Can we talk about "camp dads"?

Which ones are daughters and which ones are dads? Hard to tell with the hats and dresses but I'm pretty sure the facial hair gives it away! This is the second year that some of these guys have dressed up for the talent show because their girls asked them. Talk about a dedicated group of men.

Guess who? I'd hate to give it away BUT I will tell you there's yellow tape over his nipple because Luca promptly came down the stairs and said "I see your nipple"... nipple covered= problem solved!

Who's this stud? None other than my handsome husband! I about died when I saw him! I came down the stairs to ask him to go with me to take a family picture on the beach... needless to say that didn't happen. He also said he was glad he's not a woman because the dress is itchy. Too bad that's the least of my worries as a woman! Let's give him some boobs, some stretch marks, 9 months pregnant, and some heels and see how he does :) I'm kidding... kind of!

Can we talk about these lovely parents of TRIPLETS? Dad is a military cop. Mom is a badass, homeschooling, military wife with triplets with all different needs. He put the boobs in his dress on his own. I bet Erin is glad he belongs to her :) 

In all seriousness, I meet with these dad's in the parents group. They share intimate details of their lives and challenges they face, fears they face and the way they handle situations that challenge them with their kids. These dads are incredible. I wish I had a picture of ALL of the amazing dads at camp. Idaho camp has some killer dads that are super involved with their children. Another dad comes to mind that has a teen, he's a strong guy who is attempting to instill a strong dose of confidence in his kid. 

These guys are completely incredible. They share moments at camp with each other and the other families. Watching their bonds form stronger each day and each year continues to make me proud to know them all. 

At the end of camp, I'm reminded how blessed I am to have this man by my side. Thirteen years ago, our journey together started, in a car across the country. Thirteen years ago, I had no idea that we would be here today sharing this life together. After less than a year of dating, I knew that I wanted him to be my husband. Today and every day for the rest of my life, I will love this man to the depths of my heart and soul. I'm glad he's on my team to parent our babies. I'm glad I get to share Camp No Limits with him. Here's the thing, some times I take for granted that we have each other. In the last year especially, I'm reminded why we picked each other. Together we can work through anything and come out stronger together. I'm beyond lucky to have such a strong man by my side! 

Day one CNL Idaho!

When Mel said “it’s so rustric” she was SO right! Which is part of what draws us to this location. The little cabins, the rocky beach, the staff at the location, the boat rides, tubing, learning to swim, kayaking, hiking, the deck at Wells, the docks, the arch area… the snakes. Yep, I said it, this year I saw TWO snakes and thought that we might never come back to Camp Cross. I’m kidding, kind of. Snakes are NOT my friends.

You fly into Spokane and then make the trek over to Camp Cross, which is a little over an hour away. We rent a car. It would be a long Uber ride and honestly it just doesn’t seem realistic with the 5 of us and all of our luggage. It's really a pretty drive, so much lush green, mountains, sunshine. I was really soaking it up this time. 

This year we stopped at this little hole in the wall cheesesteak place that we found on my phone. It got great reviews so we opted to give it a shot. It was the best cheesesteak I've ever eaten and this girl loves her cheesesteak! Though with recent changes to my diet, I haven't had one in SO long. Maybe that's another reason I really loved it. Ryan and I both got different ones and loved them. The kids got cold cut sandwiches, lame! However after a long travel day, we started at 330 am, we opted to just let it be. Boy did they miss out! 

The first afternoon at camp is a lot of reuniting with old friends and making new friends. There’s no quicker place to make friends than right at camp! I can’t even explain how quickly friendships are formed or how they build over the years and through miles across the country. This picture is of "old friends" reuniting, or more like, the little girls sucked Keegan into kayaking the minute the waterfront was open!

These strangers become family by the end of the 3 ½ days. You come to know information that may not be shared with others. You hear about their story, the way their child’s limb difference occurred, their feelings behind finding out, the difficult experiences they’ve been through, the accomplishments, the fears, the way others react, how they advocate for their child…. The list goes on. I told my nursing students that I wish they could learn from the way these parents advocate for their children. I'm almost amazed when I leave camp at how sad I am to say good-bye. The photo below is new friends that were made instantly!

Due to our travel, we arrived right before waterfront activities. Lots of bonding occurs on that rocky shore, among kids, among adults, among volunteers and families... it's endless, honestly. Watching the kids go from barely knowing some of the campers to swimming together, jumping in the water holding hands, kayaking, canoeing, building rock forms and this year painting rocks!

