Ed'Venture Camp Finale

Today was the last day of camp for Madie and Noah.  It's been a great week!!

They got their t-shirts and got to wear them today for the last day.  Look at my 3 awesome kids!

We were going to meet up with Madie and Noah for lunch, before getting to the their end-of-the-week presentation in the gym, so Livie and I had nearly 3 hours to kill.  We did some shopping at Kohls (and got some great deals!), then headed to the mall where she decided to ride this bull and play in the playyard there.

We finally were able to head back to the college and have lunch with them.

Madie was so excited, because her group had just caught the bad guy!  She even got to walk away with this fingerprint from the crime scene. :-)

After lunch, all the campers headed to the gym.  The main building is under construction, so the auditorium where they usually do their presentation was unavailable (aka - torn totally apart for the construction), so we met in the gym instead.  I swear, the older I get, the less I enjoy sitting on bleachers for long periods of time.  Ugh!

They called up each group and got to hear about what they did that week at camp.

Madie said the thing she liked the best was "getting the fingerprints and DEFINITELY catching the bad guy!"

Noah's group always went up and talked about what they did.



Noah didn't mention his favorite part.  Instead he talked about the poster he made.  He was very descriptive. :-)  Another great year at camp!

FISH!

Look what Noah caught today?!  His very first cast ever and within seconds he caught his very first fish!  First in his class to catch one today.  He was SOOOO excited!  I swear, hearing him talk about fishing today and seeing his excitement about it all made me sad that his Great-Grandpa Quillen wasn't here to see him.  I know that if he was still here, he and Pete would've taken him out many, many times by now in that bright red fishing boat of his and that they would have the best adventures together.  We named Noah after Pete's grandpa (Paul) and, because of that, it makes me think of what a special bond they would've shared, especially knowing what a special bond he and Pete shared.  So, this has been such a fun time for Noah, but at the same time, it's made me think a lot about Pete's grandpa and how he must've been looking down from Heaven today with a HUGE smile on his face when Noah reeled in his first "big" catch!

A Little Fishin' and Buildin'



Yesterday, Madie and Noah began their week-long adventure at Ed'Venture Camp at our local (well, kind of local) community college.  Madie's been going here for 3-4 yrs now and always loved it.  This is Noah's first year and, so far, it's been a hit!  It's called "Ed'Venture", because it focuses on education - but FUN stuff, not stuff like math or anything.  They get to pick out a "major" and then 3 "minors" for the week, just like they would at college.  Madie's major this week is CSI, so she's been using luminol to make blood glow, and finding fingerprints and stuff like that.  She said it was pretty gross today, because there was blood everywhere, but she's been enjoying it a lot.  Noah's major has been fishing.  He's never been fishing before, but anyone who knows Pete, knows that it's in his genes to like it!  He took my old pole and learned out to cast a line.  Today they made lures and got to check out a couple types of worms and leeches.  He said they had to cast their line and try and make their lure land on a paper plate.  Out of all the kids, he was the only one who did it!!  He said, "Guess it's in my genes or something."  I told him he has his Great-Grandpa Quillen's name, so he must have inherited his Great-Grandpa Quillen's fishing ability. :-)  Tomorrow, they go on a fishing trip to a nearby Lock.

As far as their minors, they each have picked different ones (with the exception of tomorrow's, which they'll have together).  Madie had printmaking yesterday and got to meet and learn about different animals.  Noah got to see Native American weapons and tools and then built a birdhouse and a bird today in woodshop.  Didn't he do a great job?!



This is the fishing lure he made today.  They have had the BEST time and the fun isn't over yet!  They have until Thursday, when we will join them for a presentation that afternoon for the end of their week.  It's a really great camp and I'm really glad they've been able to go.  When I first called the camp and wanted to sign up the kids, I told them that Noah was diabetic.  They got nervous, because they don't have a nurse on staff, but they worked with me and we knew that this would be a great way to test his ability to do his stuff all on his own, without a parent or nurse nearby.  I sent my cell phone with him, in case he needed to call me, but he's been doing a GREAT job!  He's been using the calculator on my phone to figure out his doses and it's all been terrific!  Really proud of him.  Yet another milestone he's passed with flying colors. 

Hope to post more on Thursday at the end of their camp, but wanted to share what they have been doing so far and show you Noah's cool projects!  Too bad Madie hasn't had any to bring home, but what do you bring home for CSI Camp?  A dead body? ;-)

VBS Rocks!

We just had another great year at VBS!  Since our church doesn't have VBS anymore, we go to First Baptist Church here in town, where our friend Quentin preaches.  We did "Avalache Ranch" and the kids had a ball!  Everyone was invited to come tonight, so Pete got to come and see what they were doing all week.  Since I've been helping as a leader of one of the groups, I got to just sit back and enjoy watching the kids do their thing.  It was lots of fun!

