The last day of Cousins Camp came much too soon. LT was up early this morning to help Grandad start the fire for campfire doughnuts.

First the kids shaped the canned biscuits into doughnut shapes. Pickles wanted me to tell you that we were supposed to have 30 doughnuts, but we counted only 28. Who ate two raw biscuits? She went to check the "empty" cans and found the lost biscuits.

Then Grandad placed the raw doughnuts into the hot oil. Notice the coffee pot in the lower right.

Each one of the kids had a brown paper bag with sugar in it. Grandad dropped a hot doughnut into the bags and the kids shook them to cover the doughnut with sugar.

Then it was time to eat them up.

Don't they look yummy?

We all enjoyed the campfire coffee. The first coffee we had all week.

After we got the breakfast things put away, we got ready to go the the Summertime Water Park in Belton.

The lazy river is a favorite with the kids. They zoom down a slide on their tubes and land in the lazy river. Then ride it back to the slide and go again.

Another favorite is the rings. They jump for the first ring and they try to catch the next one and the next one across to the other side of the pool. Alas, though DR tried over and over and over, none of our kids got past the first ring.

A big black cloud appeared over the waterpark, and it started lightening and thundering. Everyone out of the pool! Gracie started counting when she saw lightening until she heard the thunder. It seemed that the lightening was getting farther away, but the park was closed anyway. We got rain checks and will go back in the morning before time for the kids to head home.

Supper at Bush's Chicken. Then the kids got the tree house set up with beds and covers. They plan to sleep in their remodeled digs tonight.

Nice floor, huh?

They say all good things must come to an end. We're sad to see Cousins Camp come to an end for this year. We hope we can have the grandchildren at Cousins Camp for many years to come. They bring us great joy.

Cousins Camp Courier -- Tuesday, July 27, 2010

This is where the kids slept last night. Luke is behind the fort he built from pillows.








We awoke to thunder and the threat of rain. so after our breakfast of pig-in-the-blankets and watermelon, we spent the morning watching Home Alone 3 and playing board games.

After lunch at Rosa's, (We won't be asking for tacos anytime soon since we've had them at least three times this week.) we went home to finish putting in the floor of the tree house.

Measure twice.
Cut once.

And then into the pool to cool off.

The kids have been waiting all week for this. Homemade ice cream. They had to do the turning. Grandad thinks the old fashioned ice cream freezer makes the best ice cream.

We managed to get the hamburgers and hot dogs cooked and eaten before the rain started.

We had our delicious ice cream inside after the rain began.

Shot of the day!

COUSINS CAMP COURIER -- Monday, July 26, 2010

Grandad roused the troops this morning with his school bell. They slept well and long last night.

After a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, and bacon, we loaded up for our annual trip to Topsey Exotic Ranch.

This guy threw rocks at us.

The real attraction at the Exotic Ranch is the camels.

The kids aren't as afraid of them as they used to be. But they like to run and scream anyway.

Water buffalo are fun to watch as they sink below the water.

Supergirl really liked the ponies and wanted to pet one.

Summer offered her bag of feed to the ostrich, careful not to let him get her fingers.

After we left the Exotic Ranch, we had lunch at Taco Bell, Summer's choice.

When we got back home we were all ready for a little down time. We watched the movie The Apple Dumpling Gang. Some of napped through part of it.

Some of us watched TV, some played Rummikub, and some played computer games.

Then it was time to do some more work on the tree house.

Remember the tree that grew through the tree house? Grandad cut it down.

Then the kids started putting down the new flooring.

Can you tell the difference between the old and the new?

The kids played in the pool. They have a good time even though it is such a small pool.

We had frito pie for supper with strawberry cheesecake for dessert. We'll all be dieting next week.

More tomorrow.

COUSINS CAMP COURIER -- Sunday, July 25, 2010

Our Sunday began with Pickles choice for breakfast -- cinnamon rolls.

We all managed to get ready to go to the 8:30 church service. What a joy it was to sit in church with all our grandchildren.

After church we had lunch at Casa Ole.

Grandad declared that Sunday would be a day of rest. Hmmm. I think someone beat him to that one. So the cousins watched all three of the Lord of the Ring movies.

They took a break to swim a while, and then back to the movies.

We had breakfast tacos for supper.

After another break from the movies, we built a fire and had s'mores and roasted Starbursts.