As if Pine Cove wasn't enough summer fun, Connor and Kaitlynn got to experience another similar Christian camp the very next week. This camp was sponsored by TBarM, and this was their first summer to bring the day camp option (similar to Pine Cove) to a local church here in Katy. We weren't sure what to expect since this was our first year with TBarM, but it turned out to be just as amazing as Pine Cove.
At TBarM, the activities are organized kind of like a sports camp. The counselors are called Coaches and the Bible studies are called Batters Box. The kids have fun outdoor activities like waterslides and rock-climbing, but they also have tons of games and competitions, funny songs and cheers. The kids always came home happy but worn out!
First day, what to expect? Looks like fun to me!
Silly faces on their first day before joining their groups.
The entire camp of kids was divided into 2 teams, Alpha and Omega. Connor and Kaitlynn both ended up on Team Alpha. All week long, the kids competed in various sports and activities for a camp wide competition. It made the week fun and exciting for all of the kids, and they couldn't wait to sport their team colors and gear.
Go Team Alpha! The kids wore red to support their team.
Yep, a successful day of camp!
Too cool for...camp.
One of the cool things I enjoyed about the TBarM camp was that I could view and download photos of the kids during their camp games and activities throughout the week.
Connor's TBarM camp group and his Coaches.
Sweet pic of Kaitlynn and one of her Coaches.
Fun in the sun!
Soccer time!
Kaitlynn and some sweet girls. She never has trouble making friends!
I'm not sure what this game was called but Connor was really getting into it!
Kaitlynn's group and her Coaches. Goggles -- must've been a fun game!
Kaitlynn's group.
Another pic. Kaitlynn LOVED her Coach, can you tell?
Wow, Connor's Coach was strong. Go Team Alpha!
Lots of 1-on-1 time with Kaitlynn and her sweet Coaches.
Kaitlynn's former cheer teammate, Olivia, was at camp too.
That's Connor in the head-to-toe red. He takes his competitions seriously!
Kaitlynn and Olivia during one of the water activities.
Group time.
Kaitlynn in her ninja mask for one of the theme days.
Another dress-up day and another day of Kaitlynn loving on her Coaches!
What a fun group of girls!
Love this pic of Connor enjoying the waterslide. Slippin' and slidin'!
But the photo of the week was of Kaitlynn...
My expressive girl, what fun!!
Similar to Pine Cove, the week of camp ended with a closing ceremony for all of the campers and their families. The ceremony was full of cheers and fun - it was obvious the kids loved every second of their camp experience! After the ceremony, the Coaches presented each camper with a certificate of an outstanding characteristic they demonstrated during the week. It's a really special time to hear about your kids and their spiritual growth.
The camp closing ceremony. I enjoyed some laughs!
Kaitlynn's Coach had talked to me after one day at camp, telling me that Kaitlynn had been asking some deep questions about her faith and the stories she was learning about in the Bible. She was learning and absorbing so much from her amazing week. When it was time for Kaitlynn to be presented with her certificate, her Coach had selected "Faith" as her outstanding characteristic, with the following verse:
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1.
This really touched me for many reasons - mainly the ones that led Jeff and I to choose Faith as Kaitlynn's middle name. It really felt like a God moment to me!
Kaitlynn and her two coaches. SO SWEET!!!
And Connor's characteristic was "Alert." His Coach had written the following verse on his certificate:
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." Ephesians 6:18.
A quick photo of Connor and his Coach.
Here's a quick video of Kaitlynn and Connor being presented with their outstanding qualities certificates at the conclusion of the camp week:
We were all so blessed by another amazing week of summer camp. I have to admit, due to our amazing experiences at Pine Cove, we weren't sure the kids would enjoy the new TBarM format as much. But by the end of the week, the kids were in LOVE with TBarM and telling me they enjoyed it just as much if not more than their Pine Cove experience the prior week. I'm so thankful for these amazing summer weeks of fun activities and spiritual growth for our kiddos. Can't wait to sign them up for next summer!
One of the kids' favorite July activities was BY FAR their week at Pine Cove's Camp in the City. So much fun that it deserved its own separate blog post. Pine Cove is a Christian summer camp that aims to encourage spiritual growth and development through fun activities and SWEAT! The amazing counselors travel from city to city, church to church, hosting week-long camps where kids can learn about Christ while doing awesome activities like bungee-jumping, rock-climbing, water-sliding, and so much more. The level of energy at this place is through the roof, and the kids love every single second of it.
This was our 3rd year of Pine Cove for Connor, but the first year for Kaitlynn. She was a little apprehensive at first, but she quickly overcame that and ended up having such an amazing week.
