painted a Christmas Ornament at Funky Monkey, boated, and had a couple of chill days hanging out at the house,” said Cindy. “This year we are changing it up a little bit and hopefully the weather will cooperate.” For the 2025 G-Pappy Camp, they’ve set the plan but of course some things may have to change depending on weather. Friday, everyone arrives, and it’s time to get organized. Saturday is lake day, the cousin meeting, and establishing rules for the week. Sunday is for church, and the Woodlands Nature Station for Butterfly Weekend. Monday is for pool time, Tuesday is Maggie’s Jungle Golf and Emmett’s T-ball game. Wednesday is library day, accompanied by Chick-fil-A and ice cream, Thursday is for family photos and relaxing with crafts and books, Friday is another lake day, and Saturday is pick up. With a wide range of ages, Cindy and Tom always plan accordingly so that everyone can be involved and enjoy their time. “We are fortunate in that we have three ten-year-olds, three five-year-olds, and a three-year-old who wants to do everything the five-year-olds do. We have also found that the older ones really enjoy helping the younger ones, so choosing the activities at this point has been pretty easy,” said Cindy. “I think next year may be a challenge, but we will just get input from the grandkids on what activities they would like to do.” Plus, Cindy and Tom usually have a meeting at the end of camp and let the grandkids fill them in on what they liked and what they didn’t enjoy. “So far, the planned activities are ones with pretty broad appeal, and a lot of the fun is in the small unplanned stuff, like simply loading them up for a golf cart ride or going down to the waterfront to throw or skip rocks,” said Tom. “It’s about having some events planned, but also being able to go with the flow.” Cindy believes that at some point she can see them all getting together and planning the week for themselves. “The kids are always very excited for camp, and when we are with them during the year, they’ll say, ‘Hey, G, I have an idea for camp this year’. We try and incorporate as many of their ideas into the week as possible,” said Cindy. “They also receive a sling bag with gifts for the week when they arrive. This year, each child is receiving a personalized towel, which will help greatly with bath time, a personalized cup, a bug catcher to decorate, and a camp week shirt.” And after a week of camp? Recovery is needed, of course. “We are both 65 years old, so keeping up with seven grands for seven days is pretty exhausting and usually takes about a week to recover, but it is absolutely worth it,” said Cindy. “There will be time for rest later in life.” Right now, while they are all still excited to come, Cindy and Tom will savor every exhausting moment. “There’s that moment when everyone has been returned to their parents, where you sit down and say, ‘Wow... listen to how quiet it is.’ Beyond that, we’ll have a nice dinner, talk about the week, tell each other we’ll clean the house next weekend and begin planning for next year,” said Tom. Having G-Pappy Camp has not only strengthened their grand- children’s relationship with one another, but also Cindy and Tom’s relationship with their grandchildren. “It has given us an opportunity to really get to know them. You are given the opportunity to see their strengths and weaknesses,” said Cindy. “Being with them 24/7 for a week is a lot of quality time and a tremendous blessing.” Tom knows this, without doubt. “Several of our grands live away, and while there are visits, camp gives them and us the chance to get away from the other distrac- tions and only interact with one another,” said Tom. The Butterbaughs believe it is extremely important for grand- parents to take time like this with their grandchildren if they’re able to. Both Cindy and Tom learned life lessons from their grand- parents that impacted their lives forever. “My grandparents taught me the importance of reading the Bi- ble, how to sew, how to garden, and the importance of respecting my elders. We need to take time to share our wisdom and skills with the younger generation. Grandchildren are such a blessing – complete unconditional love without the stress of par- enting,” said Cindy. INTHEVUE.COM | JULY 2025 27
