Colton at Sky Ranch - Rockwall

Colton was pretty hesitant and clingy on the way to Sky Ranch. I was worried he would not want to stay. However, when we got there, he ran right into the cabin! I had to ask him to come back and hug us and say good-bye. His counselors seemed so nice and like they were great with the little ones.

At pick-up, his counselors said he filled the cabin with fun and that he kept everyone laughing and having a good time. He said he is already ready to go back!

Jack Ranger at Sky Ranch - Booker T

Jack Ranger was in a cabin with both 4th grade and 5th grade boys and he loved it. He especially liked his cabin, Booker T, because they had a living room with sofas where they hung out and played games.

During pickup, his counselors said that Jack Ranger was a strong Leader in the cabin. I was so proud! They said he did what was asked and encouraged the other boys to listen to the counselors and make good decisions.

Ranger's favorite part of Sky Ranch was jet skis. When we picked him up on Friday he wasn't ready to come home so that is a sign of a great week!

Cadie at Sky Ranch - Joy Street

This was Cadie's first time in Sky 3. She had a great time and made a new friend - May. I loved that she got the "Care Bear" award. At pickup, her counselor said she was really caring to both the girls and the counselors. They said he was very sensitive to anyone who wasn't feeling well and that she was encouraging and kind. There was one girl that really wanted to go home, and Cadie came alongside her throughout the week.

I loved seeing her smiles in the pictures. Most of the pictures have her real smile so I know she was having a good time. Her favorite activity was still the torpedo and I loved that there are good pictures of her on the torpedo. Her favorite night even was Mission Impossible. She liked all her counselors and said she especially connected with Grace.

Happy Father's Day - Sky Ranch Dropoff

Father's Day this year included a gift box from Foxtrot, a kinda gross omelet that I made (sorry Grant), and dropping off the kids at Sky Ranch. I am so thankful for a Dad that loves our kids well.

Grant posted on facebook, "This is the first year all three of our kids are old enough for overnight camp at #SkyRanch, which provides an exceptional fun and safe Christ-centered camping experience! Erin and I dropped them off yesterday in East Texas, and my dad came along for Father's Day. We are so impressed with the additional health and safety precautions/training Sky Ranch has implemented this year and we're very grateful that this part of our kids' summer tradition can continue. We're also super excited about going to family camp together at Sky Ranch Horn Creek (in Colorado) later this summer!".

It's pretty fun that this is our first year with all three kids at camp and we have a kiddo in Sky 1, Sky 2, and Sky 3. We feel like we have big kids!

I took the week off work and am SO excited about time with Grant, sleeping in, eating out, catching up on projects and being in a quiet house.

Weirdest Last Day of School Ever

During the last week of school, we had a schedule to drive through the elementary school garage and the middle school garage to pick up the kids things. The teachers had packed up their desks and lockers and there were different stations in the garage. A station to pick up a bag with the kids locker and desk thing. A station to drop off library books, a station to pick up art portfolios, etc. We never got out of our car. It was pretty organized and anti-climatic.

The teachers also tried to provide opportunities to say good-bye to the kids. Mrs. Conner and Mrs. Gaule came by the house with signs to say good-bye to Cadie. Ranger was able to say good-bye to Mrs. Larkin in the car pool line at the school. I don't think Colton was able to say good-bye to Mrs. Everett, but we emailed with her and she said that she missed Colton very much and that he was a "joy" to have in her class this past year.

I made the kids take a "last day of school" picture in the front yard which they thought was strange. We then wrapped up the evening with a neighborhood bounce house and movie night in the backyard. So long weird 2020 school year!

Broken Bow, Oklahoma

We needed a change of scenery and Broken Bow, Oklamhoma delivered! We rented a cabin on VRBO, invited Joy along, convinced DD and Big John to come, rented an SUV on the day of departure since the Pilot brakes gave out the night before, packed up almost everything we owned, and headed north. We weren't quite sure what to expect, and it was wonderful. We didn't want to leave!

It was only about a 3 hour drive, the cabin was cozy and comfortable, Big John grilled delicious food every evening, and we wrapped up the nights around the camp fire with smores. The good folks of Broken Bow are NOT at all worried about COVID. Restaurants - open. Mini golf - open. Ice cream parlor - open. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer - available (we stocked up). State Park - open. It felt like a different world!

We loved doing mini-golf, taking a hike in the state park, having a picnic by a beautiful stream and then wading through the water (I laughed so hard at Colton the lizard laying on a rock in the sun in the middle of the stream), singing around the campfire (thank you to Joy and her guitar), watching Ranger suffer through a Hot Cheetos challenge, and seeing our friends who went to Broken Bow too! Our friends and neighbors also rented a cabin once we decided we were going to make the trek. Ranger ended up spending the night at their cabin and then they invited him to stay longer with them! We all came back on Sunday, but Ranger hung out with his friend Hudson in Broken Bow until Tuesday.

Thank you Broken Bow for being just what we needed! We'll be back!