Family Camp

In summer of 2009, our family attended a family camp for the first time. We had a fabulous time. Essentially this place is a YMCA camp for kids for most of the year and is a family camp for 1 week each summer.

All the fun that kids would have going off to camp for a week is available for the family to enjoy together. Horseback riding, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, archery, riflery, arts and crafts, fishing, games, and campfire fun. Did I mention 3 meals a day that Mom and Dad do not have to plan, shop for, or cook?? It was a win-win! We were thinking the children would love it but we were pleasantly surprised how much we enjoyed it as well. Even pregnant, there was a lot to be enjoyed.

Poppy got to sleep in the upper bunk of a bunk bed (a long-wished for treat) all week and to ride a pony almost every day we were there. She caught a lot of fish, enjoyed s'mores, was unexpectedly good at archery and riflery, and made a new friend, "Jasmine," who is her age. Poppy and her new friend spent a lot of time after meals just hanging out on the big rocks by the flagpole talking and playing. Camp was wonderful for her.

Cornflower enjoyed all the activities as well and was able to spend time doing some of them one-on-one with Mom or Dad. She especially enjoyed facing the Swim-Across-the-Lake challenge with her Dad. By the end, she was asking for us to return the next summer.

One of the best parts of this vacation was that for the week, you could park your car and not have to get back in it to do all the activities. That is a rare thing in our spread out society. We all LOVED not having to get into the car to go anywhere or do anything for a whole week!!

By the end of the week, we were all hoping we would be back for the summer of 2011!

Fast forward one year....

Not only did we go back the following summer with our newest blessing 4 month old, Sweet Pea, in tow, but we convinced our dear friends, B&C, and their children, Rider and Lego, to attend the camp as well.

Cornflower was thrilled with this turn of events. She and her friends, Rider and Lego, made the most of their time enjoying together riflery, archery, ropes courses, tree climbing, crafts, and a host of water activities especially, paddle boarding!!

Poppy was reunited with her friend from camp last year, Jasmine, and the two picked up with their after-meals hanging out at the rocks by the flagpoles once again. Poppy enjoyed pony rides, swimming, crafts and fishing (which she was amazingly good at and had a great time doing).

Daddy enjoyed the challenge of the paddle board and the ropes course and blobbing Cornflower. The latter involves a huge inflatable float on the lake under a diving board and the physics of ripple-wave theory which acts as a stupendous catapult. :-)

I enjoyed a lot of snuggle time with our sweet baby. It was delicious. I could be happy knowing the older two kids were enjoying themselves with their dad and with their friends. we were all thrilled to not have to be in a car for that week. Cornflower, Lego, Rider, and Poppy did TKD for the talent show on the final night of camp, Sweet Pea won the youngest camper award. To top it off, we got to visit my friends A&S and their friends who live along the way.