We just had the most amazing Cousin Camp ever. It was our first one and Presley picked the place. Thank you Princess Presley.
Sancy (Grammy) and Johnny (Gramps) traveled in their camper with Presley (age 4 1/2 but turning 5 two days after Cousin Camp). Betsy (Ma) and Gary (Granddad) traveled in their camper with Anna Claire (age 8), Bennett (age 6) and Sutton (age 3). We went to Yogi Bear Jellystone Park in Burleson, Texas. It was about a 7 1/2 to 8 hour drive for both of us.
Upon arriving around 1:00 p.m. on August 10th all kids had a tote bag full of gifts. There were arts and crafts, dinosaur t shirts, hats, bug boxes and tons of stuff in the bags. Grammy put together the tote bags.
The first group picture is below. Ma made a Cousin Camp shirt for each day we were at Cousin Camp. That really made picking out clothes easy.
Anna Claire and Presley never stopped hugging and holding hands the ENTIRE time.
Uncle Matt lives in Austin. He came to visit and the kids loved having him around. They kept calling him "Stinky Uncle Matt" because he wouldn't give Presley her birthday present immediately.
Pool time. Once Presley went over to Grammy crying because "He dunked me." Ma called Bennett over to her to have a talk and Bennett was saying "Why does everyone accuse ME???" About that time I heard Presley say "Sutton did it." I called Sutton over to me and he immediately knew he was in trouble. He kept his head down. I asked him if he dunked Presley and he wouldn't answer. I told him to go tell her he was sorry and he said "I don't want to." So...I told him he would have to get out of the pool because Presley doesn't want to be dunked. In the most softest voice he said to Presley "I sorry."
Granddad and Sutton. Presley is in the background floating.
Bennett loved having the pool right across from the camp site. He was always going in to cool off.
Granddad, Sutton, Anna Claire and Presley.
Bennett and Sutton. I had this feeling Sutton was swallowing water. I reminded him not to drink the water. He replied "But, I'm killing germs in my mouth. The water has chlorine and chlorine kills germs."
Cindy Bear with Presley and Anna Claire.
Riding the fire truck....Presley, Grammy, Anna Claire, Bennett, Ma and Sutton.
Presley with her beautiful picture.
Sutton painting.
Guess who lost a tooth? Frantically, not knowing the procedure I had to call Jessica to see what they do. The tooth fairy wrote Anna Claire a letter. In the letter the tooth fairy said "I have watched you wiggle and wiggle your tooth all week. Thank you for letting me add it to my special collection." Then, with the letter was some money. Anna Claire read the letter and counted the money and then looked at Ma and with a wink said "thank you." Ma just looked back and said "I have no idea what you mean!"
Uncle Matt got the bubble machine working!
This boy LOVED the bubble machine!
Bed time. Sutton told the bedtime story. He told a story about Jesus and markers. What is amazing is not one of these children mentioned their parents. I was dreading bed time. I slept on the couch the first night right next to them expecting someone to wake up wanting mommy and daddy. Their names were not even mentioned. Sorry parents but I was so relieved!
Anna Claire and Presley with their pretty masks they painted.
Our first morning I had my morning coffee. The kids would go back and forth from our camper to Grammy and Gramp's camper. We were right next door and that was so wonderful. I opened the camper door because Anna Claire had just said she was going to Presley's camper. Even though we were next door I still kept an eye on them going from our camper to Grammy and Gramp's camper. This is what I saw! Amazing and priceless...all in one! That made Granddad's week and year!
In preparation of the Hey, Hey, Hey ride. All we knew at this time of the Hey, Hey, Hey ride was to bring your water guns and wear your swim suits.
Back to the bubble machine for Sutton.
Playing with the beach ball in the pool.
The Pirate's Cove Water Park was so much fun. I could not take my eyes off Sutton. He doesn't know he is three years old. Every single time at the end of this slide he would go under. I tried telling him to hold his nose because I know water was going up his nose. It did mine. He replied "But Ma, I LIKE water up my nose."
These girls did their own thing. Grammy watched them.
Sutton and Bennett.
Sutton laying on his back going down the slide. He saw the big boys do that.
Bennett going on his stomach. And he saw the big boys do that.
Sneaking up on this bird.
This was Bennett's favorite. The obstacle course.
Uncle Matt took the kids shopping next door. Bennett came back with a "Granddad hat" and Anna Claire came back with this light up hair thing.
