Camps Part 1

Summer started with camps right out of the gate. It prevented the lazy, cranky lull from taking hold and instead put us into an active but relaxed mode. It's been pretty nice so far. The first week Emma headed off for Base Camp which is a service camp for highschoolers. I dropped her off during our Father's Day crab feast with all of her gear at a local church. She spent the week unloading trucks for a food kitchen, clearing inner city lots and goofing off with new friends. She was so tired when she came home at the end of the week that I found her asleep on her floor next to the laundry she was supposed to be putting away. Emma said that she really enjoyed the week and would love to do it again next year. That same week Rachael, Megan and Bridget all had evening swim lessons. We went to the pool together some nights but since we were getting Hanna on a sleeping schedule I frequently stayed back at the house with her and Jim kept an eye on our swimmers. On the days we did all go Hanna loved splashing in the pool.

Bridget with her swim class

The second week of summer the 3 oldest went to girl scout day camp. Our camp angel again picked them up and drove them each day. We had no drama this year and they all wound up with great groups. This camp is in Howard County so most of the campers know each other and my girls do not.  Rachael was in the Program Aid Training (PAT) program so she was in a very large group but really bonded with a lot of girls, who she will probably be working with next year. Emma has been a PA for 2 years and is very comfortable with the regular volunteers. Megan was all smiles, all week. The camp names this year were Pascal for Megan (he's the chameleon from Tangled), Rachael was Seamus Finnigan from Harry Potter and she had a blast doing a costume that included the effect of having had a wand explode in her face. Emma was again Narwhal and reused her impressive horn from the prior year. They are still singing the camp songs. It is a great bonding experience for the 3 of them.

While the big 3 were gone, Bridget had vacation bible school in the afternoons at St. Wills. They really embrace the theme and make a wonderful experience. Bridget was a little worried without sisters but her cousins were there and she came home singing the Kingdom Rock themed songs. They sent home a CD so I was able to sing along. She made crafts, sang and learned bible verses.

It was a great start to the summer.