Carmel Kidz Camp 2022

 

Monday morning these two left for a super fun week at Carmel Kidz Camp.  Savannah hadn't been since 3rd grade so she was excited to go as a counselor this time!  Preston hadn't been in a super long time too, so he was also excited to head out for a week . . especially since he missed his last sleep-away camp this summer due to Covid. 

These are a few pictures that Savannah shared with me of her different groups this week . . some of her shepherd group and some of her girl's small cabin group.  

Preston's counselor, Mr. Floyd, sent this picture of their small group.

They arrived safely home today and have SO many stories . . . apparently Preston was quite popular with the girls and is quite the hoola hooper too.  Savannah had a very psychotic cabin of girls but still had a fantastic time.  I'm beyond thankful for a church that creates such a unique opportunity for our kiddos.  I feel quite confident they have learned a lot about God's covenants and also made memories that will last a lifetime!

Cooking with Preston

 

When your sister is at work and mom has said NO MORE electronics, it's a prime time for cooking lessons in the kitchen.  Preston whipped up some rice krispee treats all on his own!  I love that he is eager to learn some cooking basics.  He often gets left out of Saturday dinner prep when Savannah and Dave are cooking so he enjoyed his kitchen time today. :)

A Little "Terrible Tuesday" Bribery

 

Terrible Tuesdays are the days that the cleaning crew comes, the recycling comes, and all sheets and towels get changed.  So as you can imagine it's not quite a favorite day for the kiddos. ;)  We needed to be out of the house so I bribed the kids with a trip to Sports connection.  They agreed to let me do a Shipt shop and then we enjoyed some fun and games.  It's always nice to come home to a clean house . . . even though it is a lot of work getting it ready.  Everyone is put on crumb patrol for the day so we can enjoy it as long as possible.

Stone Mountain, GA Adventure

 

It has been on Dave's bucket list for a while now to visit Stone Mountain and see the laser show at night.  SO, we finally made it a reality this weekend!  We had planned to drive down to GA on Saturday but when we realized the park prices were less than half on a Sunday we quickly changed the hotel reservation and drove down Sunday instead.  We met Grammy and Papa for lunch and then headed over to Stone Mountain park.

The moutain and carving were pretty wild to see!  I'm not sure what the kids and I were thinking it would be like, but it was cool to think about the huge piece of granite we were standing on.  We rode to the top, Preston's favorite part, and then our family hiked down.  I'm so thankful it was partly overcast because it was a HOT day for sure.  When we finally made it down, Papa picked us up in the car and we continued our park adventure.

We saw a 4D show, played mini golf, and rode the train (on which we tolerated a terrible show).  Then we said goodbye to Grammy and Papa and headed out for pizza at the hotel.  That's an entirely different story, which made us all super mad, but let's just say we ended up with one free pizza and went to McDonald's for the rest of dinner.

We headed back to the park after dinner and played some cards on the lawn while waiting for the laser show to start.  It was pretty interesting to watch . . . but we all agreed it was TOO long.

We headed back to Charlotte this morning and made it just in time for Preston's cross-fit camp. :)  It was a fast and fun weekend adventure for sure.

Camp Counselor Savannah at Work

 

I went to drop off Preston and Henry at the pool today and we just happened to see one of the best camp counselors at work!!  It was fun to see Savannah in action with the campers.

Almost Back to Normal & AP Scores!!!

Today was back to an almost normal feeling . . . normal crazy that is! :)  The cleaning ladies arrived at 9 and we hit the road with our list of errands and fun to do.  We started with a fresh haircut for Preston (who had been trying to let it grow out but finally gave up with this crazy heat and decided to get it cut), then we stopped at the laundry mat to wash our bathroom rugs and Preston's quilt.  While those were washing we ran to Harris Teeter to grab a few things.  

Next was our Top Golf outing!  A nice change of scenery for this kid who has literally only been to church and bowling in over a week.  Then we hopped over to the outlets to run a few errands/returns and both kids found something new to wear.  We headed home for a quick lunch and then Savannah was off to her new summer camp counselor job.  I did just a few Shipt orders, had a PTA meeting, and then the family reconvened for a smorgas board dinner of leftovers.  AHHH, that sounds about right for our family!  What a great feeling to be back to crazy! One more day of masking for Preston and we'll be all clear . . . 

Also, Savannah was thrilled that her AP scores were finally posted . . two 5s!!!!  Her first college credits are in the books!  So proud of my girl!

Independence Day Fun

 

Although Preston is out of quarantine, he still is required to wear a mask for a few more days . . . so in all efforts of caution, we opted out of the pool today and chose to do family bowling instead!  It was super cheap, inside and cool, and also very fun!  

 

We hit Krispy Kreme for some free donuts before heading home to grill out.  We had homemade macaroni and cheese as a special treat. :) 

Of course, we lit a few sparklers after dark and watched some fireworks over the trees before retreating to bed.  So thankful to live in this country and for all of the many freedoms we have!

COVID Changes Things . .

 

We spent most of last Sunday getting Preston ready for a week-long sleep-away camp with his buddy Ben in the mountains.  I got extra cash from the ATM, bought a nice new portable fan, had everything packed and ready to go Sunday night (because the plan was to leave at 6:30am Monday) . . . and then Monday came.  On Sunday he mentioned that he thought he was getting Savannah's cold, but today he woke up with a headache and sore throat. :( I had gotten up super early to get a run in and when I was getting out of the shower the thought occurred to me that we might need to do a Covid test just to make sure he was okay before sending him to a new camp for a week.  Just as Ben arrived in the driveway to carpool to camp, the test popped up POSITIVE. So I guess this was an unwelcome part of Bible school and a drastic change in plans for the week.  Instead of having the time of his life at camp with Ben, he was stuck in his room all week long.

This picture doesn't even do it justice as to what his room looked like all week.  There were still remnants of the closet clean-out, bags that were packed for camp, laundry, food wrappers, water bottles, and a myriad of other things all over the place.  He was quarantined for the week and I think secretly enjoyed so much screen time.  BUT, now we are in phase two where he just needs to wear a mask for a few more days but is finally out of quarantine.  :)  So I went in yesterday with Lysol and we got things back in order!  We are all ready to move on and still praying everyone else stays well!