Our first morning at SC, we had passes to go knee boarding...at 7:30 a.m. It was hard to roll these four sleepyheads out of bed...but they decided it was SO worth it!
And they're OFF...
D took a turn...
My boys have become great swimmers in the past years. They love the water!
J and C passed the swimming test the first morning. They were so excited to show me their arm bands.
Archery...
Building paper rockets...
Rock wall climbing...
We met a new friend. She fit right in with our family! Oh, to have a GIRL! The boys and J were getting ready to go tubing...
I kept checking in at the information desk and found extra tickets for the wave cutter, or "banana boat." B went on the first run...
Then it was C and J's turn...
Our family entered the SC campus "Silly Bandz free," but by the time the week was over, my boys were HOOKED on this fad. Thank goodness there was a Walmart right down the road! The first pack we ever bought/opened contained two HEDGEHOGS! What are the chances?
C and J's favorite group leader, G...he rocked!
Our crazy friend, president of SC...at his finest! "Shorts" is a great leader and we love his heart and enthusiasm.
J and C's group photo.
B spray painting his motorized rocket...
The guys had about 30 minutes to construct this rocket...and they rocked it!
B on the flying trapeze.
C takes his turn...
J finishes up!
Our family, with our new friends. 
The very best part of our vacation at Sandy Cove was BEING TOGETHER as a family...playing, eating, making new friends, worshipping, learning, hanging out. I loved watching my boys have the time of their lives (they all vote for Sandy Cove over Disney or any other vacation we've taken). Lord willing, this will become our annual vacation spot! We gave each of the boys a day to plan and they packed those days FULL! When we return, we'll probably take it a bit slower, but our first trip was spent trying to do a little bit of EVERYTHING! I didn't take photos of the huge buffets, but we ate like royalty three times a day. We also enjoyed sitting with different families at meal times and were able to make some great new friends.
The main reason we picked "Summer Together, Week 2" was because our dear friends and mentors, the T's, were going to be at Sandy Cove. We love them and cherish any and every opportunity we get to spend time with them! They have introduced us to the F's, also alumni of Life Partners, now President of Sandy Cove. We love our Life Partners family so much!
Our boys with Aunt C and Uncle T...What a blessing to see the boys interact with them throughout the week. They made an impact on our sweet kids!
New friends were made too! We enjoyed our time with M and her super sweet daughter, J! We ate meals together and played together. Uncle T fell in love with this little girl...we all did!
A and A and their son S ate many meals with our family. We enjoyed the fellowship and got to know them a bit. Hoping we'll be able to return to Sandy Cove next year during the same week!
Sweet J and her family became part of our family! We added her boys into the mix most days. Hey! When you have three boys...what's one...two...three more?
The awesome F's...with their youngest. LOVE THIS FAMILY! And we love what they are doing to make Sandy Cove a place where the peace and presence of Jesus are welcome...and felt by all! God bless them!
The main reason we picked "Summer Together, Week 2" was because our dear friends and mentors, the T's, were going to be at Sandy Cove. We love them and cherish any and every opportunity we get to spend time with them! They have introduced us to the F's, also alumni of Life Partners, now President of Sandy Cove. We love our Life Partners family so much!
Our boys with Aunt C and Uncle T...What a blessing to see the boys interact with them throughout the week. They made an impact on our sweet kids!
New friends were made too! We enjoyed our time with M and her super sweet daughter, J! We ate meals together and played together. Uncle T fell in love with this little girl...we all did!
A and A and their son S ate many meals with our family. We enjoyed the fellowship and got to know them a bit. Hoping we'll be able to return to Sandy Cove next year during the same week!
Sweet J and her family became part of our family! We added her boys into the mix most days. Hey! When you have three boys...what's one...two...three more?
The awesome F's...with their youngest. LOVE THIS FAMILY! And we love what they are doing to make Sandy Cove a place where the peace and presence of Jesus are welcome...and felt by all! God bless them! -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some tips for next year...(I just sent these tips to a friend who is hoping to visit Sandy Cove next year, so I thought I'd post it here too!)
**Take some cash...they have a snack shop that only takes cash. You need $1 bills to "rent" golf balls for the putt putt course (they give your $ back when you return the balls), the craft shop has some free (included) activities, but other ones you can pay for...they do accept cash or check in there. I never made it to their thrift shop, but I'm guessing cash (maybe check).
**Take some cash...they have a snack shop that only takes cash. You need $1 bills to "rent" golf balls for the putt putt course (they give your $ back when you return the balls), the craft shop has some free (included) activities, but other ones you can pay for...they do accept cash or check in there. I never made it to their thrift shop, but I'm guessing cash (maybe check).
**When you get an email for them, confirming your reservation (it will be about a month before the trip), reserve your "Quik Tiks" ASAP, they go fast...
**Pack some snacks/drinks...we ate well at meals, but there were a few times we needed a late night snack, etc. Hotel has ice...
**Take laundry detergent and a basket. In the hotel, you can wash a load for $1 and dry for about $2.
**Take small bags/totes (even Walmart bags) to send kids' clothes to various aged classes...they swim, canoe, etc. and sometimes need a change of clothes...
**Don't take beach towels...the pool provides those! (Unless you need them for boat activities...it was so hot when we were there that we dried off fast!)
**Invest in some silly bandz for the kids...GREAT way to meet new friends! They trade and share...awesome! (I only buy the $1 packs at Walmart...this mama REFUSES to pay $4-5/pack!)
**They have a talent show on Thursday night, so take anything along that you'd need for that...We didn't know and went guitar-less...Bummer! Next time!
**The food is AMAZING...I don't even know how to describe it! HUGE all you can eat buffets three times a day...Lunch/dinner include an awesome salad bar...I finally learned to do through and get my salad, eat it, THEN get my hot food. They always have kid friendly options too (chicken nuggets, corn dog minis, applesauce, carrots and ranch, etc). IT WAS SO NICE to sit and enjoy meals together!
**Pack some snacks/drinks...we ate well at meals, but there were a few times we needed a late night snack, etc. Hotel has ice...
**Take laundry detergent and a basket. In the hotel, you can wash a load for $1 and dry for about $2.
**Take small bags/totes (even Walmart bags) to send kids' clothes to various aged classes...they swim, canoe, etc. and sometimes need a change of clothes...
**Don't take beach towels...the pool provides those! (Unless you need them for boat activities...it was so hot when we were there that we dried off fast!)
**Invest in some silly bandz for the kids...GREAT way to meet new friends! They trade and share...awesome! (I only buy the $1 packs at Walmart...this mama REFUSES to pay $4-5/pack!)
**They have a talent show on Thursday night, so take anything along that you'd need for that...We didn't know and went guitar-less...Bummer! Next time!
**The food is AMAZING...I don't even know how to describe it! HUGE all you can eat buffets three times a day...Lunch/dinner include an awesome salad bar...I finally learned to do through and get my salad, eat it, THEN get my hot food. They always have kid friendly options too (chicken nuggets, corn dog minis, applesauce, carrots and ranch, etc). IT WAS SO NICE to sit and enjoy meals together!
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