North Georgia Christian Camp

Camp was a grab bag this summer: Eli signed up to go to NGCC with the kids from FUEL, but had to switch weeks because of his Ohio trip, and he was wait listed for Woodlands, but never got in. Maddux was wait listed for Woodlands and got in at the last minute, and also got to go to NGCC. They love Woodlands a lot, but I think NGCC is their favorite because of the familiarity. They know some of the staff, so much of our church goes there, and they've both been several times.

Maddux had a great time, hanging out with the daughters of our pastor that now work at the camp, swimming as much as possible, and learning all of the songs and dances she could. Eli didn't think he'd know anyone since he wasn't going during the week that his youth group attended, but it turned out that about five other boys from church were in the same boat, so they all ended up bunking together. Eli had SO much fun as well, thoroughly embracing the 'summer camp' spirit this summer.

Eli's Big Trip

Eli received the coolest of invitations this summer: the chance to go to Ohio for a week as a praise band member and junior counselor for a summer camp. Beyond that, he would be traveling with a family from church and a few other kids.

Oh, and by kids I mean teenagers. Full on, 15+, all in high school and college teenagers. (Just as a reminder, Eli is 11.)

There is no real worry here; these teenagers are good kids, kids we've seen grow up and kids Lehr has spent a lot of time with in various capacities at church. But it is a whole week (SEVEN days) where Eli will not be with us, and with no means of communication. The mother traveling with them asked if Eli had a device (he doesn't) because she wanted to warn me that he wouldn't have access to call or text because the service at their camp is spotty at best.

The main job Eli had was to play drums in the worship band with the group of kids that he played with for VBX (most of the same songs too). When he wasn't doing that, he was helping the counselors out. I assume that mainly meant comic relief as the ages of kids attending were 3-5th grade. Hopefully that allowed for the campers to be able to related to Eli better since he is barely older and likely not taller.

Eli had a blast. An absolutely amazing time. He was quick to tell us that his curfew was midnight each night, that the campers had to be in their cabins with their counselors at 10, but he and the band and some others got to stay up later around the campfire and playing basketball and whatnot. I think he could have slept for a week when he returned! So much growing up in such a short time!

Woodlands

Last year, Maddux and Eli attended a new overnight camp that they both loved: Woodlands. The age breakdown worked so that they could attend the same 'week' (4-nights), and even though they obviously bunked in separate parts of the camp, they had many activities together. They both looked forward to this summer's session again.

Unfortunately, Woodlands is a very popular camp and despite my attempts to sign them up the minute registration opened several months ago, they were both placed on the wait-list.

Last week I called the camp to see where Maddux was on the wait-list. No reason to get our hopes up if she was far down it. However, she was #3! That sounded like good news except for the fact that we were less than one week away from the start of camp. I talked to Maddux about the reality of her getting in, but she was very sure she would get in.

Monday morning came and went without a call. With camp arrival slotted for 3-5, not receiving a call by noon meant a no-go, in my mind. I did my best to keep Maddux busy and distracted all afternoon, but she kept asking me if the camp had called. Even when I told her it was too late for them to call, she still held some hope. My girl found a corner to quietly cry in several times that day, not making a big deal about it in front of her family. This absolutely broke my heart, so of course we took her out to her favorite dinner and even had fro-yo afterwards.

As the girls took their bath before bed, I had an email that I needed to send out ASAP. Thank goodness I was working on the computer at that time because a 7:41PM email came in alerting us to TWO open spots at the camp: first responders got it. I emailed back immediately saying Maddux would be there before 10PM.

We threw clothes and bedding in a bag and Lehr and Maddux pulled out of the garage by 8:15. She was beside herself excited! And for good reason, arriving at bedtime assured that she would be there to start the real fun the next morning and for the following 3 1/2 days. She swam, ran, danced, outdoor gamed, sang, zip lined and cheered her way through that camp. She made lots of friends and has many fun memories.

I am so glad she got to go. Her arrival was so telling of who she was: Lehr asked her as they pulled in if she was nervous about walking into a room without knowing anyone. "Nope!" And Lehr said she sauntered right in and said "Hi, everyone!!" before making her bad and climbing in for the night. That girl...I wish I had her confidence!

Sib Camp

Eli and Maddux attended a 36-hour camp this weekend. Camp Sunshine is a great resource for families going through childhood cancer. There are events throughout the year, family camps, and sibling camps. We hope to attend a family camp next fall, since Ruby was unable to attend this year during her treatment. A few weeks ago, Maddux and Eli were signed up to go away for two nights during the sibling camp. This camp is only for siblings (age 7-18) of kids with cancer. The focus is totally on the siblings...giving them time and attention and something fun that is just about them (and not about the hospital or sickness).

