From the time Lyla was diagnosed, we heard about diabetes camp and how amazing it is. For Lyla’s age group, they do a family camp for three days over a weekend. Initially I was going to do it and then started to have second thoughts as the summer progressed and I imagined how difficult it would be to camp with two babies. About a week before the last family camp, we got a postcard in the mail saying we could sign up for Saturday only of the family camp week. Greg and I talked about it and decided it might be a good thing for us to do.
As the day approached, I started to have some serious second-thoughts about it. The camp activities were scheduled from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and were in Ogden canyon. I started realizing that it would take us nearly two hours to get there and two hours home. The kids would probably be hellions and it would take a tremendous amount of planning. I had everything packed the night before and still was asking Greg if we really should go. The sign up fee was only about $30, so I didn’t feel like we’d be out that much if we decided not to go. Greg kept insisting, so I complied.
The day started early. We were out of the house by about 7 or 7:30. The first directions we had were wrong and it took us much longer to find the campsite than we had planned. We finally got there around 9:30. Immediately an older woman came up to us and tried to take the kids so we could go to the parents class that was being held. Surprisingly, Nick went with her. Lyla had fallen asleep in the car and wasn’t happy. I finally decided we needed to check her blood sugar and suggested that we run to the car and get her kit. The camp volunteers quickly told me they had supplies right there and could check her. They were great with her. The kids were working on crafts and playing on a playground. Lyla would have none of it, so we decided to take her with us to class. She was noisy, though, so Greg went back and did crafts with her. She loved the crafts.
The day was absolutely wonderful. We had several class sessions with parents, had lunch on a beach and were able to play on the beach for a couple of hours, and then the kids had a carnival that night. Even better, we were able to meet other families who have young diabetics. We really saw what a pump looks like and how the parents manage it on young children. All of the teenage volunteers were diabetics and it was good to see so many happy, healthy diabetic children. The kids warmed up to everyone pretty quickly and really enjoyed the time there. It was kind of an odd, but nice, experience for us to allow strangers to watch our children. We so rarely get away anymore, that it was nice to have someone else with them for a while.
Here is Lyla with Amanda, one of the kids’ favorite camp counselors:
A family shot before we left:
We got home after 11. Luckily both kids were asleep before we got out of the canyon. It was a long day, but definitely worthwhile. The next morning, everyone was sleepy and tired:
