Vacation #2 - Part 3

We are now home from Camp of the Woods and it was sad to leave.  We had such a great time and were filled physically and spiritually all week long.  There was so much for the kids to do and they certainly didn't want to leave.  Here are some pictures from our last couple of days there.

Wednesday night we had a bonfire with friends which of course included s'mores! 

Dave and I got to go on a canoeing excursion on Thursday.  It was a 4 mile canoe trip that ended with dinner by the river.  It was by far one of my favorite dates.  We hired a baby-sitter at the camp to watch the older ones while our friend watched Jonas.  It was just such a nice quiet time together.   

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  We had to shimmy our way through this little area of rocks.  I just liked the look of it as we went through.   

 

Here we are on our swim break.  No lies, between ziplining on Wednesday, canoeing on Thursday and walking everywhere and anywhere all week long, by Friday morning I was a bit sore...not used to using my canoeing muscles!

Dave got some amazing scenic pictures each day.  This was one of my favorites.

Another scenic picture by daddy! 

Here are the 3 families from Mount Hope that went to COTW.  It was great to spend time together outside of the church walls and we were blessed by each other's company (the ladies even got to go to ladies craft night together!) and they kids LOVED seeing each other each day. 

Hopefully the first of MANY Camp of the Woods family pictures.   This was the coolest tree.  When we went to the museum, you saw many pictures in front of this tree.  Some were of people that went to the camp as kids (and the tree was big then!!!) and then they took the same picture in front of the tree as adults.  It would be neat to take our picture here each time we come.  

Josiah changed his date with me from foosball to the art store.  And I am really glad he did.  He wanted to make an army tank and it had to be sanded first.  It just opened up a great opportunity for us to talk about how sometimes we need to be sanded down so that God can smooth out the rough spots where we needed to better in our attitudes and actions.  Of course, this was in his terms but it was a great conversation and one that we have come back to since we have been home.  We now have a code word: "sandpaper".  

Josiah loves his army tank! 

Good-bye Camp of the Woods...until next time!

I am reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp right now so I couldn't help but think of our trip in terms of gifts so I thought I would share my list.

Gifts from Speculator, NY:

*Individual and quality time with each of my children.

*Sleeping during a thunderstorm (really, a gift anywhere I am)

*A wonderful, quiet and peaceful date with my husband.

*Being fed each day spiritually through worship music and His Word with no obligations to fulfill.  (I love my church but at times it is a blessing to sit and be filled)

*Watching our kids have fun on the beach without a care in the world.

*Sneaking in a late night ice cream cone with my hubby after the kids were fast asleep.

*Not having to do what "has" to be done (laundry, dishes, etc.) so I could do what "should" be done (time with my kids, time with my husband, spending time in the Word, reading).  

Vacation #2 - Part 2

We are having a great time at Camp of the Woods.  The kids are particularly enjoying the mini-golf (yes, they have been AT LEAST a dozen times by now...God bless Dave as he takes them every time!), the sports complex and of course dessert with lunch AND dinner.  They are going to bed late but are out in 5 minutes when they hit the pillow.  Jonas, not so much.  He has been up most nights but he is an absolute angel during all our adventures throughout the day.
Here's what has been happening since I posted last.

This week I wanted to take each child on a date to spend some quality time with each of them.  Caleb chose to go read together somewhere.  He chose this little garden/fountain area to read.   It was such a special time  and I really enjoyed spending it with them.  

My little man taking me on a reading date.

My little knight, Patriots player and my "girl" knight.  She simply went with a sword and shield.

Brody and Caleb in the costume parade.   At the end of the parade was the Carnival!

Hannah headed straight for the face painting. 

 

Even Jonas got in on the face paint action with a little football.

Caleb waited a long time in line to get in on this gladiator action! 

The kids with their friends in the little canoe. 

Hannah chose to go to the arts/crafts shop for her date.  She painted this little canoe.  I have one date left with Josiah and he is caught between playing foosball or going doing a craft.

There I am on zipline!  It was a bit scary as I climbed the tree but riding on the zipline was a blast!

Vacation #2 - Part 1

You go on vacation, you do lots of things, you take lots of pictures and then it's just too overwhelming to choose what to post!  So this time around...I am posting as we go!  As I update this blog we are in Speculator, NY (A.K.A. The Boonies!).  We are at Camp of the Woods which is a family camp about 5 hours from us.  Friends have been asking us to go and this year was the year we could go.  We got here yesterday and are already having such a great time.  There is SO MUCH to do!  The kids absolutely love it here.  And not only is there fun stuff but the purpose of Camp of the Woods is to bring families together while keeping a focus on Christ.  So there are chapels and seminars that you can attend if you choose.  There are kids programs and teen programs planned during the week and meals provided everyday.  That's right ladies...no cooking or dishes for a week!!  The camp is located on Lake Pleasant.  There are all kinds of lodging choices.  We are in basically a 2 bedroom hotel.  So no, this is not camping like you would imagine or even like we are used to.  No tent, no campfire (although some people do have firepits...we could smell the marshmellows tonight!).   Yesterday we basically just got to know the grounds and hung out in the amazing sports complex (which by the way, has the actual 1986 NBA All-Star hardware floor in it...Dave got to play on it yesterday).  
Today we went to church in the morning while the kids went to their programs,  hung out at the beach, played mini-golf and the boys got to do the indoor rock climbing wall.
Anyway, I digress from my Camp of the Woods commercial (serisously, they are not paying me to write this post!) to show you some pictures. 

The view from the porch outside our room.  It's so pretty in the morning and at sunset. 

See, we are close to nature this week.  I personally had never seen a salamander before. 

I just love this picture of Caleb walking the beach...just a boy and his board. 

This is how Hannah chose to transport her boogie board to and from the beach.  Our room is in that building that you see you in the background.

The boys were so happy to reach the top and when they did Josiah got to honk the horn and Caleb got to ring the bell.  They thought that was cool.  

And this is what they climbed.  You can see them at the top.

So that's the fun we have had so far!  We are planning on a boat trip to tour the Lake and I am hoping to Zipline sometime this week.  I will be sure to post that one!

Happy Birthday

I can hardly believe my little man is 7 years old.  Where does the time go????  Caleb wanted a Lego birthday party.  A few friends couldn't come but he had a fun day nonetheless.  It was a tougher party to plan because really it is just a lot of building!  But you know me, I love planning these parties and I try to make as fun as possible.  I think all the kids had a good time.

Daddy wanted to try his hand at the cake and I think he did an AMAZING job!  The connectors are all marshmellows cut in half.  I was so proud of him! 

One of the games was called "Team Building".  Each of the boys had to have an idea in their mind of what they wanted to build but couldn't tell anyone else and they would take turns adding pieces.  Once it was done, each one said what they were trying to build.  So this is the result of the boys apartment-castle-skyscraper-house...don't you see it????

Working on breaking the Lego pinata.   

Still can't believe it...7! 

This was his invitation.  It was my first experience working the "paint" program but it finally came out pretty cute!