Camp Grandpa

Next week is Camp Grandpa in Middleville! I am pretty excited about this first time event that we plan to make an annual one! We get to have 3 special young visitors for 4 days of fun with drop ins for younger ones!

Our kids remember special times with their grandparents. It was harder for them as military kids to see their extended families frequently but when we did they loved it. As they got older we started allowing them to spend a week with grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins and camps nearby as well! We wanted them to know their families and made a few extra trips/drove a *few thousand extra miles* to be sure they were included in family gatherings. Spent some funding on airfare from overseas as well when we could.

We laugh when we hear about "jobs" they did while away from home and I think they enjoyed coming home on occasion too! When they connect on Facebook, see each other at weddings, reunions, etc. their family members are not strangers.

Back to Camp Grandpa, I think we are going to have a great time with planned visits to lakes, a pool, childrens' play areas at Meijer Gardens, a zoo and a dairy where they make ice cream and have a farm animal pet zoo. Yes, we might even ride Grandpa's tractor and 4 wheel a few times and work in the garden too! Might even need to pull out the hose and fill the kids pool on the deck for a splashing good time (I need an excuse to jump in too). Jobs will be done too (they need to have something to remember like ours did). What fun!

What do you do to stay connected with extended family? Share with others as a means to assist other military families during the heat of summer and the frequent stress we all face or have faced at one time. Two of the attendees at Camp Grandpa are enjoying the return of their dad from Iraq after a year long deployment.