Cousin Camp 2011 is officially over! My house is a wreck, my body is groaning all over, my cupboard is bare, but it was oh so worth it! It was the last year for Amy, Erin, and Lily and they were my originals five years ago along with Mimi who has long since graduated. So this year was particularly bittersweet. But I have big plans for the oldest nieces next year. Yep, it's back to Niece Camp and it will be new and improved!
But back to this year......Kathy, you asked in a comment on a previous post who pushed the button at Sonic! I had to LOL at that because that is one of the many little things that make CC such a joy and so much dad gummed fun. And, by the way, Hannah had the coveted honor this year of pushing the button. Gotta love it!
Yesterday morning we were supposed to participate in a ministry project but there was a lack of communication and the outreach ministry we were scheduled to help didn't need us after all. I called a couple of other places to see if they could use a few willing adolescents but, alas, it was not to be. Erin, if fact, commented that maybe it just wasn't in God's plan for us to do a ministry project this year! Huh!! The wisdom of the young. After deciding she was probably right we just made our way back home to play. Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if God was using this as a vehicle to alert me to step back and breathe since we had been so busy. So we did. For an hour! : )
The rest of the day included a trip to Michael's to partake in their free summer craft project, Little Caesar's pizza at home, swimming all afternoon at my friend, Deanna's house (thanks Deanna), and then back home to get ready. Get ready for what, you ask??? Well, last night is the most waited for and loved of probably all the Cousin Camp activities. The annual scavenger hunt.
Kaylee and I decided on a road rally this year. She took one team and I took the other and we made our way to places like the park, Walmart, Dollar General, Kaylee and Bobby's old high school, Kaylee's house, and finally, to downtown Denton where we concluded with ice cream from Beth Marie's. I can't decide which is more fun: creating the scavenger hunt or watching them participate. I was pretty much smiling ear to ear when after they finished the last assignment Amy said, "Thanks, Aunt Jeanne, for all the hard work you did making this". Now, it doesn't get much more satisfying than that!
After the final stop at the Cousin Camp store at home we finally got to sleep and then woke up to monkey bread for breakfast and a much anticipated trip to the Denton water park. Parents picked up at 3:00 and that was all she wrote for another successful and fun Cousin Camp.
But the craziness continues! Kaylee's actually moving back in tonight. She'll be looking for a house to buy and, in fact, went and scouted out her first one with a realtor this afternoon. Eeeeeekkkk!!! My daughter is an adult! Well, we'll see. I did say she was moving back in and she hates cleaning bathrooms so we may revert back to middle school days all too soon! And Bobby's also home for the first time in about a month. Fun times to be had all around on the Jacobs' Journey!
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Erin and Amy helping with breakfast and making yummy pancakes. |
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| We can't have Cousin Camp without the fingernail painting session. Yeah, that's Damien's back. He's joining the fun too. That's what happens when you're surrounded by a bunch of girls for four days. |
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| One of the scavenger hunt assignments was to pose in a picture with a JoAnn's Fabric employee. |
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| Another assignment was to pose with wearing a hat from Walmart. Oh, Amy! |
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| These are supposed to ultimately be rugs made from t-shirt strips but some came out as potholders. Whatever it takes. Hannah thought it would be pretty hung just like this on the hula hoops. I agree Hannah! |
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| Mystery Meal time. If you can read them can you tell what they might be code for? As an example, #12 was "green with envy" and was actually a pickle! Kaylee thought up all the codes and made this poster. Kaylee is definitely my right hand man for Cousin Camp and I relish her encouragement, ideas, and help. Thanks, sweet girl! |
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| At the Mystery Meal table. The kids were pretty good sports about the whole thing. Mimi came and helped with the prep and serving. Couldn't have done it without you, Mimi! Thanks! |
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| Lily and Hannah were on the same team and here's where Lily was posing in a hat! Silly! |
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| Here they are taking turns choosing items from the Cousin Camp Store. It wasn't actually a store this year as I didn't use the lanyards and cousin dots. When my eldest and much loved niece Stef was down last fall she brought a very cool spinner that she'd made to play with the cousins so I decided to go that route. Depending on which color they landed on, they could choose from a certain shelf. This is a VERY serious affair. We have the Cousin Camp store every night. |
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| Sadie and Erica posing at JoAnn's. Amy was taking the picture. |
