Even though this was our rainiest year ever at Camp Singletary, and our stay was cut short due to the threat of a tropical storm, we still managed to squeeze in quite bit of fun and lots of good memories.
It has become tradition for the kids to walk, or run, from the gate to our camp site on the day we arrive.
When John David got left behind by the big kids and started crying, his sweet cousin Ally came back walked with him. Love that sweet girl!
Here are the highlights from our this year's trip to Camp Singletary.
*Fun times at Singletary Lake (aka Snakey Lake)
Jumping off the pier with cousins.......
They were cracking me up trying to decide if they wanted to jump in on this side of the pier or not.
Just do it!
Katie was being a little chicken. It took her a little while before she decided to jump too.
Still being chicken.
Yay! She finally took the plunge!
So sweet.
And so silly!
*Going to the Nature Hut
It's been a few years since we checked out the Nature Hut, so we decided to go.
It's pretty much the same as last time, but it was fun to see again.
The kids were trying to identify the snakes.
And John David tried to shoot them with his water gun.
There were all kinds of stuffed animals in there.
This one reminded me and Sarah of the beaver in "The Chronicles of Narnia".
John David liked the snapping turtle.
*Going to White Lake
Even though we love "Snakey Lake", we love to go to White Lake too. I like that there is a beach there. The kids like that there is a gift shop there. And we all like that there's a Dairy Queen there.
John David had fun playing in the sand with Charlie and Ethan.
And in his boat too!
Love the two cuties relaxing in their floats.
Playing in the water always makes you hungry.
And tired too!
The funniest moment of the day was when the kids saw some ducks on the beach and started chasing them.
I told John David to stop chasing the ducks, but he kept on chasing them.
So I told him again to leave the ducks alone, and he said, "But my Daddy said we shoot ducks! And then we eat them!"
It was so funny! So....I just let him keep chasing them.
*Family Talent Show
Wednesday night we had a family talent show. These cute girls sang a song.
This cute family sang a funny song.
This funny boy showed us his "Spiderman moves".
These cute girls did a dance.
These cute guys showed us their muscles and their "Spiderman" moves.
These three nuts did "The House is on Fire!" skit.
These two cuties sang "You Are My Sunshine".
And Melissa finished the night with a family favorite.....her 7th grade cheerleading dance. ALWAYS ENTERTAINING!!!! Man....we are a talented bunch!! :)
*Firework Show by Jacob
This was a first for our Camp Singletary activities, but everyone loved it.
Especially the kids!
Sadly, the coolest fireworks were the second night and I didn't have my camera with me that night.
The kids loved doing sparklers.
*Nature Scavenger Hunt
I took this nature scavenger hunt straight off of my summer fun pinterest board.....and the kids loved it!
We divided the kids into teams and let the big girls be the team leaders.
Elise had the little boys.
Kyleigh had the big boys.
Katie had the in between girls.
And Emmy had the little girls.
Everyone showing their something green.
Katie's team won by one point. Good job girls!
*Meditating at the lake
One evening we went down to the lake to swim, but Uncle Jake scared the girls with a snake story, so we didn't end up swimming. Instead, we tried to become one with nature.
Bahahahaha! These girls and their poses were cracking me up!
What a crazy bunch!
*Rainy day activities
It's a good thing we had some of these since it rained almost all of Thursday. First the kids played the clothes pin game. It was fun to watch them.
John David didn't quite understand the game and kept getting upset when people took his clothes pins.
After the game, Aunt Amanda spray painted the kids hair, and then we did pearler bead art.
The kids were so into it, and it kept them entertained for the rest of the rainy afternoon.
*Ribs by Jacob
Jacob wanted to make ribs for us, and let us try out his very own signature sauce. It started raining while he was out there, but he got an umbrella and kept cooking. Now that's dedication! And his hard work paid off....they were delicious!
*Watching this rescue mission
No, he didn't really need saving, but this was one of the cutest things I saw all week. I love the story these pictures tell.
Sweet little Paige tried so hard to pick up that heavy boy, but she just couldn't do it by herself. So Parker came to help too.
They were so determined.
But he was just too heavy. Haha! Cutest thing ever!
Thursday evening after the rain had finally stopped, we all went down to the lake because it's just not right to go a day without swimming at Camp Singletary.
The kids had the best time "saving" each other, and giving rides with the life preserver.
Playing dominoes.
Love these funny girls!
*The Gatekeeper
John David loved being big enough to open and close the gate this year, and wanted to do it EVERYTIME. Which meant that it always took us longer to get in and out of the park, but how could I say no to this simple request. And it made his little heart so happy.
I don't know if we can ever get enough of this beautiful place.
There are just too many good memories here.
But the best part of going to Camp Singletary is being surrounded by all of these beautiful smiling faces!
It's the one thing we can never get enough of!
Can't wait til next year!
