Our Anniversary

We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary today! We even got to sneak away from camp tonight after Logan went to sleep for a little treat in Lake City! We spent most of the day together, enjoying each other's company, playing with Logan, and relishing in our blessings over the last 5 years. We've been so many places, made so many changes, learned so much, and have started a wonderful little family. Yet, we know there is so much more to come, that the journey is still just beginning. Yay for "Anni. #5", as I call it! And many more...

TWL 2

Greetings from TimberWolf Lake!
Check me out...

I'm ELEVEN months today!

We visited Jenny at the Blue Ox snack shop today and Logan got to share a little of my ice cream...a little treat for the nearly-one-year-old!
(ok, I am going to cry when I think about that!)

A new group of campers arrived today! The good news is that everything has been done once, so the second week should be easier for all of us! We're starting to get on a better routine and have even been coordinating naps with the little kids so we can switch off going to events while the babies are napping. John is working hard and doing a great job, as always! He always goes above and beyond to make sure kids have the best week of their lives here at camp. We are all enjoying our time meeting so many new, fast friends.

Logan has started walking while scooting a chair around on the floor with him, so I think his independent steps are soon to come! I think he watches all the big kids run around all day and has decided he wants to keep up! We are having some good lessons on "sharing" and being "gentle"...a few of our new words with Logan. He is doing great.

I decided this week that my task is to master the beach with Logan. The weather has turned for the better, with some very summery, hot, humid days. So, the beach is a "must"! Logan wasn't too crazy about the sand and cold water when John and I took him the first day. You can see in the pictures below, he is a little hesitant! But, the next day, I took our beach blanket and set it on the sand and we took all our beach toys and laid them out. Then I piled some sand on the blanket for Logan to play with and brought some water up in his pail to play with and pour on him. Slowly but surely he warmed up to the sand and the water. He loved playing with his shovel and bucket! It was so fun and I can't wait to do it again!

Logan didn't want his feet in the cold water, he preferred to stand on the rock!

Sorta having fun...

We call Day 1 of camp "Welcome Day" because all the new campers arrive. Here's a look at what "Welcome Day" looks like:

Here comes the bus...the campers have no idea what to expect because camp has been kept a fantastic secret!

The campers are greeted by the Work Crew (high school students who volunteer a month at a time to serve at camp) who are totally energetic and so fired up to see the new group of kids coming to experience YL.

Each bus is welcomed by the "Program Team" who are the faces of camp. They lead kids through activities and make kids laugh with crazy games and skits all week. Usually there is a theme that carries on throughout the week - all very carefully orchestrated to help teach kids about Jesus.

While the campers are entertained, their luggage is loaded off the bus and moved to their dorms for them!

The campers get a yummy snack and then get free time to explore camp and start having fun!

Welcome day can be pretty exhausting for most of the staff, but for Logan and I, it was all fun! Logan was so well entertained by the whole thing, he just sat in his stroller and watched the buses roll in!

Pictures from around camp:

The Bunkhouse (our housing); The Lumberyard entrance (dining hall)...

Tubes pulled by jetski; zip line, blob and rope swing in the distance...

This stream runs the length of camp by the camper dorms.

In other fun...John and I left Logan with the Summer Staffers last night so we could run the obstacle course! Let's just say...WHOA! A group of us went through and at the end...there is something called "THE SCHWAMPER". Need I say more?! It was totally nuts! I will try to get a picture sometime, since words could not do justice.

Thanks for the mail and the package (Nana!), and the prayers and support! We'll keep updating! Blessings!

TWL 1

The first week of a month long summer assignment at YL camp is a little crazy. This week has proven to live up to that reputation. Traveling, moving, learning about camp, getting into routine, and getting enough rest have all been challenging this week.

Of course, Logan has all four eye teeth poking through and all four of his 1-year molars either swollen or cutting through. Great timing. We've had a few very rough nights that I am blaming on a combination of new place, no routine, and those pesky teeth. But, on the same token, Logan has been such a trooper! He loves the other kids, loves meeting all the smiling, welcoming faces of our new friends at camp, and has been trying lots of new things!

John is in charge of activities, so he has been learning to schedule kids to be sure everyone gets a chance on such exciting rides as the ropes course, tubing on the lake, mountain biking, and the climbing wall. After lots of hard work, he has everyone scheduled for this week and we hope next week will be a quicker process so he has more time to spend with Logan and I!

This is the Bunkhouse, where we stay with about 10 other families (14 little kids in all!). We have great suites with two bedrooms and a spacious bathroom and entryway. We share a kitchen, living room, and play room for the kids.


Logan playing with his toys in the living room. It was hard to decide which toys to bring along on this trip. I settled on mostly easily washable/waterproof toys, a few other favorites, and plenty of books to share.


Logan sharing his o-ball with Rosalyn. Logan and Ros are the same age (Ros is 10 days younger), but not the same size! Ros is about half as big as Logan! They are the youngest babies at camp.


The playroom is the ultimate destination for most of the kiddos. Just about anytime Logan is crawling around, he b-lines it for the playroom to be with the bigger kids. During the afternoons, most of the older kids are out playing around, so a couple of us take the babies in to play when they won't get run over! The playroom does have a tv, which is about the only place you'll find one on camp, but let's face it...sometime you just need to entertain the kids!


