It's that time of the year again. Cousin Camp.It's Camp. For Cousins. It's a Family Reunion without all of the complications and messy politics. Kids don't understand that stuff. Maybe they shouldn't. Because as the sky is blue they believe everyone gets along with everyone else and we adults all love each other as much as we love them and they love their cousins.
And for the forth year in a row, my sister Carolina has organized, planned and even conscripted my nephews as camp councilors. That's her in the photo to the above, with my daughter Millicent. On a side note, Mills has a very evolving fashion sense and since the age of 6 insisted she needs a cell phone. To call her friend. That lives next door.
What's a dad to do. Hunter? Dave?
Carolina lives in Gumlog, Georgia. Her wonderful husband Ricky is a local contractor and the hardest working man I know. They have two sons: one is in high school studying the opposite sex and the other is in college studying Architecture (which of course includes the studies of the a fore mentioned younger brother).
And for the past three years she's taken time off work as a nurse in order to create a wonderful, loving and artificially fun filled week of activities for six children. Six children that aren't even her own. Why she does this is between her and the angels. Activities include:
- Matching Themed T-shirts
- Golf Lessons
- Fire Works and Laser Shows at Stone Mountain, Ga.
- Six Flags
- Water Park
- Steam Train Excursion
- Boating
- Fishing
- Marsh Mellow Roasting
- Movies
- Bowling
- Camping
- Video Games (limited use)
Here's the lot of them the other afternoon at Stone Mountain. Note the sullen teenager to the far right? Sucka! How cool does it look to be surrounded by kids when the oldest is ten? Thanks again cousin Daniel! Uncle Phil will be there on Saturday. Bearing gifts. :)And then, a few months after Cousin Camp - a photo album arrives in the mail, highlighting activities with witty descriptions. Good times.
I don't know how you threaten your kids: no video games, no TV, no internet, etc. Around my house, the most serious of all threats involve not being permitted to go to Cousin Camp. When Cousin Camp is mentioned, backs straighten, voices still and even broccoli is eaten.
Anyway, none of us are actually sure how much longer Aunt Carolina can keep this up. Not to mention that one of these years, one of these kids (and dearest Allah/God/Budda/Vishnu/SpagettiThing/Etc, please let it be my other sister's kids...not mine) will sneak beer (or worse) into the sacred confines of Cousin Camp. But Aunt Carolina will know exactly what to do. And it will probably involve saying sorry to baby Jesus and then calling home to confess. As it should be. :)
My wife and I are planning to bring Aunt Carolina to Las Vegas this year during AU. If I'm not around, please make sure she doesn't buy her own drinks. Then come and find me and we'll settle up.
My kids are so very blessed.
If only every kid in the world had an Aunt Carolina.
4 comments:
Great to see you back to a more normal family life. Wish you the best. ;-)
Phil,
I am assuming the man in the background is an uncle who deals with 6 kids in his own way...heehee
A couple of corrections...video games are not limited at cousin camp. If we are at home (which is rare), then the cousins are allowed to destroy any & all myelin from their neurons that their young minds can handle. Also, should the time come that beer is snuck (yes, I said snuck-the past tense of sneak, which is how we say it in Gumlog), it will probably be by Phil's oldest son, Harrison (who is already allowed to partake of said drink in minimal amounts), & the incident will be remain forever a secret within the cousin clan.
A sip or two is barely a minimal partake! :)
Got the Cousin Camp 2007 book. Lovely dedication on the back cover. We miss him too!
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