Getting Away From It All...COTW

C. O. T. W.

Last August was our first experience at Camp of the Woods.  We went with a group of our friends that are more like family to us.  This year we had to go solo because our Amelia is due to arrive in August and so we switched our vacation week to this past June.

Chapel

Canoe rides

Basketball

Sand fun

Swimming in the lake

Camp fires at night

Quality time with Dad

All 3 meals every day together

Kids Club each morning and afternoon

Crafts

Rock climbing

Volleyball

Mini golf

Shuffle board

Checkers

The list of activities we did every day goes on and on.  We started each morning off at breakfast together.  Having all your meals cooked for you and warm and waiting when you arrive is such a blessing.  It is definitely a huge break from cooking and clean up for me.  And even though you have to walk to every meal, the family bonding and exercise is worth it.  After breakfast we would drop all the kids off to their classes...each child has their own classroom.  Mark was with the Kindergarteners, Julia was with the Second graders and Micah went to a different building just made for nursery kids ages 0-23 months.

Chapel each morning was taught by Rex Keener (each week the guest speaker/pastor is different) and it would be from 9:15-10:15 with worship included.  It was awesome to go to church for 6 days straight and get your spirit encouraged and filled.  Afterwards the big kids would go to Chapter 2 class, the ages were K-third grade and they would play games and hear another Bible story and make a craft.  The kids also memorized scripture!  We only had to pick up Micah from Nursery and we would head to the Tee Pee for coffee and sticky buns and John and I would talk about the chapel and what God was teaching us.

At noon we would pick up the kids and walk to the Purdy center for lunch.  After lunch we would either swim at the lake, play mini golf, hang out with friends, rock climb, go to the sports complex...there was SO much to choose from and do.  It was just great to always be together.  We never have quality time with John like that.

Heading to dinner around 5:30 and afterwards just relaxing by the camp fire, roasting marshmallows and talking to our neighbors while the kids played.  I was able to actually rest and take naps on this vacation while John would take the kids out to do fun things.  They LOVED quality time with Daddy.  He was really good about taking each child out one on one and spending special time with them.  On Tuesday morning at 5:30 am he took Mark canoeing and on Thursday morning at 5:30 am he took Julia.  They LOVED it!  The mountain air, the wild life, and the life skills John taught them will last in their memories for a long time I think.

We never made the kids nap so at bed time everyone was exhausted.  No one ever fussed about going to bed.  In fact sometimes they just climbed up to their bunk bed and passed out!  If you asked each of us what our favorite part of camp of the woods was, we would say, Julia: The Lake and the playground, Mark: Swimming in the Lake and rock climbing, Micah: The sand and the lake, John: Canoeing with the kids, and Tee Pee talks with me over coffee, and me....my top 3 favorites were: Chapel time (I took so many notes and felt so much closer to the Lord), having John's company at every meal, and watching my kids thoroughly enjoy themselves with new friends!

All in all it was a wonderful week long vacation.  The fresh mountain air, the beautiful scenery right outside our cabin, the chapels, the exercise of all the fun outdoor and indoor activities, and the delicious food that I didn't have to cook!  't was good for the mind, body, and soul for sure!  It was our last vacation as a party of 5...and now we wait patiently for our little miss amelia to arrive.