When we first got there, we decided we needed to take a couple pictures.  What VBS picture would be complete without weapons and crazy faces? ;-)

Livie, Madie, and some of their girlfriends.  They had a best time with them this week!

Here are Noah and his buds.  Again, they all had a great time together! 

They started the program by reviewing our Bible Points and Memory Verses this week.  Madie got to help hold our last verse by Miss Val.

Then each group got up front and sang a song.  This was my group.  Madie and Noah were in it with me.  They did a great job on the song and motions!

This was Livie's group.  She was so excited to perform!  She did a great job too.

I had to get a shot from the back of the church, so you could see all the kids lifting their hands in praise.  It was a beautiful thing!  My friend Patty, Quentin's wife, was the song leader.  She did a terrific job!

All three kids had yet another great year here.  We've been here 4 yrs now and have never been disappointed by its awesomeness!

After the program ended, there was a pizza party.  Noah doesn't like pizza or large, loud crowds, so he went home with Pete, while I stayed with the girls.  Here's another picture of the girls with some friends.  Girl Power!



Livie is such a cutie and somehow manages to sweet talk her way into getting people to do things for her.  She somehow convinced her friends to carry her around, pretending she was the Queen and they were her servants.  They carried her around the church and out to the parking lot and all the way to the van!  Boy, has she got it figured out or what?!  Great times this week, despite the awful, hot, yucky weather.  And, most importantly, they got to learn even more about God and His greatness!

Hooray!

I mentioned in my post below that the kids have had VBS all week.  I've been a leader all week, but took today off from my "duties" to go on a date with my husband.  Gasp!  Yes!  That's right.  A DATE WITH MY HUSBAND!   That's why I'm giving you two thumbs up in this picture.  With the exception of our quick sneak-out-of-the-house-while-the-kids-are-sleeping-and-nana-is-watching-them movie date, this is the first actual date we've had since well before Noah was diagnosed in Jan. '11.  It was much, much needed.  We needed a chance to have some time alone, even if it only fit into the 2 1/2 hr window of VBS.  And, heck, I was so giddy, I actually wore make-up!  Yep, that's right.  I got fancy!!  A group of dear friends of ours gifted us with a gift card as a thank you for our work with Sunday School to a place called Monty's.  It's a fabulous restaurant and the last date we took locally - about 3-4 yrs ago - was at this same place.  So, yeah for us for getting some adult time together!  We enjoyed a great meal, stuffed ourselves to the point of puking, did a little shopping, and picked up the kids.  It was a perfect date. :-)  YAY!

Rollerskating!

Today's post is a blast from the past!  Past WEEK that is.  I am behind in my updates.  This week is VBS and before I can post any pictures from that, I need to post pictures from their Rollerskating Camp from last week!

Last week the kids had a great time in Rollerskating Camp.  They did this last year or the year before and loved it.  Figured they'd enjoy another go at it, so they got to go all week - first Livie would go for an hour and then the other two would go for an hour.  You can see how excited Livie was to skate each day!

On the last day they even got t-shirts. It was super-hot in there all week, because it wasn't air-conditioned (ugh), but that didn't stop them at all. 

While we would wait for Livie to finish her hour, the kids would find things to do.  Noah would read books or play with his DS.  His buddy Grant would play on Livie's DS and was pretty excited to do that, since he doesn't have one of his own yet.  Grant was in my 3s class this year and I'm really good friends with his mom.  It was fun to see him and his sister there each day. :-)

Here's Livie again - a skating rock star!

Madie and Noah had a much smaller group for their ages.  They had lots of fun too and were pretty fast by the end of the week.  They're so funny about their skating too.  They each skate like their personality.  Madie concentrates and takes her time.  Noah skates like he's Jack Sparrow and goes as fast as he can, with his arms flapping and teetering all over.  It's hilarious!

Two hot, but happy kids enjoying yet another fun summer camp.  Next week starts Ed'Venture Camp Week!  They can't wait!  Let the Summer of Camps continue!!!!!!!!!!

Home of Lincoln





On our way home on Thursday, we decided to stop by Abe Lincoln's birthplace.  It was just 10 miles off the interstate, so we just had to stop by.  I later regretted this decision, because it took enough time that, with another delay at suppertime, we didn't get home to almost midnight that night, but hey, at least we can say we've been there, right?



The grounds of the park that Lincoln's home was in was absolutely beautiful!  It was actually green and picturesque and with our drought, it was nice to see that something was still green!  We walked on a walkway behind the Visitor's Center that led us to the back of the building his cabin (or reproduction cabin) was held.   Again, keep in mind that we're still filthy, still tired, and now extremely hot again!  The temp that day hovered around 103 degrees!

When we went inside the building, we got to see the reproduction of Lincoln's cabin on, what they believe, was the footprint of the original.  This thing was so tiny!  Maybe the size of our bedroom and this housed his parents, his sister, and then himself - until he was 2. 

When we went back outside, we got to see the view from the front of the building.  Again, just beautiful.  They had trails and stuff, but with our time constraint and the crazy heat, we decided against it. 

