BOOGALOO CAMP 2019

This year has to have been the most special Boogaloo Camp yet! It was the most fun and the most joyous time, just us girls and our little boys!  And, the Lord sent us perfect weather!  Last year, we had to leave after 2 days due to a tropical storm closing in!

We arrived on Friday morning.  Everyone unpacked and sort of moved in on one another!  Usually 3 of us stay at the trailer next door, but due to some college friends needing a place to stay for a few weeks, we lent it to them,  Which left us all together in the house.  But even a tiny house has plenty of room when it’s filled with love!

We started the day off with the results of a project that I gave the girls a few weeks ago.  They were to find a flamingo and enhance it in some way.  The rules were lenient, but everyone got into the fun!  First John Thomas and Tara…they found a flamingo stake and added clothes and a blinking light flamingo necklace!  It came complete with a sparkly sign.

Next came Levi and Suzanne.  They decided to build their own flamingo!  They built a stand and then fashioned the face and body.  A true arts and crafts project!

Then Joy arrived with the biggest flamingo I had ever seen!  She dressed him in a hat and and he was carrying a large gift bag with smaller gifts for us all!  How clever!

Lori came in last…and brought her project!  She had found a flamingo pinata and added some darling accessories!  Sun glasses, and lovely blond curls. She also had a necklace…so cute!

We visited and let the boys discover their boxes of treasure and projects we were to accomplish!  Then I shared my flamingo gift to everyone!  The softest, comfiest flamingo pajama pants!  I bought everyone a pair…and we all liked them so much, if we weren’t dressed to go out…we had on our new pants!  Aren’t they cute?  Found them at Wal Mart several months ago..guessed at sizes…and saved them for camp!

We went out to Boondocks to eat, one of our favorite places!  The boys went to feed the fish after dinner on their pier.  I went out long enough to snap a picture…but the bugs were biting so bad, I came in to wait!  See Levi scratching!

Joy had brought ymmy flamingo cookies and that was our desert!

Next morning was our first run on Thomas Doughnuts…excellent as always!  Then we all prepared to head to Shipwreck Island.  This was the boy’s choice.  They promised me I would like the lazy river and that there were plenty of places to get out of the sun.  So, Joy and I bravely joined them.  Yes, I loved the lazy river.  As a matter of fact, that was the only thing Joy and I did.  But it was relaxing and cool.  However, enough was enough for the seniors in the group.  After a few hours, Joy and I headed for home.  The girls and boys stayed a good while longer…wave pool, slides, all that they offered!  They had a ball!

Everyone was hungry and so we headed out to The Shrimp Basket.  Had a little wait, but not too bad.  Great food. Not much atmosphere, but we enjoyed it!

After dinner, we decided ice cream was in order…trip 2 to Thomas Donuts and Ice Cream.  I love their snow cones!  Home and a little book reading to the boys.  I always bring the funniest books I can find to make them laugh!  Do you know The Wonkey Donkey?

Suzanne woke us to the smell of bacon and eggs, yummy!  And, then Levi, John Thomas, Lori and I met at the kitchen table for a painting session!  We worked slowly and learned about blending and the way the ocean looks when you stand on the shore and look at the horizon.  They worked very well…here is their work in progress…

After this, we got right into a massive tie dying session.  Oh! it was messy!  And, so fun!  Can’t believe I didn’t make pictures of that, but we made some great shirts and had a ball doing it!  Then Levi had some gluing and pasting he needed to do!

Don’t the boys look cute in their matching outfits?  Yes…we know that won’t happen too many more times!

We also did some work with clay.  The boys decided on the designs for their fish depending on what they could find around the house to make marks in the clay with.  They did good, huh?

Everyone decided a trip to Pier Park was in order (shopping, if you don’t know).  We found shoes for the boys and a little of this and that.  Then we headed to Red Robin for an early lunch.

After lunch, Joy and I headed to the house for a little respite and the girls and boys headed out to explore.

And, when they came in…they had found a new candy store called I Love Sugar.  They had bags and bags and bags of treats…lots of the old timey candy.

Time for bed!  This year, all 7 of us stayed in the house.  I have some friends whose college sons needed a place to stay for a few weeks, so they were using the Flamingo (trailer).  So, we were all together…really together.  Stepping over one another, running into one another and loving every minute of it!  We may even do it again next year!

Bacon and eggs again, and biscuits, too!  Lori had to head back to Dothan for work.  And, the boys were more than ready to head to the beach.  So off they went.  Tara has a dear friend (Jayna, daughter of my friend Shirl).  They have a house about 3 blocks from us.  They were here this week, so they all met on the beach.  The kids played together and the girls talked!  The water was pretty rough, so they had to stay pretty close in.  Fun was had by all!

Joy headed back, she had something to attend too the next morning, and after the beach, John Thomas and Tara headed on their way, too.  She had work the next day.  Got the boys to do some cleanup before they left.  Joy had bought them some of those popper things that leave little white papers..100 each!  Plus, they had marshmallow shooters!  They swept and did a great job!  It was hard for Levi when they left.  He was sad.

That left Suzanne, Levi and myself.  What to do?  What to do?  Hmmm. ” Levi, have you heard of Aladdin?”  “OH yes, let’s go!”  And so we did!  But ended up having to wait for two hours, so they took me to see the great, new, grand, enormous candy store.  We explored it all, then decided what was calling our sweet tooth.  We filled up several bags.  Got several bags to bring back to Alex.

The movie was amazing!  WE got a large popcorn and cola icees.  And settled in to those reclining seats to enjoy!  Such a visual treat for the eyes.

Levi was exhausted when we returned.

Next morning, Suzanne and Levi headed home…after helping me clean up and vacumn.  And, that left me.  All alone in the Sandcastle.  Man, it was quiet.  I lay down on the couch to rest and reflect…I woke up two hours later!  Then I sat on the porch and read, and rocked, and read some more.  The next day, I started on my second book and finished it, too.  I miss having the sweet girls and my Sis and my sweet little boys.

It’s been such a good few days.  We are so blessed to have a family that loves each other and wants to be together.  This has become a highlight of our year and we look forward to next year!