I dropped the kids off at the the Camp Sunshine house on Friday night. They rode a charter bus about an hour away to the campsite with other kids from the metro area. Once they arrived (per both Maddux and Eli), the fun started and didn't stop until I picked them up first thing this morning.

Maddux said she and the other six girls in her cabin stayed up late giggling. Perfect. She loved her counselors and she thought it was so cool that she got to pick her activities without any restrictions. She mostly did arts & crafts and fishing, but she dabbled in magic and archery as well. When I picked her up she gave at least two other girls hugs, and waved good-bye to everyone she saw.

Eli said his cabin was allowed to stay up until 11:45 the first night. He opted to play in the gym that whole time: basketball and dodge ball. For his activities, he picked sports, magic and drums. While he had a great time, I didn't see any hugs from him, and I doubt Eli stayed up late giggling. He is super excited about the magic though, and has shown me magic tricks constantly since he got home.

Big Time

When you are in the fifth grade at the big kids' school, you get to go on an overnight trip with your classmates and teachers. For many years now, the destination was Jekyll Island, but after last year's trip, they shut down their school-trip-area for construction. That meant that Eli's class would have to find a new location. Driftwood Beach (right near Jekyll) is where they ended up, and it doesn't seem that anyone was disappointed by that.

The kids had a GREAT time, hiking, walking, even swimming (it was CRAZY warm in Georgia that week) at the beach. They learned a bunch and got a lot of hands-on education on the beaches and surrounding areas. Because of the late booking of the trip, there was not enough space to house Eli's entire 5th grade at the same time, so they did have to split them into two trips. Eli went for the first trip, leaving Monday morning at 5AM and returning on Wednesday at 6PM (thoroughly exhausted, I might add).

While the trip was fun, we did have an issue requiring a phone call home on the second day. Apparently Eli was outside of his cabin (as in outside) at midnight. He was in his PJ's, and he was all alone, knocking to get back in as the door automatically locked when he closed it. He claims not to know how he got out there....likely a case of sleepwalking. While we don't have issues with him randomly sleepwalking at home, he does get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom often enough, and he is not awake when he does that. My only assumption (because Eli is not someone who has shown enough bravery to go outside by himself in the middle of the night, given that he won't go upstairs to shower by himself after dark) is that he got up to use the restroom and being in an unfamiliar place, he ended up outside. Scary, crazy, stressful, but thankfully he woke up before anything happened.

Winshape

Maddux was so disappointed when we realized she was not old enough to go to sleep away camp last year, so this week at Winshape has been a loooong time coming.

Before she went, we got to choose some activities for her to focus on while she was there. Of course there would be swimming and outdoor games and dance parties and bunk shenanigans, but in addition, Maddux chose to learn more about rock climbing, wet'n'wild fun and arts and crafts.

To say she had a good time is an understatement. We all drove up to Young Harris college campus to drop her off: Eli was all eyes, comparing the girls' camp to his camp. Before we left her, he and Ruby dressed up in some props with Maddux to take some pictures.

We brought Maddux up to her dorm room, which she shared with three other girls. We met her main leader, who stayed in the room adjoining Maddux's and another room with three or four girls. They shooed us out rather quickly so they could get the bonding started.

Each night she was gone, I checked the site for photos including Maddux. Every one told a story of fun and smiles. Her leader sent us a postcard raving about Maddux and her ability to be a caregiver to every girl in their group.

When we picked Maddux up at the end of the week, she and a few of the other girls were absolutely inseparable. Moms' numbers were exchanged, as some live in the Atlanta area, and hugs were given freely. I think Maddux has caught the camp bug!

Overnight Weekend

Maddux is attending a 5-night overnight camp at Winshape this year which she is very excited about. As much as our family has enjoyed Winshape day and overnight camps though, they do come with a big price tag. We have been able to allow both kids to go for the last two years because each year we got a 50% discount for first timers. Next year, however, we are exploring other options for them. One of the camps we are interested in is North Georgia Christian Camp. Some of the girls that our kids have gotten to know well through church are on staff there, so it was a no-brainer to have Maddux test-drive it last weekend.

The camp is very bare-bones and affordable. Love. That. Maddux got to go swimming, kayaking, have a camp fire, sleep in a cabin...this camp has all of the things summer camp should contain. She said the counselor that slept in her cabin even had a guitar and played it until they fell asleep each night. And while she didn't use her own Bible much, she came back with some new worship songs and a new verse memorized.

