everyone who sent cards, called, visited, texted or otherwise wished me well. Special thanks to Shana who even blogged about me! What a sis!

I’m off to enjoy the last year of my twenties… again. I’m sure I’ll get it right this time around.

We knew it was risky when we headed out. Of course, it’s been rainy and overcast for weeks now, so rain in the forecast was nothing new and not unexpected. There was mention of scattered thunderstorms, but hey, a little lightening and thunder only makes camping more exciting, right?

When we got to Black Rock State Park, the skies were definitely cloudy, but it wasn’t raining at all and there were tons of other campers already set up around the campgrounds. We found our spot and got to work. We had a canopy up over the picnic table in no time. The tent was up moments later, and Ben and I climbed in to lay out the sleeping bags.

That’s when the rain started. Good thing we got the tent up, yes? Ben and I listened to the thunder and rain, all comfy and cozy on the sleeping bags while Cliff continued to putter around outside in his rain poncho. I felt a light misting of water on my face and looked around to discover the source. I thought, perhaps a window was unzipped or the entrance wasn’t completely closed. No, it was actually rain misting in through the fabric of the tent. As I realized this, the clouds let loose. Torrential rain poured down. Suddenly every seam in the tent was leaking rivulets of water. I scrambled to gather the sleeping bags into the center of the tent… not that the center was all that much drier than anyplace else. Rain was spraying in from every side.

“Hey Cliff! The tent is leaking!” I hollered.

“Where?” he asked.

“Everywhere!”

Meanwhile Ben was panicking. “Open up the tent! I want to get out!”

“I can’t right now, buddy. It’s even wetter out there than it is in here. It’s okay. Let’s just hold on for a few minutes.”

Just then a gust of wind caught the side of the tent and it bowed in dramatically. Wet fabric stuck to my side. I stuck out a hand to try and keep the tent from collapsing completely. Ben screamed and started crying, completely freaked out. “Let me oooooooouuuuuuuutttttt!!!!!”

Cliff came to the rescue, pulled the boy out and deposited him back in the car. I passed the sopping sleeping backs out one at a time, retrieved my shoes and the boy’s from a puddle in the corner of the tent where they were floating, and then abandoned ship myself.

“Is that hail on the ground?”

“Yup.”

The rain passed soon enough, but it was clear we weren’t going to be spending the night now. Not in a tent that kept us about as dry as a piece of paper towel. Luckily the canopy worked better. We cooked dinner on the camp stove instead of over a camp fire. We ate untoasted marshmallow ’smores. And then we packed it all back up again, tucked our tails between our legs, and went home.

So much for our first family camping expedition. We’ll try again next weekend maybe… in Shana’s backyard.

June is almost over and school only just let out for the summer. Ben and his friends have spent the last couple of days cleaning out their desks, toting home their artwork, and enjoying pizza parties. Last night I asked Ben if he was excited that school was almost over. Today we said goodbye to his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Mancini. As we were getting ready to go she told me that she had enjoyed having Ben in her class.

“He told me today that when he first came to kindergarten he wished he could go back to his preschool teacher, but now he was sad to be leaving my class,” She said.

It’s true, too. Just the other night he told me he was sad school was over because he wouldn’t be in Mrs. Mancini’s class anymore. We’re grateful to her for making his introduction to school a good one. Ben has made huge progress on his reading and writing skills. We’re very proud of our new First Grader.

But now it’s time to enjoy the summer. Camp starts on Monday, and with a bit of luck Ben’s big sister, Meg, will be his camp counselor. We hope they both have a great time… and that the weather improves soon!

School’s out, but the girl hasn’t stopped working. She’s been training for her camp counseling job at the YMCA and lifeguarding whenever she can pick up the hours. She’s also got homework–yup, homework! For several of the AP classes she’ll be taking as a junior she’s got reading and writing assignments that will take her the better part of the summer to complete. No rest for the wicked!

Ben’s gymnastics school held their annual exhibition today. Our boy and his class participated and did an excellent job. At the end of the performance, several awards were handed out for five and seven years of gymnastics and for good sportsmanship. Only one Most Improved in 2009 trophy was awarded… to Ben. We were all surprised and very pleased. Then everyone got their participation metal, and we headed home.

Ben is extremely proud of his accomplishments and we are, too. We’re looking forward to more gymnastics classes in the fall. Who know–our little man might well be the next Bart Conner.

Cartwheels, Etc. Exhibition

We went to the park yesterday with Shana and family. The boys, as usual, were happy to see Meg, and tried vainly to engage her in some play. Meg, however, wasn’t budging. When Hunter wanted to know what she was doing that was sooooo important she couldn’t play, she told him she was doing homework.

Homework? On a weekend? On a Sunday?! At the park, no less?!?!

Young Hunter was appalled, and I don’t blame him. It sucks to have to spend a Sunday afternoon at the park with your nose buried in a biology text. But this is the price you have to pay when you’re as busy and driven as Meg.

So let me fill you in on a few things. You know already that Meg got the job as a camp counselor this year at the Y, right? She’ll be working 8:30 to 4:00 everyday, keeping the little knee-biters entertained. You know she’s also a substitute lifeguard, right? She’s already taken three shifts at the Y, sitting up on one of those high white chairs, twirling her whistle and keeping everyone safe and sound.

Well, on top of that, she got selected for a volunteer program at the hospital. Starting at the end of the month, she’ll spend her Saturday mornings making beds with hospital corners, refilling water pitchers, and working the reception desk. She’ll be rotating through the different wards and departments doing whatever the nurses ask her to do. There are only a few positions for kids her age, and our Meggie got one! The really cool thing about this is (beside all the experience, the opportunities to learn, and the feel-good aspect of it all), she can continue to volunteer through the school year if she wants, and she can apply for a special scholarship her senior year.

While she’s been applying for jobs and earning volunteer spots, Meg has also been maintaining a full social life, competing in swim and track, maintaining a high GPA, carrying a full load of honors classes, and making it onto the Honor Roll for all three marking periods this year. Next year she’s taking AP History, AP English, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish (by special request of her teacher), and Pre-Calculus.

There’s no doubt about it–we’ve got one very hard-working girl!