a Cousin and Camp

Babysitting
I got to watch a cousin in law earlier this month and decided to let the girls run through the sprinklers. E stayed mostly to the edges while little JT fearlessly ran through the middle and tried to catch the water by the sprinkler heads. Their giggles were so adorable; I only stopped the fun because they started getting chilly and asking for their towels.
To warm up E had her first tandem bath. This is her insisting that JT needed more bubbles on her head. Not so sure JT agreed, but they had fun none the less. JT is such a sweet little thing. I had so much fun watching her and E play together.

YW Girls Camp
So last year I was a cook at camp, which was a blast and exhausting. This year I got to go with our group of church girls as a cabin mom which was a blast and exhausting! We did so much in the 5 days we were there that I can barely remember it all. What I can say is that 1) we walked a lot 2) we had a lot of fun getting to know the girls and leaders better 3) we got very little sleep 4) I was freezing at night and never took off my sweatshirt during the day 5) body spray is a must when only allowed to shower once 6) it was one of the most spiritual things I have ever been blessed to be a part of - not only did my testimony grow but I was privileged to watch it grow in others, adult and teens alike.

This is what we slept in called an addie.

What a beautiful group of women and cute too.

face painting gone awry

Donut eating contest (with no hands)-I blew the competition away in my round but that's what happens when you don't have carbs for 2 months

The goal was to move your cotton balls into the bowl on your head, blind folded-sounds easy right? except that they are so light that you can't tell if you have any on your spoon...

The 4th years built this tower from scratch. The only reason the ladder was being used was because so many girls wanted to climb it. Later in the week we hung a "banner of virtue" (signed by all the girls and leaders) from the tower to signify all of our commitment to lead virtuous lives

When I got home I swear! E looked older and was speaking better. I even asked J if they had been using phonics tapes while I was gone. When I picked her up she just looked at me with her big blue eyes, inhaled, said "Mama" with the most loving tone and gave me a big hug and then repeated the entire process. So sweet I almost lost it!
Though I missed my family thoroughly, I was strong and did not call home once. I found out later that J told E's babysitter on the last day that he was so excited I was coming home-how adorable. It's nice to be missed. He did such a great job taking care of her! Thanks to all those that helped him!