This is the outdoor playground special for all the staff kids. Its right in front of the Bunkhouse, before the beach. Its fenced in, which is great, and has lots of cool equipment. Even a swing just like Logan's swing at home! The weather has been cooler the last couple days, so we have only been spending short periods of time outside and haven't yet been in the lake. Hopefully more warm weather is on the way (otherwise we have the wrong clothes along!).

Logan has been spending a lot of time in his jogger, but really enjoys walking around and checking out the action on camp!


The Lumberyard = dining hall

We've been eating with all the campers (all 400 of them!) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Which means that meal times are pretty loud and crazy. Logan seems to like it, though, and still manages to down his dinner in the meantime!
All of the staff families, work crew/summer staff, and property staff wear name tags around camp. Its great because it helps us all get to know each other much quicker. Its also great because everyone knows Logan's name and he just loves it! He gets so much attention! You can see his name tag in the photo above...its so cute!

The picture on the left shows the camp store, "TimberWolf Lake Trading Co.", the snack shop, "The Blue Ox", the game room, and the gym on the end. The picture on the right is a close up of The Blue Ox, where Jenny works. She alternates her time between the camp store and the snack shop, both of which are really fun jobs! Logan and I usually stop in to visit her on every shift when we're out walking around.


In our suite, we had a special stool for Logan made by a TWL property staff. The stools are meant to help the kids for in the bathroom and brushing teeth, etc. Logan can't quite take advantage of those uses yet, but he's found his own! He loves to slide it around with him when we play in his bedroom. We get to take this stool home with us for Logan, as a keepsake of our time here. I know its just one of the special things we'll bring back with us...



Thanks for everyone's prayers and support! Keep checking back for more updates on our time at TWL!

We Made It!

We made it to Timberwolf Lake! Its beautiful here, our accommodations are amazing, and the campers arrive tomorrow! It was a good trip, but a long one. We were happy to arrive late Wednesday night after a day of travel. It was great to have Jenny along...she was the Supernanny in the back seat with Logan!

We left early Wednesday morning...you can see what Logan thought about that!

We drove from Eau Claire to Manitowoc, WI (with a couple Starbucks stops on the way) in the morning and stopped for a picnic lunch before boarding the ferry from Manitowoc to Ludington, MI.

Boarding the SS Badger

Logan was out for a nap

Too cool!
Logan has started to love our sunglasses. He doesn't like to wear his own...only great big ones from Mom and Dad. He leaves them on surprisingly long!

We took the ferry with the idea that it would be better for us to be able to be out and about with Logan, rather than him strapped into his car seat the whole time. So, while we didn't save much time by cutting across the lake, we did get to stretch our legs (and breathe in a lot of exhaust from the ferry, freeze from the cold winds, and get seasick...fun!). After the 4 hour ferry trip, we had another couple hours in the car to Cadillac, MI. We spent two nights in a resort with the rest of our YL team we will be working with this month. We had a chance to meet everyone and visit the camp before moving in today.

That's all the updates I have for now, but Logan and I did take video today of our lodge, The Bunkhouse, which we'll be loading soon so you can all see where we're staying this month.

Bon Voyage...

Tomorrow we take off for a great adventure! We will be spending the month in Lake City, Michigan at Young Life's Timberwolf Lake. Its a beautiful camp and one of Young Life's newest properties. To learn more about where we'll be, for our address, and to see more pictures of the camp, you can click on the "Young Life's Timberwolf Lake" link under "Check it out!" on the right side of our blog.

We know it will be a great time of meeting new friends, growing in faith and as a family, and introducing kids to Christ! What could be better?! Please pray for our month, the staff, the families and most of all, the kids who will be spending a week at camp!

I will update the blog at least once a week to let you all know how camp is going! Keep checking back!

Day at the Lake

On July 5th we drove to Stone Lake, Wisconsin with the Holbrooks for a day at the lake! My brother Kyle was already there spending the holiday weekend with his Fiancee's family. There was a bridal shower for Ali, so the girls attended that while the boys spent extra time on the lake.

After the shower, we all got to hang around and enjoy the Rime's beautiful brand new cabin and spend time together on the lake. It was Logan's first boat ride and it was so fun!

Logan's first boat ride!

All geared up in the super fancy lifejacket from Grandma Eiselt!


We went super fast to pull the skiers and Logan wanted to snuggle! He really enjoyed the cruising and the motor put him to sleep.

Daddy on skiis!

Hanging out on the dock with Papa...

Logan was smashing in his new swimming gear, all from Nana! Pretty cute!

Amy and I will Ali, our soon-to-be Sister-in-Law!

Thanks to Ali and the rest of the Rime's for a great day at the lake! We loved it!

Stanley Cup

The NHL Stanley cup made a stop in Eau Claire today! John heard about this on the news and wanted to take Logan for this once in a lifetime chance to see the real deal. It was a small donation to buy a picture and the money goes toward a much-needed new ice rink that is in the works for Eau Claire.

John assured me there would be a line of people waiting to get in, so we went early and he was right! Luckily, beat the crowds by just enough to be some of the first in line. It was a hot wait in the summer sun and Logan was nearing nap time, but I think he had fun!

Someday it will be fun for Logan to see that he was smaller than the Stanley Cup when he first saw it. I told John I am not a "worthy" enough hockey fan to be in this picture. Seriously.


The boys even got interviewed by the local news station for the 10pm broadcast!

Logan had so much to say!