They Grow Up So Fast...

Natalie is now officially using a "Big Girl Bed." Oh my! Today it's a big girl bed and tomorrow it's off to college. Well, at least that's what everybody tells. Let's look on the bright side though. When Natalie goes off to college, we will have served 21 years at Arrowhead. That's a whole lot of summer camps, winter retreats, work groups, and staff trainings.

I think we'll just focus on this summer...and take them one at a time.

Sunday afternoon we took Natalie's crib apart and converted it to a big girl bed. When it was all said and done Natalie was ecstatic. When we asked her about her new big girl bed (talking it up to get her used to the idea) she would yell and jump around...and then tear off running through the house to her bedroom to throw herself on her new bed.
So far things have been going pretty well. The first night she got up several times until we explained that she needed to choose to stay in bed or she would choose a consequence. Since then she only gets up once or twice before she really should.

Reality is setting in that Natalie is most certainly - growing up.

Easter

Family Update:
Here are some pictures from Easter. Natalie, Kelly, and I (and the baby) traveled down to southern PA for the weekend.

Winter Storm BLASTS the Northeast!

As you can imagine, I'm getting pretty sick and tired of writing about snow. It's April 16th for crying out loud. Actually, I don't mind the snow at all. I would choose cold & snowy over hot & buggy any day. The only thing I'm not so crazy about is sideways snow. Sideways snow is down right nasty. I know what you're thinking, "Just keep your back to the wind." Yeah, well...easier said than done. One false turn and you've got a face full of blustery ice crystals. Sometimes you run into a situation where you have to shovel a path and you just can't get your back to the wind. See what I mean.

To any extent, we got a bit of snow overnight and it's still coming down. [We are thankful that the power hasn't gone out] I'd say we're at 10" or so.

The commute to work this morning was a bear. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper.




For those of you who don't like snow...just relax and have some fun.

Snow?

Snow? "Hey, wasn't that a paragraph heading in a previous Blog posting?" That's right, the white is back. Temperatures here at camp have plummeted in the past week...causing it to snow the last two days. I didn't think the weather man knew what he was talking about until I woke up Thursday morning and saw the ground covered in a white fluffy spring snow. It almost confuses you enough to say, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Easter."




Check it out:
Here's something for all you moms and dads.

Nature/Technology: Africam - click on the "Nkorho Stream" (below the "home" tab)
Live streaming video from Africa. Guaranteed to supply your family (or just your kids) with countless hours of fun (automatic babysitting). I'm just kidding. Actually it makes for a fun activity several times throughout the day. Natalie likes checking the computer to see if Africam shows any wildlife. Even if it doesn't, you can hear live audio. Note: Night time is great...because birds and insects are flying to the watering hole which shows up great on the night-vision camera.

Wish List Need
In the past year or two we have seen a good growth rate in new campers for Shepherds Camp. As the number of new campers rises we find our need for new/more office equipment rising as well. One of those needed items has been on our wish list for the past year. A document scanner would be a very helpful and efficient addition to our camp office. It would alleviate the stress and time we spend copying information, faxing information, and discussing information between full time staff (and our camp records).
I'm asking you to prayerfully consider making an investment to the camp for the purchase of a document scanner. If you have any questions, please give me a call or shoot me an email. bkarrowhead@frontiernet.net, 570.663.2419

Count Down

DAY CAMP - COUNT DOWN
101 days until Day Camp at Arrowhead

Check It Out

Here are a few things I came across in the past few weeks.

Culture: Film & Theology Night - Talladega Nights
Here is a great sermon that talks about the movie Talladega Nights. Many of you have either seen this movie, heard about the movie, or have friends, family, and co-workers who have seen the movie. Maybe your kids have seen this movie...or they want to. Check it out, it's an excellent way of understanding & engaging your community and culture.

Music: Peace - in the search box (top right) type "peace".
The song was written by a worship band from a church out on the west coast.

Just for Fun: Enter to Win

Things are Never Dull at Camp

Last weekend was our Shepherds Spring Retreat! We had a great time with our friends who come to camp in the summer and live close enough to attend our weekend retreat. Despite an extreme delay in receiving the registration forms, [we thought we were going to have to cancel the retreat] we had 30 campers with us over the weekend. We also had a lot of staff serving throughout the weekend too. With service staff in the kitchen, counselors, program staff, co-counselors, and volunteers - we had a total of about 25 staff. Wow, what a weekend!

Two of our campers playing bumper pool during some free time. Another one of our campers proudly displaying his Arrowhead visor.


Snow?
Let's not forget the snow. Just a week ago there was still white stuff on the ground up here. It took some time, but the snow has finally melted away. Working outside has been a blast with all the warm weather...as I'm sure you would all agree.

Family Update:
Things are hopping on the home front as well. Did you catch that subtle Easter pun/joke...Your welcome. Natalie is showing great improvement in her speech and motor skills. She's also trying more and more to act and sound just like Kelly and I. One of her newest activities is to grab a book, head down the hallway to a little stool she has. This usually occurs when Kelly is on the phone or cooking dinner. Natalie sits down on her stool, opens up her book, and begins to read. It's mainly incoherent rambling...but man is it adorable. Natalie also loves to pray. Our normal evening routine is: read a book, drink milk, brush teeth, get pajamas on, pray as a family, and then go to bed. Holding Natalie I sit down in the rocking chair in her room. We all fold our hands, after Natalie motions for Mommy to come closer and kneel down. We spend time praising God, thanking Him for the day we had, and praying for our family by name. Well, the other day Kelly was in the kitchen and she heard Natalie talking from her room. Kelly peeked her head in the room and saw Natalie sitting on the rocking chair with her hands folded praying. And get this...she was saying our names, "Daddy, Mama, Natalie, and baby. Oh man! If that doesn't make you tear up a little...there's something wrong with you. Side note: it's okay for guys to cry on two occasions only. First, if you get shot more than once. Second, when your children are obedient and follow God.