Granna to the Rescue

So far, this week has had its ups and downs, but has been significantly better than the first week.  Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the Chandlers since Kristin needed to be extra cautious with the "sickness" at camp and being pregnant.  Mary Kate was sad to see Caleb leave, and still asks to go play with "Cabub" daily.  I've missed having them around, but we know that they made the right decision.  Mary Kate has been a little more like her cute self this week.  We experienced a "first" this week with Mary Kate getting something stuck up her nose.  It turned out to be an airsoft gun pellet.  The nurse got it out with no problem.  Concerning the "sickness", the good news is that no campers have gotten it yet this week.  The bad news is that Joel and a couple of other assigned team folks got it and had to be isolated for a few days.  We think it was a blessing in disguise, giving Joel some much needed rest and some good time with the Lord.  Yesterday, the "ban" on keeping the work crew isolated was lifted, which also meant that they could play and touch our kids.  So, Mary Kate and Ford have been getting an excessive amount of love and attention.  Although, I still get a little antsy with a lot of people touching them. 

This picture gives you a glimpse into Mary Kate's imagination this week.  Her playtime consists of putting on protective gloves and pretending to take people's temperature.  

Granna came to the rescue on Wednesday, and we were all glad to see her.  She has already been tons of help with the kids.  I was glad that she was able to be here for the "Night that Never Ends".  I decided to let MK stay up late to be able to enjoy the Opera and the Carnival, which turned out to be a great decision.  I loved watching her face light up at all of the excitement.  I caught myself just watching her expressions all night long and it brought me so much joy.  I heard God telling me, "This is what I love to do with you.  I delight in watching your face light up at the things that I do for you."  It is always an awesome night to see high school kids let their walls down and experience such a magical night.  I remember going to bed after this night when I was a camper in high school and wondering if that really just happened or was it all a dream because it was so much fun.  I know now that the week just gets better because, tonight, kids get to hear about what Jesus did for them on the cross.

Below are some pictures of Tableau and the carnival.  There's not that many pics of Joel because he was still having to keep some distance from the kids, especially Ford, to keep from getting them sick.



Mary Kate has a fascination with school buses, so she was in heaven when the buses arrived at camp to take the kids on the hike.  Granna took her over to check them out, and she was even able to sit in the driver's seat.

We went and explored St. Elmo today.  It's an old Ghost town that has chipmunks and squirrels all over the place.  Ford was so cute with them.  He kept trying to grab them, but they were a little quicker than he was.  He also kept eating their food.  I had to dig a handful of seeds out of his mouth.

Mary Kate was not a big fan.  She was okay until they started crawling all over her.
After St. Elmo, we picked Joel up and headed to my favorite pizza place over here.  I went 2 whole weeks without pizza, which is a new record for me.  It's been a fun couple of days.  Now that Joel's out of isolation, maybe things will get a little more normal.  I will definitely enjoy having my mom here, not just because of the help, but it's always fun when your family gets to experience camp with you.