Thursday, August 11, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Life after Jungle Camp
Since being back from Jungle Camp we have mostly just been hanging around at home or somewhere on campus. We took a week long vacation that was geared towards having fun with the boys...we succeeded. Pictures and details to come. And now we are just getting things ready around the house for the arrival of Logan. It is hard not to expect that he will come soon since both the other boys were early, but it is so unpredictable. Either way whether Logan is early or on time, he will be joining our family very soon! Rylan is anxious to meet him and asks me everyday if he is big enough to come out yet. Here are some recent pictures we took of the boys as well as a pregnancy shot from 36 weeks.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Stories from Jungle Camp- Final Part
During our last week of jungle camp I went on a two day hike while Jeff manned the house with the boys. Before I left I made sure they had fresh baked bread and tortillas to help make some of the meals a bit easier. It is a lot more work out at jungle camp, so I tried to make it as easy as it could be.
As for me, I had a great time on the ladies hike. We hiked a total of 18 km in the Bruce Peninsula. It was really beautiful. The hardest part for me was sleeping on the ground in a tent. The hike was definitely a stretch at 32 weeks in the pregnancy, but I managed to make it to the end. They were not going to allow me to hike at first, but ended up decided to let Jeff and I make the decision ourselves. I am sure glad they let me go!
When I returned from the hike we only had two nights left in jungle camp. On the last night we had a campfire to share what we had learned and just to hang out one last time. It was a good way to end things. We were glad to pack up and move out on Friday morning. It was so nice to be home in our own beds again!
As for me, I had a great time on the ladies hike. We hiked a total of 18 km in the Bruce Peninsula. It was really beautiful. The hardest part for me was sleeping on the ground in a tent. The hike was definitely a stretch at 32 weeks in the pregnancy, but I managed to make it to the end. They were not going to allow me to hike at first, but ended up decided to let Jeff and I make the decision ourselves. I am sure glad they let me go!
When I returned from the hike we only had two nights left in jungle camp. On the last night we had a campfire to share what we had learned and just to hang out one last time. It was a good way to end things. We were glad to pack up and move out on Friday morning. It was so nice to be home in our own beds again!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 4
During the third week of jungle camp most of our time was spent getting our house ready for open house on the weekend. There were still a lot of odds and ends that needed to be taken care of to make our house look as nice as possible. One of the biggest things was making the yard around our house look nice. There was still trash and plastic and other items strewn about. We got that taken care of as well as fixed up anything that had already broken inside our house.
As a collective group we had to go around all of jungle camp and line all the pathways with rocks. This was an afternoon project that was not very fun. It did look nice in the end, but it was so much work. Also since open house was going to take up the entire weekend things like chopping wood and doing laundry had to be done before then. Jeff spent many hours getting enough wood chopped to get us through.
On Friday we celebrated Canada Day, which was a new experience for us. In the morning we divided into two teams and had different sports events. Then we celebrated in the evening with a potluck dinner. The staff made us angel food cake for dessert and surprised us with fresh strawberries and ice cream to go on top! What a treat that was!!! We also got prizes for the Canada Day events in the morning. It turned out to be a lot of fun.
Then it came...open house weekend. Basically all day Saturday and most of Sunday we had random people coming into our house all day long. It was not bad, just slightly overwhelming since we did not know 90% of them. People came even while we were eating lunch and while the boys were napping, there was no stopping them. Most would just walk through your house and maybe ask a question or two, but some would stay for 15-20 minutes asking questions and talking. Quite a few friends from our Sunday group came and that really meant a lot to us. Some of our good friends even brought us lettuce, tomatoes and a bell pepper. We had a delicious salad for a few days which we had not had in several weeks!
As a collective group we had to go around all of jungle camp and line all the pathways with rocks. This was an afternoon project that was not very fun. It did look nice in the end, but it was so much work. Also since open house was going to take up the entire weekend things like chopping wood and doing laundry had to be done before then. Jeff spent many hours getting enough wood chopped to get us through.
On Friday we celebrated Canada Day, which was a new experience for us. In the morning we divided into two teams and had different sports events. Then we celebrated in the evening with a potluck dinner. The staff made us angel food cake for dessert and surprised us with fresh strawberries and ice cream to go on top! What a treat that was!!! We also got prizes for the Canada Day events in the morning. It turned out to be a lot of fun.
Then it came...open house weekend. Basically all day Saturday and most of Sunday we had random people coming into our house all day long. It was not bad, just slightly overwhelming since we did not know 90% of them. People came even while we were eating lunch and while the boys were napping, there was no stopping them. Most would just walk through your house and maybe ask a question or two, but some would stay for 15-20 minutes asking questions and talking. Quite a few friends from our Sunday group came and that really meant a lot to us. Some of our good friends even brought us lettuce, tomatoes and a bell pepper. We had a delicious salad for a few days which we had not had in several weeks!
 |
| Getting ready to start the obstacle course- they won! |
 |
| Finishing the father-kid obstacle course |
 |
| Wearing there new Canada shirts! |
 |
| Baking some bread- yum! |
Friday, July 22, 2011
Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 3
Things seemed to settle down in Jungle Camp the second week. We started to get into a routine and that really helped. One thing that had to be done by the second week was laundry! We had let it pile up for too long, so we bit the bullet and spent the afternoon doing it together. First you have to place the laundry in the agitator (a 50-gallon barrel cut in half). You fill it with soap and water and agitate for 15 minutes. Then you drain and do a rinse for 5 minutes. Jeff was really set on getting everything clean that first time, so we did a second wash and then two rinses. After that we had to hand ring out all the clothes and hang them to dry out on clothes lines. This whole process took us about 4 hours total. It was tiring, but a good workout for Jeff!
