Kanakuk 2015

Last Monday night after the storm (we got tons of rain and many streets around town were flooded) Andrew grilled some steaks , we enjoyed a late dinner and then we went outside so the kids could play. It definitely wasn’t as busy outside with six of the kids missing J. The twins were excited that they were learning how to use the two-wheeled scooters. But then Bennett fell on his bum and wasn’t too excited about it anymore. The next morning we stopped by the YMCA and got Ellie and Lincoln registered for fall soccer. Then we headed to my parents’ house for some swimming. Kristin and Annie and their kids were meeting us there so my mom and I went to work getting everything ready. I found the activity center up in the attic for Joseph to play in. Then we brought up the mister fan from the pool house basement since it was going to be so darn hot. The kids had a lot of fun swimming and some imaginative play. They just kept going and going. So we ended up ordering some pizza since it was lunch time and they weren’t slowing down. I ended up bringing out a pack-n-play that we set up in the pool house to see if Joseph would go down for nap. It took a little while but he eventually did fall asleep for a little bit. After lunch, my mom sent Lincoln out with a bag of my dad’s cookies and the other kids swarmed him J. Overall, it was a fun morning/afternoon and it was nice to get to hang out with Kristin and Annie.

After we got everything cleaned up, it was time to head home. Andrew was heading out for a bike ride when we got there. I was a bit concerned since it was so hot, but he said he would let me know if he wasn’t feeling well. I decided to let the twins skip their nap and I just put Cars on for them, had them get their blankets and lay down on the couch. Bennett did nod off for a bit.

I worked on stuff for the kids’ Back to School Dinner while they were watching the movie. After about 2 ½ hours I was starting to get a little worried about Andrew but he finally showed up and was fine. We had leftovers for dinner and just vegged out for a bit. Lincoln and the twins were playing with Ty and Alex, so while he was busy I decided to put away laundry and decided I would see if the kids needed jeans since the jean sales were going on. Well that turned into going through all of the twins’ and Lincoln’s clothes. I pulled out their old jeans and shirts that were too small and divided up what to keep and what to give away. I went through all the clothes I had stored away that I had bought on clearance last year and then ended up in the basement going through the totes of old clothes to see what we had for Lincoln and the twins. Then I went through some of Ellie’s clothes to start getting an idea of what she would need. I think the twins are pretty well set for the fall and winter except for maybe a couple pair of jeans which is awesome. Lincoln is in between sizes so it is kind of hard right now. But that took the rest of the night. We did get dinner in and the twins helped Lincoln wipe the table afterwards :-).

We had another storm that night and Lincoln joined me in bed. Any of them being scared during a storm is actually rare. The twins slept right through it and actually slept in a bit since they didn’t have a nap the day before. As I cleaned the house, did many loads of laundry (the stored clothes always look a little better after they have been washed) and got a workout in, a had a group of ninjas running around and in and out of the house. The twins were included sometimes and were always offended when they were left out. I finally got around to showering after lunch and just as I was getting started, including starting to clean the shower, Miles came in with a bloody nose. I convinced Bennett to help him a bit and it kind of worked. He got some toilet paper for him at first and after some coaxing, he got the boxes of tissue for him. Bennett did pretty well for me by giving Miles a new tissue and putting the dirty one in the toilet. But then he dumped us. I tried to calm Miles down by talking to him while he tried to change out tissues on his own. I moved very quickly cleaning the shower and finishing up. By this point though, Miles had a little pool of blood on the floor. So I stripped him down in the shower and had him get in there to let things finish. He played while I went to work cleaning up the blood spatter in the bathroom and the carpet on the path he took to the bathroom and soaking his clothes in the sink. All was well in the end though.

After we got everything cleaned up, it was time to start putting away all the fall clothes I had washed and then nap time. The twins still aren’t too keen on naptime without their pacifiers but they did actually go to sleep. While they slept I made some cookies and then Lincoln and I worked on making a go kart with a building kit he got for his birthday.

That evening we headed out to Matthew and Kristin’s for dinner with Andrew’s family. They grilled steaks and it was all really good. The kids played inside for a while and then they moved outside to their little pool. I didn’t have trunks for Miles and Bennett since we didn’t have any at the house so I just brought extra underwear for them. It didn’t bother Bennett at all but Miles was not happy. So he got in for a bit then spent most of the rest of the time pouting. The others had a lot of fun though.

