Camp out

After the GOTR 5k it was off to camp! The girls took off for Camp Wapsi for their spring Daddy / Daughter  Campout on Saturday. This was Emma's first time getting to sleep in the hammocks under the stars so she was probably the most excited of the three. They packed their bags, lots of snacks and left me in the dust. I made sure to book my weekend full of lunch / beverage / dinner dates so that I could take advantage of my free time to catch up with friends while they were gone. 

Hazel was sure that she was going with them for the night. 

All taped up and ready to play!

Not sure Grace has the best form for shooting BB's. :)

Emma was loving the archery though!

Norah always loves the Burma bridge!

Camping in the cold

A little rain and cold weren't about to stop the girls from enjoying their annual fall daddy/daughter campout. This is Mark's 13th campout with the girls and he couldn't remember a single campout where the rain ruined their festivities. Needless-to-say, there is a first for everything.

They packed up with all the essentials....pringles, reeces cups, sleeping bags and rain boots (by order of necessity) and they were off. 

Emma [AKA Grinning Grizzly] officially moved from Guides to Expeditions on this campout, but with a slight change of rules, our little expeditioner didn't meet the 10-year-old guideline for zip lining or rock climbing so she was pretty bummed. Added to the mix her 2 AE buds were busy this weekend and didn't make the campout. She tried to swallow her sadness though and make the most of her cold, rainy weekend.

Grace [AKA GraceHopper] had a great time at campout, and though it was too cold and wet to sleep out in the hammocks this year, she still had a great time. Her favorite part was definitely climbing the rock wall and she tried really hard not to think about the fact that this was her last fall campout. One more in the spring and daddy/daughter campouts through AG will be a distant memory.

Norah [AKA Honey Badger] didn't even notice the cold or rain given she didn't stop enjoying time with her friends long enough to notice. She was made for camping and loved all of the games in the "creepy basement" while they waited for the rain to push through. With the numbers decreasing in Adventure Guides, I am so happy that she gets the chance to experience campout with her favorite AG leader, Code Monkey. Pictures soon to come, but with Mark in charge of photos for the weekend, I figure best to post highlights while I wait on those photos to surface.

Spring camp out

It's Adventure guide camp out time again! The girls count down to this fun weekend away with dad. They were sure to show the video where they chanted about the fun of having no mom for the weekend and a picture of all of the junk food they planned to eat while they were away. It was beautiful weather and a great chance for me to deep clean while my little tornadoes were out of the house. 

Annual daddy/daughter picture at Camp Wapsi.

[love]

I didn't give my consent for bow and arrows.

...or guns. Check out those smiles though...

Crossing the Burma bridge.

Norah found a friend to bring home...

The three musketeers. Never to be trusted when together.

Grace slept all night outside in the hammock. Brrr...

And a pic of me deep cleaning...(or meeting friends for drinks). :)

Camp out 2016

The girls were a bit nervous to leave home, but the excitement of the daddy/daughter camp out was still in the air this year. Norah was on a count down given that she was finally old enough to join the big girls on this special 'dad's only' weekend away. They packed their junk food, grabbed their sleeping bags and off they went to Wapsi. 

Ready for camp out!

We truly couldn't have a better circle of dads and daughters than the Gray Fox circle. 

Josie and Emma loved being taped together during Mission Impossible. 

Gray Fox won the tug-o-war!

Grace and her friends in Expedition loved that they were finally old enough to sleep out in the hammocks under the stars. They made it all night...brrr...

Norah's first camp out with her friend Allie. 

Softball camp

Once again we took advantage of another summer camp offered at my school. This time, Softball. Our students are such awesome role models for the girls who enroll and they look up to them so much, that after an awesome experience last summer, we enrolled in softball camp again this year. My girls don't play organized softball, so they were both a bit nervous, but both have expressed an interest in it and love playing catch in the backyard or hitting balls at the park. Where some use the camp to hone their skills during the off-season, we were in it for the fun. Regardless of what camp we are at, the friendships the girls make and the character traits modeled by the 'big kids' at these camps far outshine whatever skills they may pick up. Though I love that they are keeping active this summer and better understanding which activities they may enjoy, I am more pleased with the new friends they are making and the confidence they are building by trying new things.  

The end to another great camp! 

The girls loved running the bases with the sprinklers running!

Toy Story

My school offers a bunch of really great summer camps, and the girls love any excuse to be able to hang out there and be surrounded by all the big kids. We always do the typical basketball, soccer, and softball camps, but this year Grace wanted to try volleyball and theatre camp. This is so far out of her element, but she had such a great time at show choir camp last year, that it helped ease her fear of the stage and introduced her to something new. She was a little hesitant the first day when she realized that she was the only kid from her school there, but she quickly made lots of good friends from other schools which put her at ease. She loved all the camp activities, and worked all week toward helping with the Children's production of "Toy Story." I was surprised when she told me she tried out for a few of the bigger roles and proud of her for pushing herself outside of her comfort zone without my prodding. Though she didn't get any of the roles she tried out for she was cast as one of Sid's toys and came away from camp with a huge sense of pride over trying something new. 

Buzz, Woody, and Bo having fun after the show.

Grace loved the costume and make up rooms. She thought is was awesome that they added stitches to her forehead for the show and was amazed by some of the make up techniques they used to make cuts and bruises look so real.

The show was really cute, and we were lucky enough to have great seats in a completely packed house. It was a wonderful feeling to know my school supports such fun *free* community activities and even more incredible to know my children got to be a part of it. 

Camp-out highlights

This past weekend Mark received his "elder" badge for completing his 10th camp-out at Camp Wapsie. This camp has created so many great memories for the girls, and though we had a good laugh over his 'badge of honor' it is exciting to know that many more weekend camp-outs await with Norah being able to join next year. Each year the girls count down to these daddy-daughter weekends, and return full of stories, laughs and sleep deprivation. I'm so thankful Mark takes so many pictures over these weekends so I can get a small glimpse of all of the fun they have! I know I talk about Adventure Guides a lot, but if you have younger kids...it is a small commitment with maximum output. I highly recommend you find a tribe near your house. 

Emma was pretty proud of her rifle work this year.

The weather was awesome...time for canoeing lessons.

The girls beat the boys again this year in the tug-o-war.

Check out all that bling.

Expeditions ready to conquer the beast.

Ziplining is definitely a favorite for Grace. Emma can't wait until she is old enough to conquer the beast.

Adventure Guides Camp out

Adventure Guides has been such a great activity for the girls. Mark really enjoys getting to do the activities with the big girls and it has given Norah and I an opportunity to get some time just the two of us. Although Grace graduated from Adventure Guides this year, she decided to continue on in Adventure Expeditions. As luck would have it, both camp-outs were the same weekend this year, so Mark was able to take both girls again this year. 

Adv. Exp: Elizabeth, Grace and Emily. Adv. Guides: Rory, Josie, Gracie, and Emma. 

As usual, Emma loved the tight rope across the water.

Turns out, she's a pretty good shot...who knew?!

Grace, Emily and Avery. Grace and Emily had a great weekend in Expedition. 

Avery, Rory, Emma, Elizabeth, Josie, Brooklyn, Madeline, Grace, Hailey.

Mark and the girls

Since she is now in Expedition, Grace was super excited to be old enough to zip line. She's hard to see, but she's climbing up the right side of the tower a little over half way up. She was so brave!

Yikes...looks so high!

Getting ready to zip line down. Another great camp-out weekend!