The big stuff:
The entire family braved the cold and participated in Winter Weekend camping for the first time. Zach officially moved from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts during a ceremony at the campout, so Frank's time was split between the two groups. I mostly kept track of Gabe and Charlotte, and Charlotte was happy to hang out with Gabe's Bear den and the younger dens (she'll be excitedly joining Girl Scouts within the year). The adults and Cub Scouts slept in cabins, a big one for the males and a small (nicer!) one for females. On the second night, once he'd become a Boy Scout, Zach slept outside in a tent with the rest of the troop. We'd gotten him a really warm sleeping bag, and I think he enjoyed every second of the campout.
Grandma Jill, Emily, and Nathan came to visit for a few days. They arrived the same day we got home from camp, and while those were a busy few days, it was a nice change of pace. It actually turned into puzzle-palooza, once Emily realized we had multiple puzzles we could work on. Most of us worked on them at some point during the course of five days: first a difficult Harry Potter puzzle that had been sitting unfinished for over a year, then quickly a Disney character menagerie and an artistic Star Wars one. The kids' highlight, however, was our use of a chocolate fountain we'd had for ages and never tried before. Grandma got to go with Charlotte to dance class, and we all saw her very glittery costumes. Charlotte and Nathan played together as much as possible and were having a great time.
The small stuff:
a friend of mine passed down her daughter's small bike to Charlotte
I reorganized the art supplies in the basement
the kids made "armpit fudge" (squished in a baggie) at Gabe's scout meeting
Zach was one of eight finalists in a fifth grade speech contest, where he gave his speech about peer pressure to the parents
I think Charlotte had withdrawal from Nathan being her willing playmate. For a solid weekend she insisted that I be the mom to her baby doll and come to her play kitchen restaurant!
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| Gabe (and I!) learned to tie a paracord key chain and bracelet. |
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| Charlotte found a place to be helpful and messy. She poured water for the rockets while Gabe was tying his paracord. |
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| The Boy Scouts and parents went on a Hike to Eagle Rock. By all accounts it was very steep! |
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| At the top. Gabe, Charlotte, and I were in that building with the white roof behind them. |
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| We came out and could barely see people when we heard they'd made it to the peak. They sat and ate their lunch up on the rock. |
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| Charlotte experiencing my bunk... |
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| ...but she very much enjoyed her own. |
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| Playing and watching gaga ball. The kids love this game! |
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| Gabe learned to whittle. |
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| Charlotte was SO EXCITED about the rockets. They went very far! |
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| Frank was happy to be fire master. |
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| We saw an owl up close. |
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| We all went to Chili's in the van. |
