meeting our cousins

Sunday after a long day of travel Henry got some loving from family.

Henry and Uncle Ernest

Grandma Viv

Great Grandpa V

small, medium, and large

Ellie- 3 days, Henry- 8wks, Will- 15wks

This year there will be 6 new babies in Danny's family. 

6 little cousins all essentially the same age. 

: )

Here are the littles with their older siblings. 

The Great Escape Days 4 & 5

Day  4

Henry and I watched the kids race cardboard boats in the lake.

Here is our cousin Josh with his boat. 

We watched Aunt Elizabeth lead her team of kiddos in the mud pit....

before

after

: )

Henry enjoyed the breeze from his personal fan

and we tie dyed with Grandma

.....we'll just call him

"The Grateful Henry"

 Day 5

On the last day of camp the kids have a giant shaving creme war! 

We enjoyed watching from the sidelines..

....and then we got involved in the fun!

mmmm, shaving creme

Grandpa got in on the shaving creme action too!

My family is funny!

After a quick clean up, we headed into the city of Ripon to visit the birthplace of the Republican Party.

Henry is a weee-publican

The Great Escape Day 3

On the third day of camp, Henry started the morning squeaky clean.....

 with a bath in the kitchen sink!

We went to the rec field and watched the big kids play with belly bumpers. 

Henry got in on the belly bumper action too!

We had a little play date with another baby at camp. 

Grandma made the boys matching Great Escape onesies.  

Eli, the other baby in the picture is only 10 weeks older than Henry....he looks so much bigger to me!

Mommy and Henry is official Great Escape t-shirts

 The worship music is so loud that Henry has to wear ear plugs to protect his hearing. 

Tummy time on the lake

After a long, busy day we all sleep well! 

we should just change the name of this blog....

to The Henry Daily

The Great Escape Day 2 cont.

Last night the evening speaker was explaining how each and every one of us is a child of God. We are precious to him and he desires for us to come to him like little children. 

Without warning Curt, the speaker, says "Where's the baby?"

: )

I walked my sweet boy up to the stage in a silent room full of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Henry was sleeping so I motioned for them to be quiet...remember when I say "them" I mean 650 of "them." You could hear a pin drop. 

Curt held Henry, sleeping in his arms, and explained to the kids that this is how God wants us to depend of him as his children. That the love we (I) have for this little baby is minute in comparison to God's love for us. And the full dependence Henry has in his parents is the dependence we should have in Christ. 

As Henry's mama it was moving. 

More importantly it was a very real and tangible example for the students listening to Curt's message. 

13 years ago when I was a student at The Great Escape, Curt was the speaker at camp. He gave the same message, complete with a baby and all. One of the camp directors had brought his family and new baby to camp. Curt used her as example just like he did Henry. WELL last night that little girl, now 13, and her daddy ,a camp counselor, were in the audience.  

Crazy. 

It was a full circle type of moment. 

Here you have it...Henry's first dabble in ministry! 

The Great Escape Day 2 (so far)

Today Henry and I woke up early to join all these people listen to a very important speaker on the beach.

GRANDPA! 

or Grandfather as he prefers to be called ; )

My dad gives a devotion or short message every morning of camp at 7am on the beach. Henry and I enjoyed listening to him speak and the awesome breeze from the lake. We both wore long sleeves and given our recent hot weather, this was literally a breath of fresh air. 

After breakfast we joined the kids on the rec field 

 ....truthfully Henry slept in the shade

but we held up a team sign to make him feel included : )

 This is the group that came from my parent's church. 

4 of those boys are my cousins and this was their first time to meet Henry.

 Check out the giant slip and slide!

After rec we ate lunch, napped, and attended the afternoon session. 

More pictures to come of our evening. 

The Great Escape Day 1

Since daddy/danny had to go out of town for 2 weeks, Henry and I did the only logical thing to do when you are 6 weeks old and home alone....

We packed up our bags and drove 10 hours to hang out with 650 middle school students for a week at church camp (The Great Escape)

So far we have:

Listened to grandma give a devotion

 Hung out by the lake

Watched the kids play (big!) fun games

 Given away smiles : )

Gone to evening worship

....where the big kids RUSH in to get a good seat!

We miss our daddy very much but are making the best of our time away.