Homebodies

I just hugged my three older kids goodbye. They're going to be flying to Indiana with Jim's folks for a few days with Granny and Granddaddy before the rest of us fly out on Friday and join up with them.

The girls were recently at Music and Drama Camp (MAD Camp) for almost a full week and were home for one full day before turning around and flying out. They're both a little weepy at the thought of leaving again, homebodies that they are. MAD Camp was the longest they'd ever been away from home and definitely the longest they'd ever gone without being in some kind of contact with me or Jim. To leave again so soon after camp was/is very hard on them, even though logically they knew it was going to happen. And my mama heart is feeling the same emotional pull, hoping and praying they'll find the joy in their trip rather than dwelling on missing us back in Girdwood.

Their time at MAD Camp was fun and the entire camp put on two performances of a play about Daniel. We caught the second night's performance at a church in south Anchorage and they did a really good job (they=my girls and the whole cast, in case you're wondering). Moriah was one of the advisors to Darius who gets Daniel in trouble and Susannah was one of the heralds who announced Darius' entrances and exits. Both girls had a solo and sang well.

Apparently camp was rather grueling because of how long they practiced each day. But they seemed to enjoy the chance to perform (as always) and I think they had fun. The girls certainly exchanged email information with many of their fellow campers and shared a few of those camp inside jokes that will make them giggle for a few months yet. Moriah has a bum thumb in a splint right now and couldn't fully enjoy the water sports, but made it work somehow. Susannah came home with a certificate for being a Polar Bear swimmer. Which means she woke up early to plunge into the cold lake. brrrrrrrrr

After all of the emotion and last minute suitcase packing last night, today was good practice for when Jim and I get up early to fly out on Friday morning with the little girls. Well, except that we didn't pack our own suitcases. And I didn't wake the little girls up. And I'm heading back to bed to catch a bit more sleep instead of driving into the airport at this hour. So, really, today wasn't good for much beyond giving some hugs to children I'll miss a ton and an early morning blog post.