Recently, Benton and our cousin both came down to Lethbridge for a week so that they could attend EFY. (For those that don't speak Mormon-ese, EFY is a huge week-long youth conference for teenagers.) Benton had a grand old time, especially when he discovered the large amount of young females with whom he could flirt. It was a real joy prying him away when I went to pick him up each night... Somehow, he had to get back home though.

 Then Mum and Dad took us to the Art Gallery! Last time they tried this, I think Clay was like three, and every single painting was of stripes. Thankfully there was a bit more variety this time. And there were free family art programs running!

A sassy little nine year old girl marched up to me today to ask a question.

Currently, I am sprawled out on my living room floor. Why? Because I just finished my first week of my summer job and I am EXHAUSTED.

This summer, I get to work at a summer camp for kids with special needs. Parts of it are kind of challenging, like dealing with meltdowns and paperwork and when your kid mysteriously has an allergic reaction even though they have no allergies. (Seriously. It happened my first day of work.) For the most part though, things are good! The kids are all so different and so much fun. And let's be real, when I get paid pretty good money to sit and colour, it's a pretty stinkin' good deal.

So. Now that week one of camp is over, here are a few things I've learned:

1. No matter how much you make the kids run, go for walks, swim, play flag football, climb the playground, etc. they will still have the same amount of energy afterwards. And you, sadly, will not. Take today for instance. This morning, we went for our daily walk. Then we came back and the child I work with wanted to do the game, so we went over to field and played flag football and belly tag for what seemed like forever. Then after we got back I played catch and tag with him inside. Then we walked all the way from the church over to the nearest pool. And then we swam for 2 hours. And then we walked back to the church. The kids were not affected WHATSOEVER. Some even went so far as to demand piggybacks from the leaders and start up another giant game of catch when we returned! Hence why I am lying down on the floor right now. I don't think I've been this tired before in my entire life.

2. Always assume you will get wet. ALWAYS.

3. There are never enough red or black crayons and markers in the bucket. And children will become frustrated when you can't provide good enough reasons why.

4. You need to have the following necessities on hand at all times: a towel, a full change of clothes, bandaids, anti-itch cream, sunscreen, bugspray, a watch, water, extra socks, extra ponytail holders for little girls who forget, things to use for bribery purposes, stickers, plastic grocery bags, a water gun (just in case), good running shoes because you WILL be running, a pen and paper, things you can whip out on a whim with which to entertain children, and air conditioning in your car for when you drive home.

5. Never do your hair in the morning. Please refer to number 2. The other day I woke up early with extra time, so I decided to actually make my head look presentable. And when I finished, it was so super cute that I nearly resembled a Disney Princess. Okay, not really... but come on, who ACTUALLY has hair like that? And then I went to camp. And then we played a gamed called Drip, Drip, Drop. Same concept as Duck, Duck, Goose, except you hold a wet sponge over everyone's heads and wring it out when you pick someone. Awesome...

6. Even if nothing is going right, the kids still have fun.

7. I CAN actually get a tan!

8. Little successes are still successes. Take 'em when you can get them.

9. Children with special needs are probably the most accepting people I've ever met. Generally, there is no judgment. Sometimes they might ask questions if someone looks or acts different, but it doesn't really affect how they treat them. We have this unspoken rule at camp that when someone does something well or tries really hard everyone cheers them on. Today during football, we were nearing the end of the game, and this one boy had ZERO idea what was really going on, but he just loved to have the ball and run. As the last touchdown was scored, one of the leaders was about to call everyone in when someone cried, "Wait! Let him score a touchdown!" And then everyone cheered as that boy ran the ball all the way across the field. Ooh! I have another story! I was just about to leave to go home, when one of the staff came on the microphone and asked everyone in the gym to sit down because one of the girl's wanted to perform a dance for everyone. So we did. And this hilarious girl with Down Syndrome shimmied and flipped her hair to a One Direction song. Much like any other preteen girl in the world would have. The applause was ecstatic, and everyone showered her with praise afterwards. It's such a sweet atmosphere to be in.

10. Even though I'm now basically in a relationship with showers and my bed, I do really love going to work.

 Since Canada Day was on the weekend, we got the Monday off! And off we went to Waterton!