This is the building it is housed in.  It was dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt and later christened by Taft.  I thought that was pretty awesome!

Down the stairs from the building was a natural spring.  It is believed that Abe's dad picked this land, because it had such nice soil and this spring.  It was cool down there like the caves, so we headed down to check it out.

Just a small cave with a small waterfall into a pool.  Kinda cool, but after seeing the Caves at the Park, there was really no comparison!

We stopped by the Nancy Lincoln Inn, which is now just a store with collectables in it, but it was a period cabin and very neat inside.



They had a reproduction of the gun that killed Lincoln in there.  I don't know anything at all about guns, but I was really surprised to see how small the gun actually was.  I love history, so anything that can make it more alive for me is worth seeing. 

This place is the home that Lincoln was born in.  They later moved, when he was 2 yrs old, a little farther over in Kentucky.  Only about 10 more miles away from that site, but we didn't visit that one.  I would like to one day visit the home he had in Indiana, since he actually spent the majority of his growing-up years there (14 yrs) and eventually make our way to Springfield and see the Lincoln Museum and such.  But, it was a neat place to visit and, if the weather hadn't been so awful and we weren't trying to get home, we could've really enjoyed a hike through here.

Last Day - the Historical Tour

On our last day together, we planned a tour for 10am.  We thought this would be a good one to end our trip and it absolutely was!

As we loaded up the vans, the kids continued with their exploration of our camp area and kept digging up stuff.  They loved spending their mornings playing like this!

Madie tried something new and began building an A-frame something or other.  She ended up taking sticks and placing them all along that big stick, making a teepee-type thing.  It was really cool!

Had to get a shot of all the cousins, including the babies, this time!  They're not as "fresh" as they were in the first picture, but after 4 days in the wilds (yes, I'm calling them wilds!) of Kentucky with no a/c and no showers, they were definitely in need of some cleaning!

This tour boasted the largest tour crowd yet!  I bet there was nearly 100 people on this one.  We always tried to stay near the back, because our group was so large and had so many kids.  It was disgustingly hot that day, so we couldn't WAIT to get to the cave!  When you walk outside at 7am and the humidity and heat are taking your breath away, you know it's going to be a bad one!  We went in the same opening as we had the short tour on Tuesday and the Star Chamber tour the night before.

When we were in this cave, we took a different route than we had in the other two tours.  We got to see a few of the same things early on though.

Even though we saw some of the same stuff at the beginning, the kids were still really excited to see what was to come!

I mentioned before that there were a lot of slaves that worked in here back in the day.  This is one of the things they made.  They hollowed out tree trunks and made pipes out of them.  Really cool!

One of my very favorite things to see was all the graffiti.  Obviously this isn't something we can do today, but because it's so old, it's now part of the history of the cave.  Seeing names carved from back in the early 1800s is just awesome!  It was by this rock that we switched directions and went into a new part of the cave.  We were about to walk through some of the coolest cave areas ever!

After that rock in the picture I mentioned above, we went down this short, but very narrow and low-ceilinged stairway.  We ended up down here.  The ceiling height from here until we got to the next big room was all very low.  You can see how Pete's head is almost touching.  That was one of the taller areas. 

I loved walking through areas like this!  Open, yet, short and tunnel-like. :-)

This was the last "tall" area for quite a ways.  I think this was the last time Pete stood upright for a good mile!

We entered what was called the "Fat Man's Misery".  We thought it should read "Tall Man's Misery", because Pete couldn't stand up straight through the entire thing.  Heck, even I had to duck in three places.  Me!

It got shorter and shorter.

Then got narrower and narrower.  This was our favorite part though.  So stinkin' awesome!  The sides of the cave had just a narrow part cut out of it and came up to our chests.  It was so cool.  Again, Pete was hunched over in this the whole way.

Eventually it opened back up again and we all raced down to the next room where everyone was waiting to hear the stories of this part of the cave.  A slave was the one to discover it.  There was a place we crossed calling the "Abyss" (I think).  We walked over this grated part and you couldn't see the bottom.  It just totally dropped off into nothing.  This slave took two poles and slid across his belly to the other side where he discovered all of that awesome stuff.  He led people through tours there for years to come.  Deep in this cave is where he found freedom that he didn't have on the solid ground above.  Really, just amazing stories of the men that first discovered these caves.

Once you go down, you have to go back up again.  This was a straight column of stairs up - 150 of them to be exact and after nearly 2 miles and 2 hours, we were tired, but we made it up and tried not to look down.  It was so high at the top!

About halfway up, the kids were all still having a great time - well, except Livie.  She didn't like the height.  Can't say I blame her.

As we got ready to leave, I was able to take this great picture of my brother and his family.



And, once we got out, we asked a gal if she would take our entire family picture.  We were dirty, we were tired, and we were hot, but we had an amazing, hilarious, great time together and I know we're all looking forward to vacationing together again sometime in the future.