I didn't get many pictures of "Rubber Pig Baseball" but I did happen to grab a couple. I'm not sure why it's called rubber pig baseball considering I only ever saw a rubber chicken! Either way, it was a blast.Fun was had by all! 

 We finished the night with S'mores by the campfire. The fire happens RIGHT on the rocky shore overlooking the water. It's so relaxing and refreshing.

I think everyone really likes the S'Mores considering my kids
kept asking if they could have more! The great thing is that we all come together again and teamwork makes the dream work. The volunteers, teens and adults just  all pitch in to help with all of the kids. It literally is a village of people that cares about you and your family. There's not a better reminder than the first day back at Camp No Limits!

Our people

How do you sum up a life-changing four-day event? I’m not sure there are even words that can fully describe the emotions that I feel. Every year we leave Camp No Limits with new friends and closer bonds to our old friends. Who knew it was possible to love people after only knowing them for four short days?  I can tell you that I know, I’ve experienced it, year after year when we attend CNL. It’s life-changing each and every time.

This was our second year at Camp No Limits Idaho. The location is breath taking. Those of you who have read about it before on the blog already know. Those of you who haven’t, let me share again. You arrive to a dock on the lake. You unload your stuff onto a boat and then take a short boat ride across the lake where you stay for the next four days. It’s rustic and perfect.

To be honest, I could spend anywhere with these people. We’ve been to Florida Camp No Limits, Maine Camp No Limits and Idaho Camp No Limits… there’s many other locations that we haven’t even explored. It’s not about the location. It’s about the people.  These people are unlike any others that you’ll meet. You go from complete strangers to know some very intimate details of their lives in such a short time. Dawson (one of the teen campers) hit the nail on the head when he said “these are my people”.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to share some highlights of our trip and OUR PEOPLE!

Camp No Limits- The last full day

The morning ran the same, breakfast, energizers, OT/PT, life skills and sibling groups, lunch then peer support groups. During OT Bella got to try some other prosthetics, which was really fun AND she got to test out the i-limb. Can I mention that the i-limb costs $90,000?! Holy batman. It was really interesting to watch all of the upper limb difference kids try it. Bella was able to trigger it perfectly to get the hand to open and close... to which her response was "This will be my next hand!". Lord help me! I know there are grants and other programs that make this sort of thing possible. If she continues to use her sports arm, then we may pursue something more.

(Hungry hungry hippos, human style!)

Next up, slip and slide. This was insanely fun! Who knew?! We watched campers, staff, volunteers and parents go down. The facial expressions while watching at the bottom were hilarious! I know you are dying to know if I went down it... you bet! I mean it's not every day that theres a slip and slide that's big enough for an adult. Ryan didn't go down it. Loser :) I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid for my life while I went down. I did slide off the end and into the grass. It was quite fun and the kids are sure to agree.

Water front activities were next. We found out that Camp Cross doesn't have a provision in their contract for stand up paddle boards which meant that an adult had to be on the paddle boards when someone that was under 18 was using one. Bummer for the kids because they really enjoyed it. Next year, Mel talked about building this into our Camp No Limits programming. However, if you know someone in the Idaho/Wisconsin area that would come to Camp Cross and do adaptive sports, we could have a whole day of adaptive water front activities! Please connect them with me if you do! Email me

The last night is always a slide show, talent show, and dance. Honestly, I want to cry every time I see the slide show. There are so many moments that other people capture of my kids or other kids that make my heart melt. Watching ALL of the kids at camp grow in just a few short days is worth every penny. They make tremendous growth in activities of daily living, being more effective with or without prosthetics, running, walking, buttoning, pony tails, shoe tying... most of all, the amount of confidence they gain in this time is worth a million dollars.

The talent show... oh dear Lord where do I begin... with this I will share one photo before I tell more.

Please tell me that you didn't laugh? I about died a million deaths! What good sports these guys were! 

Shine's hair shop was a big success. The "customers" left with lip STAIN, moles, mascara and who knows what else. The best part of the talent show is seeing the kids have SO much confidence to present something that they are proud of or be creative. I love it! Not to mention, I loved that Ryan was willing to put on a dress, witches hat, wig and feather boa all for his daughter. I got a good one!

They finish the night up with a dance. By this point, Bella was exhausted. She's our girl that has no problem saying when she's ready for bed. About 45 minutes into the dance, she asked to go to bed! It was fun seeing all the kids just let loose and dance around. Even parents and volunteers got in on the action. Truly no judgement, which is the best part of the whole thing! 

