We loved Camp!

It was so refreshing to be out at the Cedarmore camp last week for our Mission Adventure Camp!  John had just finished his last class for the first year of his PhD studies, and then we packed up and were ready for a week away!  The weather was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed our time with the kids, counselors, and parents.  Here's a glimpse of what our week involved:  Above, Clara Anne is fascinated with the landscaping rocks at this climbing wall where we sat one evening to read our current family read-aloud: North!  Or be Eaten by Andrew Peterson.

The other girls sitting with Daddy as he reads and adds in all the fun dramatic voices...

Look at that beautiful sky!  I still appreciate it so much after so many years of smog overseas!

There's my sweet four year old...

One evening the activity was bazooka ball, where you have a gun and get to form teams and shoot each other with soft green balls.  Clara Anne and John had lots of fun!

Chloe, Christin and I watched from the sidelines.

Pretty rough and tough, don't you think?

Every afternoon we enjoyed "canteen" where the girls could have a fun snack...it was fun to introduce them to "Push-Ups," a favorite snack I enjoyed as a kid.  This is in the dining hall.

We went from canteen to the swimming pool!  The afternoons were warm, sunny, and miraculously, not humid!  We had a great time swimming in the outdoor pool  (spiders and waterbugs notwithstanding).

Towards the middle of the week, the girls started to make some friends, even though the girls at camp were older than them.  The sad day came when they wanted to sit with their friends at meals instead of with Mommy and Daddy!

Having fun...

Finding flowers in the Kentucky woods...nobody minds if you pick all the clover you see!

This night there was a relay race that Clara Anne joined in on...spinning around a bat, tossing a frisbee, running with a water balloon balanced on a spoon...all important skills for life, you know!  She loved joining in with the bigger girls.

Camp wouldn't be camp without a camp fire!  How fun to roast marshmallows and make s'mores!

Perfectly golden brown...

And then suddenly we were at the last day.  Worship time...

Signing autographs...

And some final dancing and saying goodbyes.

It really was a wonderful week.  For our family, the timing couldn't have been better.  It was so refreshing, encouraging, and relaxing to be together and out in God's creation after a very busy year of studies.  We loved sharing with the kids about work overseas and had a great time just being there.  I will confess it was really nice not to have to cook for a week!  The beautiful weather was a special blessing, and we all got a few naps in during free time as well.  We pray that the Lord truly used this time for His glory, to encourage and inspire the next generation about doing His work wherever they are!