The agenda for week 2 also included 3 mandatory days of study. For three consecutive days we were each required to study for 6 hours in the day. In order for us to make this work we had to split the day up to keep the boys occupied. I started each morning between 7 and 8 and studied until 12. Jeff kept the boys out of the house playing in the sandpit or seeing the cows in the nearby pasture. At 12 the boys would all come back for lunch and then naps. During nap time I would finish my 6 hours and Jeff would begin his. Then when nap time was over I would take the boys out until Jeff was done. While we both appreciated the concentrated study time, it was hard with the two boys.
The week ended with a night around the campfire and a game night! We always had fun getting together with our classmates for games and hangout times! Well that pretty much sums up week two.
The agenda for week 2 also included 3 mandatory days of study. For three consecutive days we were each required to study for 6 hours in the day. In order for us to make this work we had to split the day up to keep the boys occupied. I started each morning between 7 and 8 and studied until 12. Jeff kept the boys out of the house playing in the sandpit or seeing the cows in the nearby pasture. At 12 the boys would all come back for lunch and then naps. During nap time I would finish my 6 hours and Jeff would begin his. Then when nap time was over I would take the boys out until Jeff was done. While we both appreciated the concentrated study time, it was hard with the two boys.
The week ended with a night around the campfire and a game night! We always had fun getting together with our classmates for games and hangout times! Well that pretty much sums up week two.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 2
That first week the "big" event was a staff open house on Wednesday. We had to make sure to have our house in order so that staff on campus could come up and walk through our house. We managed to get a table up, curtains in the windows, covers over the cushions, carpet on the floor and some basic organization. We were told before jungle camp started to invite a staff family over for dinner, so we had that to look forward to as well. It was nice to see many of the staff and it also pushed us to get our house in order even quicker.
At the end of the first week we had a chicken kill. A couple donated a chicken for each household and then two people came up to jungle camp to demonstrate how to kill and prepare a chicken. We were not really looking forward to this event, but we had no choice as to whether or not we would participate. Initially we thought each house had to take care of their own chicken, but thankfully they let people who really wanted to do it step up to the challenge while those of us who wanted no part in it could stand back and watch.
For some reason, maybe pregnancy, maybe just the stress of the first week, I could not go near the chicken kill area without bursting into tears. I am not an animal lover, so it was not the fact that chickens were dying. I really can't explain it, but it was a very hard experience for me, one I hope to never repeat.
This basically sums up our first week. Here are a few more pictures from that time:
At the end of the first week we had a chicken kill. A couple donated a chicken for each household and then two people came up to jungle camp to demonstrate how to kill and prepare a chicken. We were not really looking forward to this event, but we had no choice as to whether or not we would participate. Initially we thought each house had to take care of their own chicken, but thankfully they let people who really wanted to do it step up to the challenge while those of us who wanted no part in it could stand back and watch.
For some reason, maybe pregnancy, maybe just the stress of the first week, I could not go near the chicken kill area without bursting into tears. I am not an animal lover, so it was not the fact that chickens were dying. I really can't explain it, but it was a very hard experience for me, one I hope to never repeat.
This basically sums up our first week. Here are a few more pictures from that time:
 |
| These barrels became our non-electrical refrigerator |
 |
| This is what our bed looked like under our mattress |
 |
| Swimming with warm water since it was not very hot out |
 |
| Jeff holding a chicken by the feet |
 |
| We charged our car battery here everyday with solar power |
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Stories from Jungle Camp- Part 1
Well we have officially been set free from our month long isolated adventure known as Jungle Camp! There are a lot of details and stories to tell, but I won't try to do that all in one post. I will put up some photos and tell some of the story over the next few weeks or so.
When we first got up to jungle camp our house was a wreck. The shelves that I had labored over for many hours weaving one at a time we all sagging terribly. As were our counter tops. This meant that all the stuff Jeff had carried up there was barely being held up. What a disappointment that was. Also we did not get to finish everything that needed to be done, so we were scrambling for the first several days to make the house livable. We did not have a table yet to eat on, the shelves had to be fixed, we had no electricity set up yet, we did not have rain flaps (which help keep the house warm at night and protect against rain), we still had dirt floors (later got covered with carpet) and all of our stuff was everywhere. It felt and looked like we were living in a construction site. Our first night of sleep was awful as our bed was sagging in the middle. Also Carsten had a hard night, spending about 2 hours crying for no real reason that we are aware of. This all added up to make for a very overwhelming first few days there. Once we got things set up a bit better we were able to decorate and really make our house a home. Here are some pictures that help sum up our first week of living in jungle camp.
When we first got up to jungle camp our house was a wreck. The shelves that I had labored over for many hours weaving one at a time we all sagging terribly. As were our counter tops. This meant that all the stuff Jeff had carried up there was barely being held up. What a disappointment that was. Also we did not get to finish everything that needed to be done, so we were scrambling for the first several days to make the house livable. We did not have a table yet to eat on, the shelves had to be fixed, we had no electricity set up yet, we did not have rain flaps (which help keep the house warm at night and protect against rain), we still had dirt floors (later got covered with carpet) and all of our stuff was everywhere. It felt and looked like we were living in a construction site. Our first night of sleep was awful as our bed was sagging in the middle. Also Carsten had a hard night, spending about 2 hours crying for no real reason that we are aware of. This all added up to make for a very overwhelming first few days there. Once we got things set up a bit better we were able to decorate and really make our house a home. Here are some pictures that help sum up our first week of living in jungle camp.
 |
| Our porch looking more like a work site |
 |
| Celebrating Jeff's birthday! |
 |
| Finally got carpet to cover the dirt floor |
 |
| Carsten helping to start the morning fire |
 |
| Rylan with two of the many caterpillars he found daily |
 |
| Happy after being able to take my first shower 3 days in! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)