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Sunday, August 9, 2026

Cousin Camp

I told you all we were doing something fun last week - Cousin Camp!

I had seen people who did this with their grandkids, like my friend Miss Merry, and thought it would be fun to do. 




After getting the dates approved by the moms, I sent these invites in the mail.




I made a sign for their room, got the beds ready and made little welcome bags for each of them.






In the bags were stickers, a flower bracelet, a few notepads, glow in the dark temporary tattoos and a flower t-shirt.






Here are our happy campers, by the front door welcome sign.





I think tie dye is mandatory for camp, right?  So, we started by making tie dye t-shirts.






After that, we did some air dry sculptures.







I found some archeology eggs, that the kids chiseled away to find some different types of rocks inside.







Cassie with the rock she found.






We went to the park for a scavenger hunt.  But - we barely started and it began to rain hard. This is ironic because we've been praying for rain for 6 weeks!  So we needed it, but really?  We went home and played this game...






It's a marble balancing game and we had fun with it.






We had fun making water slime with sea charms in it.







It quit raining so we headed back to the park for the scavenger hunt. I had found print off sheets with things to find in nature, and one was an easier one with pictures for Cassie.





This park has a beautiful suspension bridge.






Grandpa grilled hot dogs for supper, and we had finger jello and watermelon with them - good camp food!






After supper we watched a cute movie about a dog named Ruby. (We watched this one with Terri down in Florida and knew the kids would like it.)
We also had S'mores; another camping essential.

Then it was bedtime. Cassie has a hard time sleeping away from home, so it was a night of not much sleep. I thought she would be so tired and once asleep, would sleep well.  But that was not the case. She ended up sleeping with me and I was woken frequently with questions like "Grandma - is it morning yet?"  "Grandma - what is your favorite animal?"  "Grandma - I can't find my stuffy",  and as soon as the sun was peeking out - "Grandma - it's morning!"   We had to remind her that her cousins weren't ready to get up yet...

And that was the beginning of day 2.  I'll tell you more tomorrow.

24 comments:

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Dear Mari, what a delightful 😊 and fun 😁 event. Lovely photos. It's great that everyone enjoyed it.

Dianna said...

Oh what fun! You and Bob are such great grandparents, Mari! I loved reading this so much!

Kim Carberry said...

Cousin Camp sounds like so much fun! The welcome bags are so cute and the tie dying looks fantastic! You really kept the kids busy with plenty of activities.

Shug said...

You two have my vote for being this summer's BEST GRANDPARENTS!! 🏆... This is awesome Mari and something that your grands will never forget. What a wonderful blessing for you all...

Jeanette said...

How fun!

🌺 Debby/From My Shasta Home said...

You and Bob have to be the best grandparents! How fun for your grandchildren!

Suemn said...

I absolutely love all the crafts and activities you plan for your grandkids:) That Cassie, what can you do? LOL!

Martha Jane Orlando said...

Oh, Mari, what clever and creative camp ideas you enjoyed with your beautiful granddaughters! I'm going to keep those ideas in mind for the next time our grands visit.

Terri D said...

What a fun two days you created for your girls!! Sorry that Cassie is still having trouble sleeping over, but that will work itself out, I'm sure. I love how the two older cousins enjoy being with the youngest and they can all have such a good time together. Thanks for sharing the love and fun with us!! xo

Chrissy T said...

Bless it for the lack of sleep for you but what a wonderful idea of Cousin Camp. How special!!!! You are awesome!!!

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh what fun! You sure make me wish I could be your grandchild for a few days! LOL. I never had that much contact with my grandparents one on one. The only time we were together was for holiday meals mostly, (my paternal gparents), and a week's vacation to visit my maternal grandparents in Ohio in summer, but my grandmother was not well, so mostly we respectfully said hello and and then went outside to play with my cousins. You make grandparenting look like so much fun! I love all the ideas you have for crafts and games, etc. I know the girls all loved it. What a blessing to have them all together. Now next year or the next you will have to figure out how to include the little boy cousin! That might be more challenging! LOL. But your bigger girls can be a big help I'm sure. Thank you for sharing this fun time with us. I definitely have grandma envy. LOL

Ginny Hartzler said...

Goodness, I thought Cassie might sleep better knowing her cousins were there. this was just the best idea! and perfect to do it just before school starts again. You always find the BEST crafts! The marble stacking looks like so much fun, but I bet they rolled all over the place! The shirts are adorable, and they all fit so well!! the bags of goodies, eggs and tir dye are all wonderful projects. Can't wait till your next post about it!

Susan said...

So much fun!!! I miss those days. My grands liked when we set up tents in the backyard. I love where you live, so many trees! Thanks for sharing!

The Happy Whisk said...

Oh my gosh, you are the most fun. Love this.

photowannabe said...

Oh What Fun !!! I love everything about your Cousin's Camp.
What a way to celebrate those special times together. Your craft ideas are beyond creative. I do have a bit of envy creeping in when reading all of this (:0)
Can't wait to read about day 2.
Sue

peppylady (Dora) said...

Sound so fun.

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

Love this so much! What a sweet idea - minus the lack of sleep for Grandma. Lol You folks think of the most fun adventures. :)

Michelle said...

You do the best activities with your grands. This all looks like such fun, except the lack of sleep!

Lowcarb team member said...

I do like the photograph of the three girls on the suspension bridge.
Well done on arranging this Cousin Camp.

All the best Jan

Acorn Hollow said...

What a wonderful adventure for them and you.
Cathy

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hi Mari! You and Bob are just the best grandparents! I love this idea! What a fun, creative way to make life-long family memories! Your grandchildren are super blessed!

Miss Merry said...

Such a great start to your Cousin Camp! I like mixing the ages, Cassie will remember this forever and the older girls are enjoying time helping their little cousin too. Great activities and good pivet on the scavenger hunt. I know what you mean about the sleeping. We had our youngest granddaughter on Saturday night and she never settled down until after midnight. I was exhausted!
Can't wait to hear about Day 2!!!

Connie said...

Mari, this is a wonderful idea and of course you do it with gusto. These children are growing up with so many marvelous memories with their Grandma and Grandpa. ♥️🥰♥️

Nicole Orriëns said...

That is such a wonderful idea! It makes me think of Enid Blython's books about The Five children who play together. You're such love grandparents : )