Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Summer Fun

 8/7/2020

Here's a peek into some of what Summer 2020 has held for us. 


We've gone through dozens and dozens of popsicles to beat the heat.





We've made dozens of visits to local parks and playgrounds.



We've gone on hikes and enjoyed beautiful flowers blooming.


We've visited the zoo a time or two and a friend's horses.


We've played in water, pools and sprinklers.


We've had backyard campfires, both to intentionally burn yard debris and also to just relax and enjoy.


We've caught a dozen chipmunks! :-) 


And we've enjoyed a harvest from our garden.



And we've been tuckered out!

In some ways, it's always hard to see summer end. 

In other ways, we're ready for cooler days and a change of pace.

Summer 2020. 

Although it's been different than expected, you've been good to us.

Happy Birthday, America!

7/4/2020


Even though 2020's been a fine how-do-you-do
We're still celebrating the red, white and blue
Happy Birthday to America from our crew!


State Park

6/19/2020


We bought a pass to Indiana State Parks for this year. 


We've already visited a nearby park a handful of times.


On one occasion we enjoyed the waterfront area.


Other times we've just hiked.



The playgrounds are open again - yay!


There are trees for climbing.


And picnic tables. Perfect for pizza supper!


Thankful for state parks being open, for living so close to one, and for God's green earth to enjoy.

Happy Birthday, America!

7/4/2019 


Happy Birthday, America! 

I value my freedom and thank those who purchased it for me!

Family Camp

7/27/2018 


Last week our entire family attended camp together. Having so many little ones, we didn't especially like the idea of traveling far on a big vacation. So instead we chose Life Action Camp, which is just across the state line from where we live.







This camp has a great beach and waterfront area. Many hours were spent swimming and playing in the sand together.



There is also a playground right by the beach, to give the kids another option for play.


There is a spiritual component to the camp. It's for Christians and it's meant to encourage believers in their faith as they return to their normal lives bolder and empowered to engage the culture. This year's theme was Faith Frontier - so many activities reinforced the Wild West theme.



There was an Oregon Trail game to play one afternoon and some neat chalk paintings on display.



This little guy did really well, considering how topsy turvy his life was this week! He was almost always smiling despite the different bed, different food, different surroundings.


One of the best part of the week was Maddy! 
Maddy volunteers at Life Action Camp as a Family Assistant. She was assigned to help our family in almost any way we needed - an extra hand helping with food at mealtimes, extra eyes watching the kids at the beach, helping pull wagons and haul gear (or kids) around the camp. After we put the little kids to bed, Maddy hung out with us and played games (as she was doing here with my oldest daughter). She's a new friend of the family!




There's a crafthouse at camp called The Art Box. Here the boys made marshmallow shooters together, while the rest of us did painting/coloring projects. This was a nice afternoon break from outside activities.



Each family attending camp was given a free 30-minute time slot for boating. Fun times together!



This guy, our 2-year-old, struggled the most. He is naturally anxious and insecure, so the change of surroundings really threw him for a loop. He didn't sleep enough or sleep soundly so by midweek he was struggling to just make it through the day.



Our family stayed in a 1-room cabin. It had a queen bed for us parents and two sets of triple bunks for kids. 3 of our kids used the bunks, while we used the other bunks for storage of our suitcases and gear. We set up 2 playpens for our littlest boys to sleep in. We aimed for a quiet time each afternoon so naps could still happen, though it was rough. We didn't have a bathroom in our cabin, but the bathhouse was just a few feet away from our cabin so it was super convenient.


A lot of time was spent walking around camp. It was a good distance to the lodge for meals and to the waterfront, not to mention up and down some big hills. We were thankful for our jogging stroller for our littlest guy and for our wagon that helped haul the other 2 little ones. We put many miles on those wheels over the course of this week!


Yeah for Family Camp! The kids give it a hearty two thumbs up and are asking us to reserve our spot for summer 2019!

Daughter's Camp

7/26/2018 


Earlier this month my oldest daughter spent a few days at a camp in Michigan with the youth group from our church. Here's a shot of the entire group - quite a big crowd - before they left the church building for camp. 


Here's a few of the kids at camp. They were not allowed to have their cell phones or other gadgets while they were there. That meant no updates or pictures from her during the week. This was harder on me than I was expecting!


 Here is my girl with her cabin group. She came out of her shell a bit and met new friends. And she enjoyed herself so much that she didn't miss us back at home at all! :-)