July 4 in D.C.

Our summer 2016 vacation destination was Washington D.C.  On July 4, we visited Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington.  My guys pose on the lawn in front of the house.

 Coker's friend, Cody, drills with his colonial re-enactment regiment

The men without coats are the riflemen.  They're sharp-shooters.

 TJ in front of the house.

We met General Washington.

 Cody allowed Paul a chance to hold the musket.  He wants one now.

 The guys and Cody.  He said he didn't camp at Mt. Vernon this year, but has in the past.  They keep it real by pitching a canvas tent, laying hay on the ground and covering it with a wool blanket to make a bed.  Cody says he keeps his tent closed so no one will see his cot and cooler.

We wait in line to tour the house.

 I just like this picture.  Paul says, "not today."  It rained off and on.

More waiting in line.

The servants' quarters, one of the outbuildings.  These are the quarters for the servants of visitors.

On the back porch of Washington's home.

 TJ likes the Dung Repository

 Cute TJ

 Raining, but still beautiful

Coker's favorite part

Paul and TJ feed grass to the sheep

 They really liked the sheep

 TJ is worn out

...but not too worn out to miss dinner.  We went to Chinatown. 

I couldn't get him in the place with the roast ducks in the window, so we tried this place.

For fireworks, we went to the National Mall and walked by the Capitol

Washington Monument in the distance.  It's a little damp.

 The clouds lowered, it rained, and we couldn't see many fireworks.

At least we saw Michael Jackson on the walk back.

A Word from Paul's Camp Thurman Counselor

Hey there!

We're now more than halfway through our week of camp, so I thought now would be a great time to give you guys an update on how our week has gone so far!  We have a fantastic group this week.  I truly and sincerely mean that when I say it, as this group is already easily better than all eight groups that I had last year!  Somehow we lucked into having a group full of 13 kids who all enjoy playing together.  That is a bit of a rarity at camp, as I usually have a couple smaller groups of friends that develop within the group that play together most of the time, rather than having all of the kids include each other in everything.  Not only do they all play together, but somehow, despite having a group of 13 eleven year old boys, today was the first time they have ever argued about anything!  I am amazed at how well the group gets along!

Paul is a unique combination of unbridled energy and total laid-backness.  I have never heard so much as a single complaint out of him this week, and he seems to be content to just role with whatever we decide to do.  He never seems stressed, scared, or upset, just content to be here enjoying his week at camp.  When it gets time for an activity, though, Paul goes all out!  He won a game of slap dodgeball today, and would have probably one another one, but he purposely threw the ball out of the arena so one of our other campers could get back in and win a game!  He also went first on the power pole today, which is one of the most important responsibilities counselors lay on their campers.  He probably doesn't even realize it, but there were only a couple campers I would have let go first on power pole.  Power pole is probably the most difficult ropes activity we have at camp, and often times the first camper ends up dictating what everyone else does.  If the first camper only climbs up halfway before quitting, most of the other campers will quit before they reach the top because they don't feel like they need to compete with their peers.  If the first camper climbs all the way to the top and jumps for the trapeze, though, everyone else after him wants to do the same thing!  I knew I could count on Paul to deliver, and sure enough he did!  He didn't manage to grab the trapeze, but he still climbed all the way up, stood on the pole, and jumped!  All that said, however, Paul did do one thing today for which I can never forgive him: he made me feel old!  We were playing capture the flag, and Paul and I were on opposite teams.  He crossed over to my side, and I decided to chase him down.  It's not uncommon for me to have to run fairly fast in order to catch the older kids, so it came as no surprise when jogging wasn't enough for me to track down Paul though.  A couple seconds later, however, I realized a shocking truth: I was in a full sprint and working as hard as I possibly could to catch Paul, and I hadn't gained a single inch on him!  I actually had to give up because I sprinted for so long that I ran out of breath!  Never in my three years at camp have I run into a kid that was fast enough and athletic enough to actually outrun me like that!

As our week comes to a close over the next two days, please be in prayer that our group continues to grow closer and learn more about our savior.  Our bible verse for the week is Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  I encourage you to help your child memorize the verse at home (we will also be memorizing it at camp).  Thank you so much for sharing your child with us at CT this week.  Everyone always talks about how much fun the campers have, but what often goes unappreciated is just how much the campers impact us as counselors.  I have truly enjoyed all my time with this group!

Several of the kids wanted to see what their names looked like in Russian (I have taken four semesters of Russian at Baylor), so I figured I would include them at the end of the email so you could show it to them:

Paul (English) = Пал (Russian)

-- 

Blessings,

Canada

Sportsmanship Award

Paul received the Sportsmanship Award for his 5th grade class.  The award is based on class vote and PE teacher choice.  Coach Harrington (in pink) said wonderful words about Paul.  She said he plays hard, yet is always fair and honest.  His name goes on a plaque that will hang in the halls of the school.  I'm so proud of Paul!  

Yes, he was the only 5th grade boy to wear a suit to the awards ceremony.  Just Paul and the principal.  We did not know he would receive this award; that's just how he rolls.

Swimming

It's too cold for me to get in the pool, but not for my boys.  Coker swam too, but asked to be out of the pictures.  Here are my favorites.  There are a lot, because they are two of my favorite people.

TJ on School Projects

TJ told me a bit about his day at school.  He did not not expect to do well on the math/art project, but he said it looked great and he had fun.  The math made the art pleasant.

Coker helped TJ with a writing project that is now called "the commode story."  TJ explained to Coker that a story is like a train; you need the commode up front...  Coker needed clarification.  The locomotive, whatever, dad.

Crazy TJ

Well, I'll be...

The folks on my Meals on Wheels route are characters.  Sometimes it takes a while, but I get to know most of them at least a little.  RW is an older man who lives by himself, is very hard of hearing, and moves pretty slowly.  He's always smiling.  I know some days he's in pain, but he's always smiling a friendly smile.  

Oftentimes, he surprises me with what he says.  Sometimes, he's a little flirty.  Sometimes I walk to my car wondering if he simply meant what he said or if he meant to be a little naughty.  With that sunny smile, it's tough to know for sure.  Is he joking?  Flirting?  Trying to shock me?  A dirty old man with a sweet face?  I just don't know.

Today, I brought his lunch and a "holiday meal" that Meals on Wheels designed for him to eat on Friday, which is Good Friday.  I explained this as loudly as I can without shouting, but he seemed a little confused.  After I wished him a 'happy Easter,' he asked, "Meals on Wheels is closed for Easter?"  I answered in the affirmative.  RW's smiling response: "I'll be damned."

I've been laughing at that inappropriate phrase all day.  I wish I'd been quick-witted enough to say, "You don't have to be.  That's the idea behind Easter."  RW wins again.

Happy Valentine's Day from TJ

Valentine, Don't make me spend the day Solo.

Love,

TJ