Ducks and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

As many of you know Kelly and I were with McKenna at University Hospital in Syracuse for the whole month of November. We are so very grateful to be back home as a family to enjoy the time we have with McKenna. Our goal is to continue caring for her, keeping her as healthy as possible...which as you can see, is going pretty well. Kelly and I will be sending out family updates from two sources.

1) This blog
2) McKenna's "Care Page" at www.carepages.com.

You will need to sign in (create an account - which is free and safe). Then you can visit McKenna's care page any time you would like and when we make updates to the care page you will receive an email automatically.
McKenna's Care Page is listed under "McKenna Joy".

Our Fall Retreat

A Fantastic Fall Retreat!
Wow what a turn out! Everything from the campers and staff, to the weather was AMAZING! We had an overwhelming response to this fall's Shepherds Retreat. Thanks to all of our local counselors and a bunch of out-of-state counselors, 66 campers attended the retreat! What's even more amazing is that we had another 16 campers on the waiting list who were unable to come to the retreat. You can bet that we will be ready with more counselors for our spring retreat this April. We also had a huge amount of staff including counselors, program, service staff, leadership staff, and volunteers. We had 30 students and young adults serving at Shepherds Camp. That's AWESOME! As I mentioned before even the weather was a great turnout. Sure, it was a little chilly and even rainy on Friday...BUT, the sky cleared up, the sun came out, and the temperature rose a bit on Saturday allowing us to go on a few hayrides. Comfortable hayrides in late October...now that's a turn out. The campers and staff also had a great time weaving baskets and crosses for crafts, singing all of our favorite songs from the summer, and as always - enjoying some really good food.

What a blessing to see many of our friends from the summer. We love these retreat opportunities to reconnect and continue presenting the good news of Jesus Christ. From crazy games in the gymnasium to evening chapel...it was a GREAT weekend at camp.

Hayrides & Hot Cider

It Really is Fall.
Last Thursday we invited all of our Day Camp kids from this summer to join us for a evening of fall fun. The main event of the evening was a hay ride down the road, through the woods, and around the lake. We also enjoyed hot cider, marshmallow roasting by the fireplace, and games in the main building. We had a good turnout with a dozen campers, parents, some friends from our neighborhood, and a few new faces too. It was a great time to reconnect with our campers and meet some parents, while having a blast at camp. And of course (and I don't mean to rub it in), the weather was unseasonably beautiful.

Do You Buddy Walk?

"Let's Go!"

But, if you can't go..."Let's Pray!"

Next weekend is the 10th annual Buddy Walk of Binghamton. The Buddy Walk is an awareness event for Downs Syndrome. This is a fantastic nation wide event that has a GREAT turnout here in Binghamton. This year's Buddy Walk is being held at the Ross Park Zoo - less than 10 minutes away from camp. If you can not come out to the walk I would be grateful for your prayers. Shepherds Camp (myself and some staff) will have a booth at the Buddy Walk and our goal is to meet tons of new friends who live right in our community.

Last year's Buddy Walk (with poor weather) attracted 700 people who walked to raise awareness for Downs Syndrome. This year they are hoping to have OVER 1,000 people. Wow! What an amazing opportunity to INVEST in our community. Please pray for us and the IMPACT we can have at this event and in the lives of individuals who respond to the invitation to attend camp.

Bocce Ball Anyone?

Bocce Ball Invitational Tournament!
Yesterday evening the Arrowhead Shepherds Campers hosted the Bocce Bulldogs. Our 1st Annual Bocce Ball Invitational Tournament was PERFECT. The weather was great, we kept the bugs under control, the athlete were geared up, and the crowd was excited.

Through a few contacts and conversations God has begun a great relationship between Shepherds Camp and the Special Olympics. We praise God for His leading as we continue to fulfill our vision of making an IMPACT on our local community.

The Special Olympics has just introduced bocce ball and we are their very first tournament site. Local Special Olympic athletes and their families came out to camp for this very special event. We also had a few friends and special guests who came to enjoy the games. One of the special guests was Peter Quinn a reporter from News Channel 34. He got great footage of the tournament and included a few interviews. Check out some of the tournament action below...

Spiedie Fun

We have a new family tradition starting. Check out the caricature Natalie and I had done at Spiedie Fest.

Natalie is just as cute as a cartoon.

We're Still Kick'n...

It's hard to believe that McKenna is 2 weeks old already. We had her 1st check-up today and she weighed in at 7lbs.5oz. (she was 6lbs. 13oz. when she was born). She is a very good natured baby. She sleeps well and when she's awake she's very content just looking around and soaking up her surroundings. Natalie is adjusting well. She still needs to be reminded to be gentle with McKenna, but overall you can tell she loves her little sister. Here are some recent pictures of our girls...


It's a rough life sunbathing by the pool all day!



1st Family Photos...

Over the weekend, my sister Megan and her husband, Aaron were here visiting. While they were here, we made a trip out to the annual Speidie Fest and Balloon Rally. Natalie enjoyed seeing all the hot air balloons and is still talking about them today. As you can see from the pictures, McKenna was less than impressed and decided to sleep through the whole event.



And for those of you who haven't heard, we did decide on a middle name for McKenna. Her name is McKenna Joy!