The Best Camp EVER

I was nervous about camp this year.  Packing up and spending a week with no a/c, a bath house and cots to sleep on, all while nursing a 7 week old, just didn't sound like my idea of fun.  But how can you tell your 4 older kids that they can't spend a week with their cousins?  

So we just bucked up, packed up our things, and made the best of it.  

  

 

Even though I was worried about Jay, he did great.  He enjoyed lots of snuggles from some of his favorite people.  And he got to wear some of his new, cool camp gear.

One thing that made it memorable was the rain.  We unpacked on Sunday and after setting up camp and visiting a while, we took the kids to the lake at camp.  They had a blast swimming, as usual!  The next day we woke up to pouring rain, which continued throughout the entire day.  Fortunately, the clouds started to clear that evening and we were able to take the kids swimming at the lake again.

The next day was overcast, but turned bright and sunny by noon.  We spend hours upon hours at the lake.  It may be the first year that almost every single person at camp got a little sunburned.

Since Jay was so small, we thought he needed to stay out of the sun on Wednesday.  "Snakey Lake" at camp has a wonderful dock that would keep Jay out of the sun, while still allowing the other kids to get nice and wet.

 Jay was able to spread out on a soft blanket and take a nap.  Is this perfection, or what?

 These cute girls were able to convince some of their siblings to pull them around the lake.  They rested in the boat, while their brothers and sisters pulled them around the dock.  I think they loved it. :)

Another fun activity for the kids that day was having Cory "save" them.  He got out the rescue float and let the kids grab on while he pulled them to shore.  They loved it!

 Jay and I mostly chilled on the dock, although I got in and swam a little.  The water felt wonderful.

 I can't believe how grown up these sweet girls are getting.

We realized this is our seventh year going to camp.  

Our first year, these girls were five.  This year, Paige is turning 5.

Where has the time gone?

 We all think the lake is pretty close to Heaven on Earth.  It is so beautiful sometimes, it's almost breathtaking.


                            

Paige liked the water, but didn't love it.  

She loved relaxing on the dock.  

                           

And playing with Parker.  

These two are peas in a pod.

Have I mentioned how much I love these boys?

They are fun, wild, crazy, sweet as sugar, and the best boys around.

 

There was plenty of time for fun with the cousins.

Time for the grown-ups to talk and hang out.

Time for the kids to be kids.

Time to swim.  Time to rest on the dock.

Time for sunshine.

Nothing but time.

 

 Before Wednesday was over, the kids discovered some water bugs at the edge of the lake.  They spent the next hour or so catching them.  They really looked like a baby roaches that swam in the water.  But the kids thought they were awesome.  Nothing like some good ol' nature to entertain the kids.  It was so fun watching them play together.

We woke up to a rainy, dreary Thursday.  We played around camp that morning.  With so many kids around, there is always something fun to do.

For a while, the kids played clothespin tag in the rain.  

The little kids may or may not have (but definitely did not) understand the concept of this game.

Much to the great frustration of the more competitive kids in the group.

But it was fun and entertaining.

After a while, we decided since it was raining anyway, we'd just take the kids down to the lake.  The grownups could stay dry under the shelter and the kids could swim.  It was lots of fun.  It rained off and on, but we swam for hours and had the best time.  No one was ready to go back to camp.

Usually Friday is our Fun Day, with a visit to the water park.  Once we realized all the rain we were getting was from a Tropical Storm headed our way, it was obvious the water park outing was not going to happen.  Because it was so wet and rainy, with no chance of it letting up, we cleaned up camp, packed up, and headed home that day.  Even though we were sad for camp to end, we made lots of wonderful memories.  

Jay was a trooper, the kids played well, the adults enjoyed our time together to catch up and have fun.  One night we had a family night and had an impromptu talent show.  It was awesome and hilarious to see the kids and grownups strut their stuff.  One of the best nights ever.  We had fun crafts to entertain us.  We had fireworks at night.  

I can't say enough how much fun we had at camp.  It turned out great.  It was one of our favorite camps ever.  There was the most peace and contentment this year that made it one of our most memorable.    

And although we were sad to see it come to an end, we were totally and completely worn out and ready for some R & R.

This is how Friday afternoon looked around our house.  Jay took naps on several of his favorite people and some of the adults even snuck a nap in.

Hooray for Camp! 

Until next year!