Tag: memories

Cousin Camp 2026

What a busy few days we had in August with four cousins.  This grandma was beyond thrilled that four grands decided to come and hang out.  I used to get all 12 grandchildren to come but time passes and some are adults and are working for a living, one was on a mission trip, and one was studying abroad in London.  Their worlds have certainly broadened farther than grandmas little circle.  I was delighted that my four youngest grands could come.  Even the two that are Junior’s in High School and have summer jobs chose to come.  That was a real honor. 

Grandma had made too many plans for the few days that we had and then Jake said, “You know grandma, I think it would be fun to go to Castle Rock.”  So of course that was added to our schedule.  Castle Rock is quite a rock formation found in our relatively flat area of Kansas.  It is a great place to climb on rocks, look for fossils, and have a picnic!  So that is what we did. 

  • “My cousins are shareholders of my soul.” —Saswat Padhy

Grandpa had a woodworking project for the kids.  They made wooden pencil holders for their desks and got to try their hand at grandpa’s wood lathe for a bit. 

Grandma always tries to interest them in some sewing and craft projects.  We took on some big projects this year and barely got them finished in time.  It’s good that grandma has a stash of fabric.  Jake wanted to make a flag pillow case, Luke made a flag pillow and Addie made a puppy appliqued pillow.  They all did a precise job with their sewing.  I remember when I used to have them sitting on my lap while we sewed together.  There is no need of that anymore.  We have a very talented crew.

Sophie missed some of the projects as she was able to come for an afternoon only.  She also drove her car out to grandma and grandpas house.  We had a good time while she was here playing some of their favorite board games and trekking to our annual ice cream soda fountain in town.  There we try to see just how much delicious ice cream we can eat. 

Grandma and Grandpa had a good time and we hope the cousins did too.  Every morning we started the day with breakfast and devotions.  It reminded this grandma of the cousin camps she attended with her cousins on the ranch in Oklahoma.  My dear Granny would take us all to Vacation Bible School and then we would roam the ranch having all kinds of adventures!  

  • “A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.” —Marion C. Garretty

It’s a Wrap – Cousin Camp 2025

 Well, it’s a wrap. Cousin camp 2025 is in the books. I have 12 grandchildren and I had three that were able to come this year. Some of them are growing up and have jobs and are having to be adults now. That’s so sad for grandma . Some are involved in all kinds of activities and have jobs too for the summer.

I am so thankful for the three that were able to come. We were able to meet up with one other grandson for an evening meal as he was home from college for a couple of weeks.  Grandpa and Grandma are very blessed to be able to spend this time with these precious kids as we see our grandchildren are growing up.

” Some family trees bear an enormous crop of nuts!” -Wayne Huizenga

We had a great time and Grandpa helped them in the woodshop to make some beautiful bookends and Grandma kept them busy with all kinds of crafts. We painted with our toes (this was a special request from a couple of years ago) and got some masterpieces!  They did a turtle, penguin and a star fish.  They did better with their toes than this Grammy can do with her fingers! We did some beading pictures with beads and double stick tape. This was an idea from my niece and was a real hit!  This group is a talented bunch.  I was amazed at their creativity as they came up with some really neat projects.

Time with a few additional cousins.

We played some games, went swimming at the pool and enjoyed the waterslides at the pool here in Quinter. We also went to a trampoline park in Salina and we played putt putt golf in Hays so all in all, it was a successful time. I think the kids and grandpa and grandma were tired at the end of the time together, but it was a blessing to be able to have these cousins here.

We shared some great devotions in the morning and some prayer times. Nothing no nothing could make us richer than be able to spend this time with these kids and our Lord. We’re going to keep declaring Isaiah 59:21. “The Lord says that my spirit is upon you and my words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants or from the mouth of your descendants, descendants Says the Lord forevermore.”

“Family. A snug kind of word.” Fannie Hurst

What a precious friend we have in Jesus. And what a precious time with this group.  Just this last weekend we were blessed to spend time with six of our grandkids.  We ate lunch for Grandparents Day at Addie’s school.  She is the only grandchild we have still in elementary school.  We got to watch her brother’s run in Cross Country.  Luke took first in the fifth grade boys’ race.  Judah and Jake ran very well in their races also.  Then we drove to Kansas State University to have lunch with two grandsons majoring in Computer Science.  It was a delightful lunch just hearing them talk about their classes and their time there on campus.