Sutton got a little truck.
The train ride.
Waiting for the Hey, Hey, Hey ride. All we knew was that it would be wet, wear swim suits, and bring a water gun. Sutton didn't go. He didn't want anyone squirting water on him.
They see Uncle Matt and the water starts!
They don't know but behind Granddad's back is a water hose hooked up to the water in the trailer. It is powerful! Gramps is next door hiding behind his camper and they don't know that either.
You can see a red and white sun visor. That is Presley. To her left is Grammy and to the right is Anna Claire and Bennett. Everyone on the ride is squirting Matt!
Gramps squirting everyone on the ride.
Granddad and Gramps squirting everyone with water. Matt is taking it for the team.
The first ride is over but it will happen two more times. We know what to do now. Presley is getting ready to squirt the next people on the next ride. Anna Claire will help her.
Bennett was serious. He hid behind the camper and when the Hey, Hey, Hey ride got even with the camper he ran out with his water hose. I heard people saying "Hey, look, it's a little boy." I don't think they were prepared for this little boy to bombard them with water.
Bennett showing us how much he got wet!
Tuesday was American Girl Day. We had 11:30 a.m. reservations in Dallas. Everyone had on their Sunday best. Hats, pearls, matching dresses.Our campground was 50 minutes from Dallas. Not a bad drive at all.
In the restaurant. First, each person picked out an appetizer. Anna Claire and Presley thought it was their lunch and they ate every bit. I kept telling them it wasn't their main meal. Each person got a different appetizer. We got fruit, muffins, pretzel rolls, and a tortilla for the appetizer. The napkin rings were bands with a pink bow. They got to keep the bows to put in their hair. Each girl eventually wore the bow as a bracelet. They both put their cloth napkins in their laps.
Each American Girl got their own seat that fit to the table and a tea set. They got to keep the tea set.
Lemonade and apple juice to drink.
Anna Claire is the sweetest girl in the world. She would keep coming up to me and whispering in my ear "Thank you Ma." The whole experience was more than she imagined.
Making bookmarks.
Starting to get really tired. We were here 3 1/2 hours.
As we walked out the door all four of us stood in front of the pink American Girl building and put our hands on top of each other and made a pact that we will come back every year.
Very tired girls.
When we got back we went to the Water Park and the girls didn't want to stay long at all at the water park. Bennett and Sutton wanted to stay so I stayed with them. Grammy told me later "You know why they wanted to leave the water park, don't you?" I didn't know. She said "As soon as they got back to the camper they got out all the American Girl stuff they bought and started playing with it." Aww, so that's why they didn't want to stay at the water park. Of course.
Hey, Hey, Hey ride again. Bennett did miss a single one.
Tuesday was Gramp's birthday. Presley painted him a picture frame for his birthday. Poor Gramps. Grammy had to call Gramps on the way home from the American Girl store to tell him to go to town to buy HIS birthday cake. You can't have all these kids here knowing it is Gramp's birthday and not have a birthday cake. So, Gramps bought his own birthday cake. We had cake after supper.
Another Hey, Hey, Hey ride and Bennett and Anna Claire are ready!
The last night was Fashion Show night.
Presley is standing on a towel. The towel is their stage. She is wearing Grammy's shoes. Presley won the penguin at the Arcade. She won 1,000 tickets! Her Daddy will be so proud! ha!
The audience. Sutton wasn't "into" it.
Oh no. Cousin Camp is over. EVERYONE is sad and mad, all rolled into one. Sutton told me he wasn't going home because "I haven't done everything." I told him we had to leave and he said "Well, I'm not going home." I asked "Where are you going then?" He said "Your house."
Anna Claire went up to Grammy and said "Aunt Sancy, do you think Presley and I can be pen pals. I can write her letters and you can read them to her."
Good bye Yogi. It was fun!
The....best.....vacation.....ever.
Sancy (Grammy) and Johnny (Gramps) traveled in their camper with Presley (age 4 1/2 but turning 5 two days after Cousin Camp). Betsy (Ma) and Gary (Granddad) traveled in their camper with Anna Claire (age 8), Bennett (age 6) and Sutton (age 3). We went to Yogi Bear Jellystone Park in Burleson, Texas. It was about a 7 1/2 to 8 hour drive for both of us.
Very tired girls.
Hey, Hey, Hey ride again. Bennett did miss a single one.
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