Camp No Limits- Day Two

I swear, each day of Camp No Limits gets better. You never want it to end. What's not to love? There are tons of new friends, some old friends, kayaking, paddle boarding, eating, crafts, games, swimming, exploring, learning, endless support... Yep, every single minute I love.

Each morning starts the same at camp. Breakfast around 8 am for about an hour then energizers. Energizers are energizing! You dance and laugh to start the day, do some core work, do some stretching, seriously we should start every day like this. It always brings a smile to your face.

After energizers, we break into groups. PT, OT, and sibling groups are the first groups of the day. Usually the upper extremity groups works on some life skills, like shoe tying, braids, pony tails, buttons, zippers, socks... I know the lower extremity groups work on running but I'm not sure what else since I'm usually hanging with Bella in the upper extremity group. This year at camp, Bella taught a girl, J., a tad bit older that has two hands, how to tie a shoe with one hand. J was more than attentive and really interested in Bella teaching her. It was so sweet to watch them both. Bella's passion about teaching and sharing how she does things. J focusing and determined to learn while being kind and warm to Bella.

Sibling groups are super fun, just ask our boys! They went kayaking, paddle boarding and who knows what else. I do know that the boys come back and really want to go back with the sibling group. They love every moment of sibling group!

After this is lunch, then peer support group. Again, siblings go off and do one thing. "Campers" like Bella go to a support group that us parents are allowed to attend. Parents go to another support group.  This is super helpful for all parents and it also helps you get to know the other parents. This year, I learned a ton from parent support group about prosthetic costs and such. I feel like every single person in the group is valuable and brings more to the group.

Next up for Idaho Camp No Limits, changing and water front! The waterfront is super rocky. They did say on the website that water shoes would be helpful and I almost laughed outloud. Water shoes and fanny packs go in the same category... seriously people, I'm so glad I bought some. The waterfront is super rocky and would have been pretty painful without water shoes. Mine were super cute too... or not... I mean can water shoes be cute? 

Bella also got one on one swimming lessons from Travis, he's an incredible dude! Bella ran down the hill earlier in the day yelling "Daddy" and it was actually Travis. They both have dark hair, big beards, board shorts and are built similar. She got all the way to him before she realized he wasn't her Dad! I knew from further up the hill but let her get all the way there. It was hilarious! Back to the swim lessons, Travis was a swim instructor for many, many years and he spent a chunk of time really helping Bella. What a great dude! 

Next up, changed, dinner then Human Clue. Apparently it's a Camp No Limits Idaho tradition. It was unforgettable. It was so fun and every single person that was involved had a great time. I didn't take a single picture because we were too busy trying to figure out which person committed the crime, where and with what. Super fun! 

The nights at all the different camps we've attended, ends in a campfire. CNL Idaho was just the same... except Mel melted all the marshmallows together so no one could eat them (JK Mel- we love you). Bella stayed up and we put the boys to bed. The beauty of the end of the night is that there are so many parents you've met that any number of them will watch after Bella so the boys can go to bed. There's also the "bigger" campers, like Sydney, Keagan, Jamie... and a number of others. Off to bed they went and she put some gooey marshmallows together and made a s'more. 

Day two did not disappoint, are you ready for what day three offered? 

Big thanks to all of the volunteers!

A big thank you to all of those that volunteered for Camp No Limits Idaho. Volunteers can truly make or break a camp. They help with occupational therapy, physical therapy, sibling groups, energizers... I mean they help with everything! They take on whatever role they need to in the moment.

Thank you for being adaptable, open minded, compassionate, passionate, caring and kind. Your energy makes all the difference. You all should have seen the volunteers during energizers in the morning, they were all over the place! They danced, they encouraged other campers to dance and siblings too. They created such a great energy at camp for everyone.

As a mother of a camper AND siblings, I appreciate everything you did to help this camp run smoothly. Having the sibling programs makes it possible for me to be part of Bella's therapies and activities. It also allowed me to spend time in parent support group. Missy goes out of her way to have fun activities with the sibling campers! Without all of you, I'm not sure Missy could (or would want to!) handle our two boys in addition to all of the other siblings. Having volunteers helps parents to be more at ease and know that all the siblings are getting plenty of attention AND having plenty of fun! Trust me, the boys had a great time and were telling us all about the activities that you did with them. They truly enjoyed every moment of camp, just as they did in years past!