Oh yeah, and of course Maddux had a great time, loved every second, and had no problems being away from us. (If you know her, you understand the 'of course'.) She started out on the top bunk, but moved to the bottom to help comfort a friend who was struggling a little each night. That's another bit of unshocking news to me. This girl loves large.

Away From Home

Eli went to Winshape overnight camp again this year. Last year he did the one-week (5 nights) camp, and he opted to not extend this year, which made me very happy. He and Drew both went the same week, just like last year. They were not in the same bunk, which wasn't a surprise, but they also were not in any of their track choices together. I think this may have made Eli nervous last year, but he was fine with it this time around.

When we dropped Eli off, he settled right in. What a difference a year makes! This year's camp was at a different location, so the boys stayed in dorms instead of cabins. Eli and three other boys shared a small room with bunkbeds, and they shared a bathroom space with four more boys. Their entire squad, Hydro, was on the same floor. This made for cool decorating in their squad colors. Their was also a carpet ball table on each floor for the boys to play in their downtime.

Throughout the five days he was away from us, Eli learned how to make a teepee fire, worshiped at sunset on a hill, learned a handful of new games involving a ball, met new friends, and had an overall awesome time again. He and his bunkmates won the Honor award for their squad because they kept their room the cleanest each day (What?!?!), and Eli was recognized for his squad in his sports track.

My favorite part about the day we went to pick Eli up was when we entered his hall and called his name, he turned around and he and Maddux ran to each other and hugged.

Overnight Camp

Eli just returned from sleep-away camp.

Let me say that again:

Eli just returned from being away from us for a week, living in a cabin with 10 other boys and 2 counselors, having the time of his life playing any sport or outdoor game known to man, staying up until 10PM each night, and grinning so hard and for so long that his face surely ached each night.

After two summers of participating in Winshape's day camp, we finally let Eli pack his overnight bag. (It helped that his best friend, Drew, would be attending for the first time as well.) For a full week before, Eli and I packed and repacked, checked and rechecked the list, and talked about all of the many things he would do. To say we were excited would be an understatement.

The first day of camp, we all drove Eli up to Berry College. The campus has a long entry into the campgrounds, and staff of the camp could be found all over, giving directions, holding signs, and causing much excitement in our car. Before driving up to the cabin area, we had to check him in at the main hall. There was a small camp store, and we bought Eli a team shirt (he already knew his team), and a scarf/bandana thing. Then we found Eli's cabin (he was only the third cabin-member to arrive) and unpacked his bag, making his bed and putting his clothes in the drawer assigned to him.

It was all getting very real, for both him and I.

I could tell Eli was pretty nervous; he was crazy wide-eyed and not really able to focus on anything I said. Instead, all senses were on high alert and he was taking in everything around him in the cabin. At some point he insisted on putting on his bandana thing and shirt, as if in an effort to immediately fit in.

Once we had him settled, I could tell he was not ready for us to go, so we opted to walk him over to where Drew's cabin was to see if he was there yet. Luckily he was, so Eli had a chance to relax and touch base with his friend.

By the time we got back to Eli's cabin, several boys were out front playing some type of ball-game, so Eli quickly jumped in.

The week was a tough one for me, but the camp posted pictures each night. Of course I stayed up until 11PM when they became available so that I could scan them for shots of my boy. Each one told a great story about the time he was having. (Not that I doubted it!)

When we picked him up at the end of the week, he had made many new friends and the counselors all seemed to know him by name. It was so cool to see a big group of boys that had bonded together over songs and Bible verses and camp fires....just being boys.

WinShape Camp

Eli just finished an amazing and exhausting week. For five days he attended WinShape camp at a nearby church from 8AM-5PM each day. Yes: nine hours. Insane, right? As insanely fatigued as he was each night, he had a blast. He and his best friend both attended and ended up in two of the same 'skill' classes each day. Eli's choices were archery, whiffle ball and music. Inbetween those 'skill classes', they had worship, small group time, lunch, snack, games, water fun...need I go on?

Yesterday Maddux and I got to go experience camp for a half day with Eli; now she is very excited for next year when she'll be old enough to attend! I was so impressed with the camp and how it ran so smoothly, even though there was SO much going on. And with everything there was prayer and such amazing teaching. Eli is not a big one to talk about what he learned each day, at school or otherwise, but through a few conversations with him this week, it was obvious that he took a lot away from this experience.

Below are two quick videos. One is of the boys doing their 'flash mob' that they surprised us with today. I was SHOCKED that Eli jumped out there and started dancing...very unlike him. The other is of his music class...they wrote lyrics to a song put to the tune of a current pop song. Love it!