HI, HO, A MERRY O, A CAMPIN' WE WILL GO...

After a LONG weekend, we survived! On Friday, Alayna left for White Pines Dude Ranch in Oregon, IL with her Girl Scout Troop. It's about 45 min-1 hr. from Rockford. She stayed until Sunday morning (left a little early for her Opening Day of softball). She did many activities such as hiking, horseback riding, swimming, a fossil dig, a scavenger hunt, and much more. I didn't get any pictures of her since I wasn't there, but I have included the horse that she rode during her trip. She was very proud to show off this horse.

On Friday, Devyn & I also headed out to Camp McCormick. We stayed until about 9:00 pm. on Saturday. There were two troops that stayed together in a log cabin with a loft. It was Devyn's 1st grade troop along with the 3rd grade "sister" troop. That would make about 30 girls total amd 8 chaperones. It was a luxury cabin with mats for sleeping, a kitchen with running water (barely), a trough-like sink for hand washing and brushing teeth. Devyn's favorite part of it all was the latrine that took a little hike to get there. I'm not really sure that Devyn or some of the other girls used the bathroom at all for the 2 days. Thankfully we were the first group of girls for the summer and the smell wasn't too bad. "Roughing it" is not my ideal vacation, but we had a good time. The weather was warm and VERY humid. The girls went swimming which substituted for a shower. I, on the other hand opted to shower when I got home. It was the best shower I've ever taken!

On Saturday, Molly's 2nd grade troop (6 girls & 3 chaperones) joined all of us for the day. We had breakfast, and then the girls played and worked on activites to earn badges. They did sack races and participated in a flag retirement, burning ceremony. That was interesting. There was a lot of hiking and crafts that filled our day. A campfire ended the activities and I was happy to go home.

Molly & Devyn...Best Friends

(yeah, right!) This is a short lived moment. They like each other in spurts. This was a special occasion!

Devyn posed for a quick photo while swimming at camp.

Molly obliged for a photo op too.

These campouts were a great way to start the summer. The kids had a great time and gained valuable skills, along with memories. So, until next year, I'll stick to the flushing kind of toilets!