I enjoyed having you be part of the parent support group as well. As I mother, this year, I learned a tremendous amount about Shriners, insurance and cost of prosthetics. I received support and encouragement from so many parents and volunteers. As a pediatric nursing professor, this also opened my eyes up to life outside of the hospital world. It allows me to see that these kids live full, fulfilled lives with a variety of limb differences and amputations. It allows me to go back and share with my students the things we as nurses should be aware of when dealing with patients and families in these situations. I talked to so many volunteers who said the same thing. I hope this opened your eyes and you'll share this information with your colleagues as well. 

Thank you for pushing our kids. Thank you for lifting them up, for creating trust with them, for encouraging them. Dylan watched Bella use her prosthetic and having him watch her and ask questions meant a lot to her. I only mention that because I was right there when he was there. I know there are a number of you I haven't mentioned by name but that doesn't mean I appreciate you any less. Bella really enjoyed not having me there with her for every moment, Miss Independent. Having volunteers and people other than her parents push her is highly important!

You each really took the time to get to know the campers and talk to them. You created lasting impacts on their lives and our lives. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!

Arriving

The first day at a new Camp No Limits is always exciting but a little nerve wracking too. Did we pack all of the right things? What did we forget (because you know there's something!)? Who will we meet? Will this be the camp that we want to come back to year after year? Will this be like all of the other camps? What will be different from the different locations? How will the families be different? How many volunteers will there be? Will there be a sibling program? Will there be something new? What will Bella master this year? Where will we sleep? What will the food be like? Will there be any downtime? Will we sleep at all? What will it be like without Mary? Will we pick up with old friends just like before? How many new friends will we meet?

It's safe to say the questions that flood my mind are never-ending. It's also safe to say that after four times of attending Camp No Limits in three different locations that it's something I would be heart broken to miss. It's an experience like no other that's virtually impossible to put into words. That's one of the reasons that we've raised funds to send three other families.

Back to arrival day... we arrived late due to driving around the lake for a good hour and a half. Go figure. Not ideal but also not the end of the world. This is by far the most remote camp! You arrive at a dock, use your cell phone to call Camp Cross and they send a pontoon boat over to pick you and your luggage up to transport back to camp. We left our rental car, rode across the lake and took in the amazing views, while watching a bald eagle fly overhead.

Introductions were under way when we arrived and lunch was complete... only we hadn't had lunch! The kitchen was nice enough to be sure we all ate. Bella and  I stayed for introductions, while the boys all ate. Then we swapped. I inhaled because I didn't want to miss anything and Bella flat out refused and ate an apple instead. How dare I even ask her to come away from the group!

Waterfront activities followed. The "beach" is a rock beach. Some sort of water shoes were pretty much a must for most people. There's a swimming area that's deeper at one end as well as a side for water activities, like canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and paddle boating. Grayson tried the stand up paddle board that was donated to Camp No Limits and didn't do too bad! Luca and I kayaked around for a bit, he was a free loader and I did all of the paddling. It was fun though and we chatted about what we saw around us.

Bella tried kayaking with her new sports arm. She was less than thrilled about using it. It's a new tool for her, which creates a challenge. I "made her" try it for about 10 minutes. Yes, tears fell, yes she was NOT happy with me, yes I was the worst mother on the planet. Here's the thing, you don't just get a new tool without a few errors. You try it and try again until you get it right. Yes I "forced her" (her words) to use it. She's not used to using her elbow and shoulder in the motion necessary for kayaking so her prosthetic popped out from the paddle a few times. This pissed her off to say the least! Either way, it's trial and error and she'll have to practice which will help her find a way that this new tool is useful for her.

Then we had a short break to change for dinner. Dinner was decent. I was warned that it was edible and that was about it. Apparently, Camp Cross has upped their game. It wasn't bad. They have family style meals, so there's a bowl of each item at your table. It's free seating. This is where you lose your kid (or at least Bella) because she's already made too many friends to be bothered sitting with her parents.

Next up, a family art project. This was a really cool idea! I brought ours home and can't wait to frame it. It's the perfect addition to our house and a strong example of working together. Way to go Camp No Limits staff for coming up with this one!

Then, campfire and smores! The kids LIVE for smores, it's likely one of their favorite parts of family camping trips. It's no different for Camp No Limits, they know that it's a tradition to have a fire at each location. We opted to put the boys to bed here and the rest of us enjoyed the fire while they slept.

We made some great connections day one. We welcomed some new campers into the Camp No Limits family and we joined the Idaho Camp No Limits family. Friends were made by all... wait until you hear what day two brings!