Poppa Camp

Boys want to be men. It's that simple. They aspire to be men and we aspire for them to be (one day, but not tooo soon) as well. My Benjamin is so blessed to have great men in his life, men of many different talents and skill sets.

Paul is an amazing fixer, problem solver. He will try to fix anything himself first before resorting to hiring it out. He also is a whiz on the computer, seriously a natural problem solver. LOVE that about him. My dad on the other hand has a different skill set. He's a cowboy, a musician, a radio technician, works with his hands. He's got a wide array of useful and very manly skills. We got the idea of how fun it would be to teach our boys these skills and not let them just rest on the men. Paul tries to teach B here and there and in organic, everyday settings. But Poppa lives hours away and the organic way just isn't happening. So, we set aside a weekend. Maybe an annual weekend (we hope???), to let Poppa teach the boys some important manly things. Funny, because Paul and Ryan wanted to be there to learn too!!!

I was very impressed when I saw the wide array of things on the agenda for the boys!!

• bow shooting, as in arrows and a target

• How to drive a manly riding lawnmower (even the men couldn't wait for this one. Dad's own like a Royals Royce in lawn mowers, HA!!)

funny to me how almost everything the boys did required ear plugs!!

• horse saddling, shoeing, and of course, riding

• cutting down a tree basics (with a chain saw!!! Ack!) and then hauling it all off in a wheel barrel
  

LOVE this picture!!

• ready for this one? Guns. Shooting. Safety. Seriously manly stuff here (and a mother's nightmare!)
  

okay, is everything about this picture not wrong????? That sweet little innocence 5 year old face holding a RIFLE???? WRONG I tell you!!!!

• Scavenging, as all boys do naturally, I think

• How to eat Mexican food like a man

• They watched a old "boy" movie called "Savage Sam"

• While movie watching they enjoyed root beer floats.

• Poppa had some cool boy books to read to the boys at bedtime, but I think only Benjamin made it to that point.

Fun, fun, seriously manly, fun times for these boys. I'm so proud of my B who wants to be a wise, strong, adventuresome, and brave man one day! He has so many aspirations, that we can't keep up with them. He wants to solve all the world's problems when he become an adult. Some on the list include: inventing useful things like flying cars, magic and amazing kitchen gadgets, finding a cure for cancer. He wants to study sharks and be a marine biologist. The list goes on and on and is literally added to every single day. It makes me smile to hear him dream with no adult-like-reality in the mix. We let him dream.

I truly can't wait to see what God will do his life. I know He has a great purpose for Benjamin, as it was so amazing how he made it here in the first place, defeating all odds.

Thanks to the MEN in his life who invest in B and pray for him and want him to be a mighty warrior in the army of God!! B can't wait until next year's camp, Poppa!!! He wanted me to tell you to make sure guns were included though...his favorite part!