What I DO at Aspen Grove.... (a post with pictures)

So far I've written a little about my experiences here at Aspen Grove, but today I'll give you a few more details and a couple of pictures.

Most days consist of me doing something like this: 

Multi-tasking: guarding the door, entertaining the kids, finishing a craft,
and smiling for the camera. Not as easy as I make it look!

We sit in a small room and entertain 12-14 kids all day long. Their parents drop them off at 9:30 and we watch them until 4:30, with a lunch break from 12-1:30. Wednesday (hike day) is the worst because there is no lunch break. We feed 12-14 picky children PB&J's and reason with them till they eat half a sandwich. It is always very, very draining, which is annoying because Wednesday night is the only night I don't work and I usually end up sleeping the whole night.

On Tuesday - Thursday I spend at least one hour poolside:

It may not seem like it, but this picture was taken on my worst pool experience yet.
You can't tell from the picture but both those children were crying on my lap and I had another right next to me.
Curses to separation anxiety. Its so hard to listen to "I want my mommy" for an hour straight.

The pool is the most chaotic and crazy thing I've ever done. Some weeks are better than others. The week above was one of the worst. It takes 15-20 minutes to get this kids changed and sun-blocked. We then swim for an hour, most of the hour I spend trying not to get splashed, sifting bugs from the water, consoling crying kids, encouraging the sharing of toys, of course having tons of fun, and most importantly working on my budding tan! After we get them all out it takes 30-40 minutes to dress everyone. So far in the locker room we have lost one pair of underwear, one pair of shoes, and a few socks. Its so crazy in there, and every single child needs help dressing because they are incapable of moving when they are cold. 

Tuesday Night at Aspen Grove is Frontier Night.

For most of the month my station at our Frontier Fair has been roping. Maybe its my cowhand roots (joke), but I'm actually getting pretty good at the roping (seriously). This is a small miracle, because they put me in charge of it randomly and didn't teach me anything about roping. I was so blessed because a couple of retired cowboy, rodeo types came through camp, and from their instruction I was finally able to rope BOTH horns from far away. I actually miss it now that I make snow cones instead, so if you ever need instruction let me know!

And that reading audience is what I hope is a better picture into the bubble I currently call home.