Grammie Camp #1

Our official reunion with everyone together lasts from Wednesday at dinner to Sunday afternoon. Even though husbands start departing for work after that and people are coming and going in order to keep up with their work lives, the fun just goes on for me! After a day of recovery and a night out with just the moms for dinner, I get to start the one-on-one time with my extraordinary grandchildren.  They are divided into groups and we call our time together “Grammie Camp.”  This year we had three different groups, all held according to who was here when. 

The first group consists of three little girls who adore each other (most of the time) and who love learning…about everything! We usually start Grammie Camp after lunch one day and finish after breakfast the next day. 

 

We try to do something a little different each year but there are a few things  that are dyed-in-the- wool traditions. Because my parents were both farmers, one thing we learned well when we were home was how to work! In my efforts to carry on this tradition, the kids actually have fun doing what they call “picking weeds”.  Every weed they pull is worth one penny and the money they earn will be spent later that afternoon at the dollar store in Montpelier.

These girls made a goal of “picking” 300 weeds and they worked their little hearts out!  Here they are with their gloves on…ready to work:

It wasn’t so fun when they got into the prickles, but they persevered and reached their goal. Pretty magnificent weeds huh? (Secret… I watered them before we started so they were pretty easy to “pick”).

Here they are with their proud purchases from the dollar store after all their hard work:

 

 

These three are also pretty amazing artists!  We had them go pick a bouquet of flowers and then use pointillism to paint their pictures with watercolors and Q-tips.  They came up with some really creative paintings!

 

 

Here are the finished products without Claire’s who had already taken it home by the time I thought to take pictures. Shawni send me a picture and I’ll insert it.

 

 

Another traditional thing we do at Grammie Camp is to hear Ancestor stories and then visit some of their graves. Many of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are buried in the Bloomington Cemetery, just across the lake. It’s so fun to have a scavenger hunt for graves in the cemetery.  At my mother, Hazel Jacobson’s grave these cute kids rejoice in finding their GREAT grandmother. On the left is Claire Hazel, in the middle is Hazel Jane and on the right Eliza Sage. Plenty of Hazels to go around to remember this extraordinary woman! She must be so proud of these kids! Looks as though they’re pretty proud of her too!

 

This year we found this T-shirt which was appropriate since two of these little girls’ mothers went to Wellesley College and the other practically lived at Wellesley with

Of course dancing and a talent show is always part of these girls’ Grammie Camp. There’s a Grammie Camp song that these girls know word perfect and a the first part of my favorite scripture which is Heleman 5:12.  Every word they got perfect was worth a gummy bear and they have that thing flat!

We found this old T-shirt this year that made me smile because two of the mothers of these girls went to Wellesley College and the other mom practically lived with her sister there while she attended Boston University. She even named her oldest daughter Wellesley!

In the morning we cooked waffles and bacon under the direction of Hazel (sorry…blurry, but these kids just can’t quit moving…and neither can I) and a grand time was had by all!

I LOVE getting my grandchildren all to myself in small groups. I learn so much about their personalities and their abilities to interact with their cousins. It’s pure joy!  Group 4 coming next!