I live in one of the best metropolitan suburbs around. We are a master planned community, and everything was certainly well planned. We have every amenity I could imagine for children. Our schools are top notch. Our neighborhoods are connected by bike and hike paths. You never have to go more than a mile to reach a wonderful park, and all of the parks have the latest and greatest equipment. Any sport or recreational activity we would want is within 5 miles. We have every major shopping venue within 10 miles. Maggie & Anthony were 2 when this was taken - 7 yrs ago. They were cowboys / cowgirls for halloween. It is just in their blood I think!
We even have childcare at the Kroger grocery store... something that is just about the most valuable of all of the amenities -- I cried when I discovered this one.
The Woodlands is absolute Utopia for families. For this reason, many people who relocate to the Houston area end up in the Woodlands. So another interesting fact about our community, is
that it is made up of people from around the world. Just on my street, we have families representing, Germany, Thailand, Switzerland, New Zealand, Philippines, Mexico, and Canada. I love meeting people from other cultures and learning about different places, and I hope my children are also soaking this in. Anthony's little friend Felix came from Germany 2 years ago and did not speak a word of English. He now speaks very well, but their friendship started with 2 boys who could not communicate very well. I have to think these experiences will be remembered. 
After our 2nd summer at "ranch camp", I am sitting in a quiet suburban house for the 4th day. I have had the opportunity to catch up on chores (which I need to get back to shortly), but I will never be caught up. What I notice as I re-enter this world is that I miss the country. I really don't need much, and though I never appreciated the quiet of the country when I was growing up, I do prefer the quiet of the country. Peace & Quiet - That is what I love about the country. I love my quiet house now, but there is a difference between QUIET and PEACE. I feel like we just go all the time here, and though we were busy on the ranch, it was a peaceful kind of busy. There was a purpose to our work there, which made it seem less like the treadmill we are on at home. I guess we always want what we don't have. When I was growing up in a small country town, I would have thought this life in a wonderful place like The Woodlands would be the ticket. As I age, I see it a bit differently.
As a child on the ranch, we would just get on our horses and ride. We would be gone for hours, and nobody ever worried. We were safe from the outside world, and we just didn't worry about things like snakes and other mishaps that we might have encountered (thank goodness nobody told us to worry about it). What I remember most is that we entertained ourselves without any technology. Just the great outdoors, some animals, a companion or two, and our imaginations. We didn't need a formal activity.
Alexander was not even one here, and already he loves the ranch. What's not to love?
I sometimes worry that my children are so programmed for the scheduled activities that they won't know how to entertain themselves. We got a little taste of this at ranch camp. We didn't watch much television, and they played with each other in the great outdoors. In current life on the ranch, we have added 4 wheelers and Rhino vehicles to the mix. I loved watching my kids play outside together. In my world, peace doesn't necessarily mean QUIET. My four kids are very loud, actually. You can ask just about anyone -- they are LOUD! Somehow though, a simpler life for a few weeks gave me some kind of inner peace.
When I was a teen, I hated that I lived on an isolated ranch so far (10 miles) away from my friends and social life. As I look at that life through the eyes of a parent, I think how much I will always cherish our "ranch camp" because my children are each other's friends. There are no friends ringing the doorbell, or calling from the street. It is just us, and this has been good bonding time for all of us.
Another fun time about ranch camp is the time we get with cousin Forest and Uncle Thatcher. This is the most time I have had with my brother, who is 5 yrs younger than me, really ever. The 3 kids were about 3 in this picture, and they have always loved the horses. Maggie especially, but that is a whole posting of its own.
As it sit in my house, which is more quiet than it has ever been, I notice the noise of the lawnmowers, cars, people. Ours is a quiet neighborhood by Houston standards, but nothing compares to the country life.
My children are raised in a different world than I was, and for them this is mostly good. I think they also love the country, so I really hope that this experience can continue and that it gives them somthing valuable as they look back. For me, ranch camp has brought back a lot of great memories about my childhood, and has given me a new appreciation for my children.
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