*NOTE: If Courtney S. reads this (you know who you are!), please leave a comment so I know you’ve found the blog. Thanks!)

**ANOTHER NOTE: For some reason I never published this post till now, even though I wrote it days ago. Sorry. Thanks for reminding me, Fran!

I’m just going to toss these photos up here and not bother with captioning them, just because I am tired of sitting at this computer. My kids are tired of me sitting at this computer, too!

We also have lots of pictures of the kids with their friends from camp, old and new, but I didn’t feel right about putting pics of other people’s kids on the internet without their permission. Not everyone is as comfortable with having an internet presence as I am. So yeah.

This post is less than clever because it is pretty awkward to type right now. I’m wearing two wrist splints because I’ve got carpal tunnel syndrome. Too much blogging? I am not really sure what it is that I’ve been doing to cause this, but here it is nonetheless. Brian’s been opening jars, straining pasta, and bagging up the trash. Like he needs more work to do.

Ready for the worst?

It hurts to use my camera. *sob* That’s one job I don’t want to delegate.

This had better clear up by next week’s trip to Camp Spofford. I can’t let that go undocumented!

I’ve been away for a couple of weeks, the first time without Brian and the kids, the second time without Brian. I’m tired. I missed my family! And I missed sleeping in my own bed (made me think perhaps my bed is a bit of an idol for me…hmm…).

I thought I’d toss up a few pictures of my travels for you.

This week I did something I have never done before. I sent my mom to Africa.

Well, I didn’t really send her per se, but I did bring her to the bus station so that she could get to the airport so that she could get to the next airport so that she could get to Nairobi. That’s Nairobi, Kenya. In AFRICA. That’s in a different hemisphere, people.

She’s a nurse and she is spending her vacation (and I do mean spending in more than one sense of the word) helping out at a rural hospital in Kenya. Yes, I raised her to be a compassionate person, didn’t I?

I envy her for this experience. Hopefully she will remember every detail and bring back lots of stories and photos. And exuberance.

To know more about this kind of thing in general, here are some links for you to peruse.

• Global Volunteer Network
• Ngong, Kenya

You can estimate your fuel costs for a driving trip using this tool. To do a certain trip I have been dying to make, I will have to shell out over $100 just for gasoline. *sigh* I need to do more mystery shops.

(Click on any thumbnail to enlarge and to read a description!)

For your voyeuristic viewing pleasure, photos of us at Camp Good News in Charlestown, NH:

Looking into the sun for a photo op is kinda uncomfortable.

Gannon wanted to try archery. And he hit the target!

Little Miss Blue Eyes. Coincidentally, she learned to pronounce the “bl” sound this weekend. She reveled in her ability to say BLLLUUUE!

Gannon is becoming quite the playground expert.

Acadia had been photogenically playing with a big purple hula hoop, but when the man came over to get her picture, she got silly and shy.

Acadia loved playing with this friend. They were together much of the time.

As is traditional, we poked around in the water for frogs, newts, et al. We didn’t find much this year, but we sure had fun.

Father and son.

Gannon got a ride on this ancient pony, who kept falling asleep.

More water explorations with friend.

The kids both got Memory Verse ribbons. Acadia’s first ribbon!

We love Camp Good News. I think one highlight of the trip was that we allowed Gannon to wear the same pants and shirt the whole weekend. He did change his underwear, though. I think. WHATEVER. It’s CAMP.

Those who have noticed Gannon’s haircut may be interested to hear more of our unwelcome recent “trip to the Lice Capades”. Be not anxious; I am formulating a post.

We went to a farm in southern New Hampshire. To see photos of this wonderful trip, please take a look at Lisa’s blog. She’s posted some of our shared visit.

The kids and I went on an insect trek. We found more than insects.

Ooohhh…creepy. I think this is a spider and her babies, but I could be wrong. I suppose it could be a spider and her second breakfast.

Our quarry: the monarch butterfly caterpillar, doing what it does best: munching milkweed. The kids now can spot a milkweed plant from across a field.

Too bad we weren’t better at spotting stinging nettles. Don’t get into this stuff. Gannon and I did, and boy does it live up to its name.

Happy kids with bugs.

Our last find was this cool cicada skin, found on the bark of a tall pine tree. Doesn’t it look nasty? If I were writing a screenplay for a horror movie where some bug turns giant-sized, I think this one could do well in an audition.

Thanks, Pat and Carol, for letting us traipse around your field while you were away. Oh, didn’t you know we were there?