Also known as Sawyer and Daddy's first father/son camp out!
At FHE every Monday night, after the opening prayer, we conduct our family business where we talk about what adventures we have planned for the coming week. When Daddy brought up the camp out "only for boys" Kate burst into tears. All week long she would randomly cry and say things like "Why is it just for boys?" and "I like camping too!" I promised her lots of fun Mommy/Daughter time but she really was inconsolable.
Friday came and we spent the afternoon getting the boys ready to go. Kate did break out into one "But I like to go camping as a family! I want to go with them!" tantrum and I debated just sending her with them. What could it hurt? But I decided against it. When the boys were mostly packed, I told Sawyer to give Kate a squeeze and say bye bye and he looked at her, took her hand and said, "go!" and then started walking her towards the car. It was adorable! I love how much my kids love each other! We finally sent them on their way (with no tears!) and the first thing I did was give Kate her camera. Usually it has to sit high on a shelf until Sawyer is napping but I promised her that with him gone, she could use it all night. (All of the following pictures are courtesy of Kate)
The next thing I did was turn on Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun and we jumped on the bed together. 
Then Kate got out her pink nail polish and had the manicure I had been promising her all week. 
Then some fellow camping widow friends called us and we went out to a girl's only dinner! It was so much fun! We were lucky that someone's husband left her with the car because Kate and I were stranded!
Dinner was yummy and it was great company! Thanks girls!
The biggest promise I made Kate when we were left by ourselves was that we could watch a movie and eat popcorn together. When we got home, in preparation for the movie, I decided to make a camp fire of our own so we weren't feeling too left out from the boys. (Actually, what really happened is I accidentally created a huge stove top fire with the popcorn popper. I'm talking major adrenaline, almost burned down the house, totally glad everything is okay kind of fire!) We then watched a movie and ate jellybeans.
Throughout the movie Kate kept saying "I'm tried!" but when I tried to put her to bed she would tell me she wanted to watch the movie. It didn't end until 9:30, way past her bedtime (and the next day she was telling her Grammie she stayed up really really late into the night!) When I told her to go get her toothbrush, she started to cry and said, "I don't want to do it without Sawyer!!" Poor girl! I finally coaxed her into bed and she went happily and slept in this morning.
We woke up today and ate french toast, did some art projects and watched cartoons but the whole time she kept asking when Daddy and Sawyer were coming home. Daddy called about 20 minutes out and I told her she could keep an eye out by the window until he came and she colored patiently next to the window until I heard, "There they are!" We watched Daddy unload our neighbor's bike from our spying vantage point and then ran downstairs to welcome him home. And when I said him I meant Sawyer. Kate ran right by Daddy and straight to Sawyer. (I have to admit that I did too!) Sawyer excitedly told us about the "Bish" (my new favorite word of his!) and the other animals he saw. I would ask him a question like, "Did you sleep in a tent?" and he would say, "mmm....yeah!" It was a fun girl's night but we're both glad to have our boys back.
Here are the only camping pictures Ryan brought home:
Next time I'm sending Kate to be their official photographer!
Love you ladies!