The next day we did Lincoln’s special day. We dropped the twins off at my parents in the morning and the first thing he wanted to do was go to the playground at the Primary School and play. He loved it and was very excited to start kindergarten there in a few weeks.

He was done a little too early to go to lunch so we filled up the car and ran it through the wash since we were leaving for Branson the next day. Then we met Andrew at La Fuente for lunch. After that he wanted to get a donut but he just wanted one from Wal-Mart. So we did some really quick grocery shopping to just pick up a few things at Aldi and then got his donut at Wal-Mart. After that we picked up the twins and headed home. We got a donut for each of the twins too so they all ate them when we got home. Then it was time to finish laundry and start packing. Lincoln changed in to his ninja clothes again and headed out to the fort to play with the boys. Then they started talking about some mythical creature that they sometimes call a killdeer and sometimes a windeer. They said they saw it’s footprints out by their fort and they also think it may be below our stairs in the basement. I guess it is a scary creature J.

Andrew went for a bike ride Friday morning and then went to the office for a bit. I got a workout in and then finished up some laundry and packing before we headed down to Branson. We got there just about the same time my old college friend, Laura, got into town. She was bringing her two daughters to Kanakuk for the last term and met up with us at Big Cedar for a little bit. We were all running a bit late so we didn’t get to visit too long which was a bummer. Andy and Amanda along with their families were there along with my parents. My parents actually gave us each rooms as Christmas presents last year. I checked in quickly and we went to our room then I met my parents and went with them to K-1 to pick up Molly for a 24 and get a tour of all the new stuff there. They did an amazing job and it was so neat to see. The boys’ side had new cabins that they use as dorms for their Link Year program. It looked like a resort. We actually didn’t get to see in the cabins though. The dining hall was awesome. It was really spacious and one of the neatest parts was the large (very large) metal chief’s head on one of the walls. Then there was the office/nurse building. The walls were lined with pieces of wood from the old cabins complete with camper signatures. There was also a laundry room and fitness room among other things. The girls’ side wasn’t as nice as the boys but had definitely been renovated since I was there 20 years ago…yes it has been 20 years since I was a counselor-in-training at K1. After our tour, I went with Molly to help her get her overnight bag and laundry from her cabin and got to meet her campers. We picked up some pizza on our way back to Big Cedar and found some tables by one of the pools for the perfect place to eat. We had a beautiful view for the sunset and the kids got to swim after they ate.

The next morning it was time to pick up Jackson and Ellie from kamp and we were excited. After we got their trunks and parked, we got to meet up with them at the tennis courts. My parents came also along with Carson so he could check it out. The kids were excited to see everyone. We got some of the famous kamp coffee cake and some fruit for breakfast and sat down on the courts to eat. Soon it was time for barn awards, where they break up into their barns and the counselors talk about each kid including character qualities that stand out for them and a ribbon award. We went to Jackson’s first. His character qualities were good-natured and cooperative. And he received the Total Release/All Star ribbon for giving it his all.

Next up was Ellie’s. Her character qualities were generous and trustworthy. And she received the I'm Third ribbon for her barn which stands for God first, Others second and I'm third. Afterwards she came over to show me a piece of paper that had a picture of her and her counselors on it. She told me she wanted to surprise me. It took me a while to figure out what it was and then I saw the top that said "A Life Surrendered" which means she gave her heart to God while she was at kamp and got to ring the bell to declare it. I was so happy for her and just loved that she was so excited to share it with me. It made my heart happy!

After the barn awards, they did the All-Kamp awards. But before they did that they had a kamper birthday to celebrate. It is fun how it is all pretty much still the same-from the way they walk in, the responses to the birthday song/chant. The only thing they have changed is that they don’t give out kisses on the cheek anymore. After that it was time for the awards. Ellie was one of the kampers that received the Silent Hero award. Jackson received it his first year at K-Kountry and still cherishes it. The kamp staff nominates people they see throughout kamp who quietly help and serve others. Andrew left after the awards to get the duffle bags and load them up in the car. We had to hurry off to the family reunion in Cassville so he was trying to make things a little quicker. I stayed to watch the term video and actually ended up talking to one of my sorority sisters who was the kamp nurse during most of it. After it was done we were dismissed and I tried to find Ellie and Jackson but ended up having to meet them at their barns. Throughout the week they put up quite a few pictures of the two of them. It was always fun to see them.

