People often ask me what's our family's "secret".
Like what have we done that makes everyone want to hang out together and stuff.
Well first let me say….grace. It's totally by the grace of God our family is not on the Jerry Springer Show.
You can check this post to see what I mean.
But if there is another "secret" it is this… being intentional.
We don't just talk about getting together and spending time with one another.
We make it happen.
And my favorite event of the year is what we affectionately call Cow Camp.
It's where my entire immediate family comes together and we stay in a one room camp house that one of our church families so generously opens to us for the weekend.
Our nephews dubbed it "Cow Camp" because of this..
Like what have we done that makes everyone want to hang out together and stuff.
Well first let me say….grace. It's totally by the grace of God our family is not on the Jerry Springer Show.
You can check this post to see what I mean.
But if there is another "secret" it is this… being intentional.
We don't just talk about getting together and spending time with one another.
We make it happen.
And my favorite event of the year is what we affectionately call Cow Camp.
It's where my entire immediate family comes together and we stay in a one room camp house that one of our church families so generously opens to us for the weekend.
Our nephews dubbed it "Cow Camp" because of this..
We share the facilities with these girls.
Cow Camp is nothing fancy but it is filled with fun and is the perfect environment for making memories.
So what do we do all weekend?
We fish.
We play BINGO
We have hula hoop contests..
We swim….
We hang out…
We pull out the play-do.
We have epic water balloon fights…
and intense bubble blowing contests.
We play with the donkeys
…right off the back porch.
and of course they're are s'mores..
We wrap it up with our annual photo session.
I ain't gonna lie…
being intentional takes a lot of work.
It takes planning and sacrifice.
But being intentional means being together.
It means making memories that our family will remember a lifetime
It provides late nights filled with giggles and games and early mornings filled with coffee and conversation.
Yes, it's a lot of work.
But the reward is priceless.
The next few days will be Cow Camp prepping for me and Nick.
We shop, we cook and we get it all set up…
Can't wait for the family to start rolling in.
This year there will be 26 of us.
It's gonna be grand!
And this Memorial Day will also be bittersweet.
It's the day Blake will leave to head off to boot camp.
He will be serving our country in the United States Army and our family could not be more proud of he and Lauren's sacrifice for our this great country we are blessed to live in.
May today be the day you quit talking about getting together with those you love…and you make it happen. There are memories to be made!
y'all are seriously the cutest fam jam in the land! Love this and all you do to show the world what family means as a believer. It is so much more than just hanging out, it is grace and being selfless. Love this! Have a great time this weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteHow precious is this!? I love genuine family time. Reminds me so much of my family getting together, and that makes my heart happy. Y'all are blessed!
ReplyDeleteSending up prayers for your son-in-law. I am so thankful for men and women like him who are serving our country! The Lord will put angels around him :)
Fantastic post!!! Be intentional, it's so true! Your Cow Camp reminds me of our camping trips. But with way more activities! Your giving me inspiration yet again, my friend!!
ReplyDeleteI love it!!!! And, best of all, I didn't see a cell phone or technical gadget in any of those pictures! Talk about being intentional! Hats off to you and your wonderful family! I'm afraid it's going to be a very quiet day for us. I'll look forward to hearing all about the fun and memories!
ReplyDeleteLooks like great fun!
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