What is better than a week spent on the Cape?

Out of all the fun we had during the month of July, perhaps the most fun we had was during Mimi's visit.  The girls were tickled pink to have their Mimi at their fingertips 24/7 for 7 days. They read together non-stop, played in the backyard, and Mimi let Anna play with her make-up, which is something Anna looks forward to whenever her grandmother visits. We swam at the lake, had an impromptu picnic dinner there one evening, and even attended the girls' first play together.

We were blessed to have a visit from Mimi and love having her in our lives. The girls know how much they are adored by her. We can't wait to see her again! Love you Mimi!

This morning the air felt different. It was crisp and felt so fresh. More like a mid-September morning than early-August.  It was a perfect day to spend the morning at the park, especially after spending the last week inside due to illnesses. 

I managed to keep Anna as busy as I could for the first month that she was out of school. July was marked with numerous trips to the local beach area, the park, a trip to New Hampshire, a weekend spent camping, and near-daily visits to the Y. By the last week of July, I was breathless and panting, trying to keep this sheep-dog of a girl busy. She is an absolute love most of the time, as long as she's "working" in some capacity. But too much downtime creates Bad Mood Bertha.  She needed a change, even for a week, but what?

I never thought I'd send a child of mine to Vacation Bible School since I'm not actively religious, but that's exactly what I did. Last week, our local Congregational church offered a traditional week-long VBS program, and along with her friend August (whom she has known since they were both in utero), my little Anna turned into a camper for the first time.

I was tentative the first morning, not knowing what she would learn, not knowing what I wanted her to learn.  My feelings changed the minute I saw her in the afternoon, sitting between her counselor and the other Preschool Pandas. She had the biggest, silliest grin on her face. Every afternoon after that, that grin got bigger and bigger.

First day of VBS

The following photos were taken throughout the week by one of the VBS teachers. 

Quite possibly, my favorite photo ever of this sweet girl.

Every day the children had sports, did science projects, listened to a Bible story, learned new songs, and did arts and crafts. It was a very lovely week, spent in the care of the warmest, most loving adults and teenagers. Today she looked at Eliza, who was throwing her breakfast food on the floor, and said solemnly to her sister, "God loves you, no matter what."

Yes, VBS was a huge success. And perhaps my search for a church has ended. I think we have found a very special place.

Our long-awaited camping trip with our dear friends has come and gone. We packed and packed and packed and packed for this trip until the very last minute before pulling away from our house.

It's unbelievable to me how much. . . stuff. . . we needed for such a short trip. But we used it all. We could have used an air mattress that didn't have a hole in it, but that's a story for a different kind of blog.  

We swam at a lovely lake, hauled fire wood, slept in a tent, ate the obligatory s'mores roasted on an open fire, sang camp songs, devoured delicious food, and woke with the birds at 5:30 in the morning. The big girls played their made-up games while the little girls watched them. The grown-ups cooked, set-up, organized, took-down and in between mediating 4-year-old squabbles, tried to just chill.

It was tiring, but fun, and most importantly, the kids had a blast. And that's what really matters. That, and having an intact air mattress to sleep on.