Then the race was on through the hilly, curvy roads of southwest Missouri trying to get to the family reunion. Thankfully no one got sick because they all ended up falling asleep. We got there a little after one and were surprised to see that the numbers were much lower than in previous years. We grabbed a bite to eat and visited for a bit and then they started closing up shop. After the reunion, we headed over to Roaring River State Park so they kids could feed the fish at the fish hatchery. They always have fun doing it. We didn’t stay too long since it was so hot but they did get to explore just a little bit.

Then it was back to Big Cedar. I felt like we were just rushing through the weekend, trying to fit too many things into the small amount of time. We hurried and got the kids into their suits and headed up to the pool since that is where everyone was earlier. But one our way up, Andy and his family were already heading down. We took Briley and Baylor back up with us though. My parents and Molly had already left so they could get Molly’s laundry done and get her back to kamp. And Amanda and her family had already left too. It was pretty busy when we got there without any place to sit or any shade. So Andrew and I just stood off to the side of the pool and watched them swim. I stood next to a table that had an umbrella just so I could get my feet in the shade because they were burning. It was pretty toasty out J. The swimming didn’t last long though as Lincoln quickly got out crying because his face was burning. He wouldn’t calm down so I took him to the bathroom to put some cold paper towels on his face. He calmed down a bit and when we got back out to the pool, Andrew said the kids were already ready to go, so we trekked back down to our room. But then we had to quickly get ready for our dinner reservations. We had trouble with the shuttle getting us there on time but my parents were already there and were able to get us all seated together. After dinner we headed back to our room (we didn’t wait on the shuttle this time and just all piled into my parents car) to change and head out for one last swim.

We were the first ones to head out the next morning and got home around 1:30. Jackson and Andrew unloaded everything from the back while I picked up a bit in the front. Then the big task of unpacking trunks and conquering laundry started. Jackson, Ellie and I went through their trunks and got rid of stuff they didn’t need, threw out old toiletries and repacked stuff they will use next year.  I also had to fix one of the latches on Jackson’s trunk. Then I washed sheets, blankets and towels and repacked all of that. Next up was all the clothes plus ours from the weekend. I think I did around 7 loads of laundry that afternoon. But by that night, the trunks were repacked and put away for next year and all but one final load of clothes in the dryer were done. It felt good to get it all done and out of the way.  

The kids were excited to be back home and outside playing with their friends. I also made them happy by being ambitious amongst all the unpacking and laundry and making spaghetti. After dinner they all went back outside to play. I cleaned up inside and cut back my flowers before I went outside.  As we were talking with the LaBeths we noticed that all of girls’ loose hair was standing up on our hair. There was a storm moving in and I guess there was some static electricity in the air. It was pretty funny. Pretty soon there was some lightning off in the distance and then our hair started laying flat again. Andrew brought the twins in to give them baths while I vacuumed out the car.

The next day I let the kids sleep in and then surprised them with big baskets of laundry to put away. I also went through old clothes with Jackson and Ellie since I did it with the others while they were gone. We ended up with two big bags of clothes to take to the thrift store plus a bag of clothes for Amanda’s youngest twins and a bag for Bella. Then after lunch we dropped off the bags at the thrift store and headed to my parents house. Amanda and her kids came back after the Branson trip and are spending the week there. My mom went with me to drop off my car to get the brakes fixed and it started pouring while we were heading that way. So I got a nice drenching going in and out of the shop. We waited for a couple small storms to roll through and then headed out to the pool so the kids could swim. It was definitely cooler outside than it had been which was nice. The kids actually felt warmer in the pool and hot tub.

That night my parents made a breakfast dinner that the kids plowed through. Amanda didn’t even get any pancakes because the kids ate so many. Some of the kids went on bike rides and then my dad took Preston and Grayson on a wagon ride behind the lawnmower. After he was done, he let Jackson drive them around for a bit.