More Camp Out Pics

Great news! The camera is working well now and I discovered campfire photos from Friday night that I had forgotten I had taken...

See, the happy memories are already taking over. It was a good night.

Can Girl Scouts Earn a Misery Badge?

Camping is an awesome idea. Even now, when I think about sleeping under the stars, cooking in creative ways, finding your way around by flashlight, eating S'mores and singing songs by the campfire- it all sounds like something I want to do. I do wish those were the memories at the forefront of my weekend camping story...but they're not...
I know some of my readers love camping, so this blog post will not be a rambling story about all that went wrong on our Girl Scout camping trip. It will just be a list:
freshly-charged dead camera battery
freakishly fast little frog nestling on my sleeping bag
exhausted (and mildly pissy) daughter
a million bitey ants in my backpack
sore everything
sticky, hot, Thailand weather
sudden and violent thunderstorm
tents flipped and blown around the campsite
soaked sleeping bags, pillows, and brand new expensive camping stuff
saturated bag of clothes
wet camera and phone
menstrual cramps

Oh boy, I better just stop there.
One troop leader asked at dinner last night, if Girl Scouts offers a Fun Badge for rainy camp outs. I'm not sure she appreciated my laughter and comment that "It should be classified as a Misery Badge."

We all did our best to prepare and enjoy this staple in the Girl Scout experience. But it was not meat to be for our little Daisy Troop. Our 3 first graders still made great memories. They are fantastic, resilient little people. They had begun work earlier in the day on a skit for an evening performance by each troop. Since we decided to depart early, we asked if we could show the skit while the girls waited for dinner to be served. Julianne, Mia, and D delivered camping jokes, performed their own original skit, and led a fun Daisy Scout chant. They received wonderful applause before we ate Sloppy Joes and loaded up for the ride home.

With the dead camera battery, I wasn't able to take all the photos I had planned. But, I was able to take a few with my phone at the lake.

I'll post more photos when I get some from the other parents on the trip.

Thanks for letting me share my boo-hoo story with you. Perhaps, before too long, the more memorable events will be the S'mores, the canoeing, and the brilliant jokes from our sweet 6 & 7 year-olds. It won't be long.
And, call me crazy, but if next year's trip is planned a little earlier in the year, I remember to pack everything in plastic bags, and take a few other preventative measures, I'll probably go again. Optimism is a curse!!!

Wrapping Up Fall and On to Winter!

It is definitely a busy time around here. November went by in a flash, and it seems December will be the same. Hope I can keep up!

D and I began Girl Scouts this year and were welcomed into the organization with an Investiture Ceremony at the school. It was a really special night for all 90 of the girls! (Only 8 in our Daisy troop.) We were "pinned" and made official. With a few meetings under our belts now, we're really having a lot of fun!

We've also done our best to be involved in the continued flood relief efforts. C and I made our weekly trip to Makro, a local warehouse/club type store for supplies. He enjoyed the ride, and was a good little helper too. Insisted on carrying boxes of goods to the cart and then helping  the cashier bag things. Also tried sticking his hands in the cash drawer. People still just smile and love on him.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful celebration with friends. SO delicious, and we're still enjoying some leftover pie and sweet potatoes. HEAVEN!!! Thank you the Gros and Hopkins families for all your delicious dishes!

  Time to start D in some pie-eating contests! The girl knows good pastry when she sees it!

 Finally, on Sunday, we decorated for Christmas. Being that we've always travelled back to the US for the holidays, we have not done much decorating here at our house. But, a trip to our local Christmas decoration factory produced a tree, ornaments, and lots of other lovely things to make the house festive for our first Christmas spent abroad.

The opening of the Veggietales Nativity is always a cause for shouts of joy! Long time, no see Junior Asparagus!

C is quite the little decorator... if you like all the ornaments in clusters along the bottom branches. But how he enjoyed himself! Love him to bits!

Happy belated Thanksgiving and early holiday prep to everyone out there!