Last weekend we held our annual Grandma Camp! I can’t believe how quickly the time flies by!!! We had seven littles sleep over this year, and the other three attended in some way. I felt our sweet Kai watching over us from heaven, Baylor came for a few hours at the start until it was time to go home for a nap, and Payton attended via her mom’s tummy – she is due in August.

After a kind neighbor came and helped us stack our furniture into one tiny room, we were able to add one more tent this year! It was like fitting puzzle pieces together, but we made it work. With my tent, we now have a total of eight tents set up on the main level of our home which is no small feat!

Oakley and Macey came to the rescue again and came a day early to help me get everything set up. Oak is now an official working women with a driver’s license and a car, so she was able to come and go juggling Grandma Camp and lifeguarding duties at Cherry Hill. She’s a busy girl!

Macey was an incredible help not only in getting everything set up, but helping with the younger littles in every way!!!

I couldn’t have done it without the official Grandma Camp Committee of the two who are over 12 – the age when you get to help in the planning and preparations for Grandma Camp!

We had “Jumpolines Party Rentals” https://www.jumpolines.com come again with their HUGE blow-up bounce house/slide. I highly recommend this company! They deliver and pick up. They are always on time, the bounce houses are clean, and always look brand new. I chose the same one as last year because I like the colors.

We chose the “Maui” one. This is a great time filler, and gives the kids something to do when we are setting up for the next craft, game, treat, or meal.

There’s never time to be bored, and it helps them run off all the sugar we feed them! :)

We also couldn’t pull this off without Grandpa Ronnie! He does all the hard work, in addition to running all the errands to pick up the sandwiches for lunch on the first day and many trips to the store. Our schedule stays pretty much the same each year food wise. We start at 11:00 on Friday with the bounce house until everyone arrives, and then it’s sandwiches for lunch.

In the past they have come from Subway, but this year we did Jersey Mike’s and they were a hit! The mom’s and the littles who aren’t sleeping overnight are invited to stay for lunch after time in the bounce house. Last year I started another tradition of making Lime Rickey drinks. They were such a hit, I decided to make them a permanent feature at Grandma Camp. We went through three and a half cases of Sprite, over 40 limes, and a bottle of grape syrup! Not something I would give the kids every time they come, but it’s only once a year! They leave on a sugar high I’m sure!!! :)

After the moms left, we went on a scavenger hunt on the trail behind our home. The kids each received a card with things to look for along the way. When they saw those things, they could put a sticker on the picture. I was surprised when we returned home that we did not see one seagull or one helicopter.

We did find all the other things. Later in the day, we did finally see seagulls and a helicopter, so I let them put their stickers on.

We incorporated Macey’s “Grandma’s Toy Shop” again this year because it was so popular last year. The kids get to earn “Kindness Coins” during Grandma Camp. Oakley and Macey get to distribute them.

At certain times of the day or night, Macey will open the store for 5 minutes for the kids to shop with the “Kindness Coins” they have earned. The most popular item this year were the tiny little silicone Stanley cup straw covers!

We had lots of crafts tailored to the ages of each little. We did the same with the games.

The weather was perfect to hold all our crafts and games outside. We even ate lunch outside on both days.

We made our traditional Grandpa Ronnie home-made pizzas using “Rhodes Bread Dough”. One loaf of bread makes two pie-tin sized pizzas.

This year Lila was the master pizza maker! She stretched her dough without making any holes, and she won’t be five for a couple more weeks! We told her she should open a pizza shop!

After dinner, we had our special treat. This year I ordered the most delicious heart shaped sugar cookies I’ve ever eaten in my entire life from “Cindi’s Sweets-Cookies”!

I asked her to decorate them in green ombre’ waves and they turned out exactly how I envisioned them. If you are looking for the best cookies, cakes, ice cream, soda bar etc. for any party or wedding, give her a call.

Everything she bakes is exquisite and so delicious! www.cindissweets.com I found the cute plastic plates at “Fox Market” in Holladay, Utah – a fun new store to explore if you’re looking for a “Secret Life in Salt Lake” option. It is just a block away from “Amy Boutique” – one of my other favorite “Secret Life in Salt Lake” stores. The “Hester and Cook” green floral napkins came from “Knot + Spool” also in Holladay. The cookies were one of the kid’s all-time favorite Grandma Camp treats. I’ll be doing them again for sure! There’s nothing like the perfect sugar cookie to bring LIGHT into your life!!!

We got in our jammies, popped popcorn, and settled down for the night to watch “Parent Trap”, the one with Lindsay Lohan. Lila was the only one who made it through the entire movie. Everyone else fell asleep along the way.

The next morning started with Grandpa Ronnie waffles topped with vanilla ice cream and Grandma Les’ homemade strawberry jam. Then more bounce house fun in our jammies before we got ready for the day. This included more crafts, games, “Kindness Coins”, and a final trip to “Grandma’s Toy Shop”.

We eat left-over pizza from the night before for lunch every year. It’s actually really good, and the kids like it!

We always end Grandma Camp with a book read by Grandma Les and a couple special gifts, usually necklaces for the girls, and Mason got some special rocks. Each child receives a copy of the book, and a green rock heart.

This year’s book was “Miss Rumphius” – by Barbara Cooney. I tell them each time they hold that rock heart, or look at it, to remember how much Grandma Les loves them! And to always be kind to others.

Grandma Camp is a lot of work, but oh so worth it!!! Each little goes home with a swag bag of activities to finish, and hopefully happy LIGHT filled memories they will never forget! I know I won’t!

I’m so grateful for my family, and especially for my grandkids! Ron and I are so greatly blessed! Each year after Grandma Camp, I take a little break before thinking and planning what to do next year. I’ll meet with Oakley and Macey in January, after Christmas, and we’ll start making plans.

After a night and day of putting the house back together, washing sheets, mattress pad covers, blankets and every towel in the house, I’m ready for a quiet week. But you can be sure I’ll be thinking of the fun times we had at Grandma Camp 2024!

Hope you have a great week filled with those you love most!!!

Love Ya, Les :)

Family