Arriving for the first day of camp.
A hot summer week -- perfect for Pine Cove!
Kaitlynn's group was called Mooloolaba. Gotta love the crazy group and counselor names!
Kaitlynn's group of campers.
Connor's group.
The water games were the perfect activities for the hot summer days.
Found this sweet photo of Kaitlynn on the Pine Cove app. She was enjoying the "club" time.
Silly poses.
Connor's group silly photo.
After a week of awesome games and activities paired with uplifting worship, the kids were sad to see the end of Pine Cove. Parents were invited to a closing ceremony where the entire worship center was filled with the hundreds of campers and all the counselors singing, jumping, and praising His name for an amazing week of camp. What an incredible experience for these kids!
High energy at the Pine Cove closing ceremony!
After the closing ceremony, the Pine Cove tradition culminated in the presentation of the character quality (CQ) certificates to each camper from their camp counselors. The CQs are a really neat way for the kids to be recognized for their unique traits and characteristics that God has blessed them with.
Kaitlynn's certificate said: "Kaitlynn is engaging. She is adventurous, demonstrated by her willingness to participate. Kaitlynn is uplifting, seen in her ability to motivate others." What an encouragement!
Kaitlynn with her sweet counselor, Rips and Salsa, after being presented with her CQs.
Love this photo of Kaitlynn with her counselor. What amazing role models for our kiddos!
Connor had another great week of Pine Cove, and his CQ certificate said, "Connor is grateful, quick to show appreciation for others. He is honest, consistently speaking the truth. Connor is kind, seeking ways to bless his peers."
Connor with his Pine Cove group.
Connor was blessed to have his buddy Benjamin in his camp group this year. They loved their counselor, Finsanity!
Here is a quick video of both kids getting presented with their CQ certificates by their Pine Cove counselors:
Another successful week of Pine Cove. Can't wait until next year!
What an awesome experience for both kids!! And to add to the fun, we had the Aasmyr kiddos over for a sleepover after the last day of camp. Lily wasn't old enough for camp this year, but she was so excited to join in the fun with Kaitlynn and the boys for a fun summer night.
Julie presented the Pine Cove campers with super sweet and thoughtful gifts to commemorate their week of camp.
Pizza for dinner.
Time for a swim!
Tired boys but all smiles.
Bedtime for the sweet girls.
The boys were in their element playing video games.
In case it's not obvious, I'm WAY behind on the blog posts again. Let's go back to July to try and catch up!
The kids summer of fun continued into July with so many cool activities that it was hard to keep track! Family games, trips out for ice cream, movie afternoons...we made sure to pack in just as much fun in July as we could.
A summer family game night of Chickenfoot. I was surprised at how well the kids picked this up. We LOVE our game nights!
Cool for the summer.
A Daddy-Daughter ice cream sandwich date.
My 4th of July cuties.
Summer day at the movies.
My brother Ben had a week of training in Houston, so he came to visit for the weekend before his class. We love having Uncle Ben for a visit, even though we missed Aunt Charlotte this trip.
Pool time.
Dinner at Lupe Tortilla, Ben's favorite!
Uncle Ben fits right in with our silly kids!
Along with the typical summertime fun, the kids have to tag along with us on errands when they aren't already occupied with friends or summer camps. Sometimes that can be fun, but other times not so much...
Running errands with Mom in the summer can be a SCARY situation! haha
Family trip to Chuck E. Cheese, because Dad promised!
Do you think they were excited about their tokens?
My personal favorite part of July was when the time came to replace my old car. That's right, it was now MY turn! We actually weren't planning to replace my Expedition until later this year, but we ended up finding another one with all of the options I really liked. And when you buy used like we do, it can be tough to find everything you want in a vehicle. Jeff and I had a date night and went to test drive some cars, just to see what I might like. We saw one I liked, drove it, and bought it in less than 24 hours. That's just the way I do things, ha!
The kids came along to say goodbye to the old Expedition and welcome the new one. It's almost the same exact vehicle but is about 10 years newer, 100K fewer miles, and lots of new features that I'm loving already.
Bye to the old Expedition. It was a GREAT family vehicle for us!
Yay, a new vehicle for Mom!
All smiles in the new ride!
To wrap up July, the kids participated in another Vacation Bible School at a church near our neighborhood. It was a superhero theme and they had a great time.
Superhero VBS - fun!
Jesus is our superhero!
So I know I said that wrapped up July, but I actually left out a few big updates on the kids' summer camps and an awesome vacation for Jeff and me. Those are up next, stay tuned!
