August was Family Worship at Glen Mar, so the kids got involved. Molly and Leah were joined by Simon to read the scripture one Sunday.
The next Sunday was even better. I got to lead worship with both my daughters. I loved it, and both girls did a great job.
This year was my first year at Manidokan. I had a lot of fun! First our parents dropped us off and we moved into our rooms.
We figured out that the swim test was canceled, so we had to do the swim test the next day. Monday we went to Sawmill Creek and we saw a lot of interesting things.
Finally we had our swim test. Also at store time I got an owl that I named Kirstin.
Then we went to chapel and met characters from different times. Tuesday we went rafting where we bumped into each other a lot.
Then we had chapel again and tried to help the characters fix the time machine, but it didn’t work :( .
Wednesday was our first time eating lunch in the dining hall! Also my parents gave me a care package! We also did field games and then pool games.
Also we did mission night where we did rotations to make us feel like we were in the flood in Puerto Rico. Then we played a game called Fortress (a game that we play at night on a field). Thursday we had the dining hall (at lunch) all to ourselves! Then we did the flying squirrel. It was really fun!
Also we did arts and crafts where I made a leather turtle. Finally there was a talent show! There were a lot of funny and good acts. Friday there was a slip and slide and also a sponge race. I did the slip and slide but not the sponge race. I watched it though. Then we had a little free time in our lodge. Finally our parents came and we sang a few songs and then we left. I had a lot of fun at Manidokan!
Molly’s gone to sleep-away camp at Camp Manidokan for the past couple of years and loved it. Leah’s wanted to go, but she had to get old enough. This year, she was finally old enough to attend a week-long session. So, we signed them both up for the 3rd week of July.
While there were there together, they were in separate groups based on the grade they are entering (Leah was in the 3-4 group, Molly the 5-6 group). They still saw plenty of each other. They’ve both written posts about their experiences, which will show up on the blog here this afternoon. Here they are when we dropped them off. Leah may have been the only first-time camper to show up in a Camp Manidokan shirt (thanks to Molly outgrowing it).
Molly had 9 friends go with her again this year (8 were the same as last year, 1 was a new friend of a friend taking the place of the 1 girls that did not return this year). Jen used her recruiting skills for Leah as well this year, so Leah ended up having 4 friends (from church, school, and playgroup) join her at camp. Impressive given how many kids and parents were reluctant to send kids so young to sleep away camp. Here are pictures of most (but not all, I missed one) of those kids.
Jen and I had fun on our week without kids as well. I’ll write up a bit more about one of our fun activities here soon. The days flew by and before we knew it, it was time to pick them up. We actually drove out that way a bit early so we could stop by a hardwood lumber store in Frederick. Afterward, we had some time to kill, so we stopped at a lovely park to relax for a few final childless moments.
Friends for over 10 years for the big kids, and they always have fun when they are together.
Telestrations is always fun and full of laughter!
Shipwreck VBS. Molly and Simon moved up to VBX (x-treme) this year for rising 6th & 7th grade. They all had a blast!
We bought our house with enough rooms that the girls could have their own rooms, but they chose to share a room with bunk beds. We thought that wouldn’t last very long, but we were wrong. They lasted 5 years together, but finally decided to split. With Molly headed to middle school (with a much earlier wake up time), Leah decided to move out into her own room.
Leah attended a baking camp in June and came home asking to practice. Since Jen is an expert baker, she and Leah made some cupcakes then sent them virtually to Aunt Caroline as a birthday gift.
Leah also baked some banana bread muffins, which are a staple in our house!
Leah brought home her creations from baking camp each day. After a few days, there were lots of uneaten leftovers, so I made myself a sampler platter.
After what seemed like a very long school year (mostly due to snow days slowly chipping away at spring and summer break), the last day of school finally arrived on June 19. Molly and Leah were happy about this.
Oh wait, that’s not the right picture. Here you go.
Molly’s final picture with the sign out front of elementary school.
This year, the elementary school went all out for field day. They made it Ninja Warrior themed, and we love Ninja Warrior. We even went to a Ninja gym back in February to work on our ninja skills.
Jen and I both worked Field Day as we have in previous years. It was a lot of fun. I don’t have a lot of pictures, but here’s one of Leah running the obstacle course.
Leah was a narrator and villager in Beauty and the Beast at school. Jen did a great job making her awesome costume.
Here are a few pictures. You can see more at Flickr.
And here’s the whole show.
Lastly, here’s Leah and her cheering section (not including the man behind the camera).
Jen’s been cutting my hair (with clippers) for almost 20 years, but she decided to expand her capabilities to cut the girls hair as well. She cut both Molly and Leah’s hair (just a slight trim) and did a great job.
