Girl Scout Camping

Back in April when it rained literally the ENTIRE WEEKEND I took these girls camping.  We had a blast.  The rain did not stop us from having an amazing, memorable camping trip.  

This was my 3rd year leading Addison's Girl Scout troop and our 2nd year of camping.  It is definitely a tradition we will continue to have as long as I am the leader.  

Addison and I loaded up the car, picked up Jenna, and headed out to camp.  Look at those smiles.  They were so excited for the weekend.  

Shortly after we arrived we took a short hike.  I wanted to make sure everyone knew where the tornado shelter was located just in case we needed it.  It is outside, in a huge cement tunnel halfway underground.  Probably safer than any location in our homes.  Thankfully, we didn't need it. 

After we got everything unpacked and organized, the girls settled into some games.  The girls split up on their own and began playing games, laughing and talking, and hanging out.  

Before we know it, it was time to prepare dinner.  The girls were broken up into groups and each group cooked a meal, each group cleaned up the meal and did dishes and each group got the table ready for a meal.  The girls get to vote on what we eat at camp, activities we do, and all the fun we have! It really is about letting the girls do the planning, make the decisions, and do all the "work."  

Dessert that night was home made ice cream.  It turned out really good!  Each girl had their own bag of ice, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla.  They had to shake the bags until the ice cream formed.  They did some dancing and some singing while the ice cream formed.  Yummy! 

The next morning we had a blast playing the Pie in the Face game. 

We also went out for short hike.  It was only drizzling at this point and the girls were a little stir crazy in the cabin.  Even though it rained all weekend, we had a great time making some incredible memories! 

February- The 2nd Half

Our Brownie troop had an overnight event called PJ's and Pals.  It was fun!

we went to the photo booth and had our picture taken.The girls did not want to clean up when we had to.

Addison saw Lauren's friend Cassidy at the superhero craft.

I took a picture of them

this is A fun game they had. Where you stacked the paper 

and cups.And then you try to pull the paper and stack the cups.

the girls had A make over that included eye shadow, lip gloss,blush and nail polish. Addison

loved it and they got little heart tiara's .

this is when it was time to go to sleep. we watched the movie finding dory.

this is in the morning.The girls said they were up at five o clock.I hope they were not.

I wanted some company so I brought the dog.

this is Lauren's performance at a high school with her choir.

me and Addison went to panera.

We had a great date day together!

Lauren and her choir performed at the Comet's soccer game.  Yes, she is holding her friend Emery.  Lauren is super strong...and Emery is super petite. 

They sang the national anthem. 

Addison had a great time at the game with her friend Sydney.  They are twins and the best of friends.  They were born on the same day, have been in class together multiple times, and she lives right down the street from us. 

This was my hot date.  Even though I spent most of the night talking to some of my friends, I hung out with Mark a little but too!  

So, there you have it.  That was the rest of February (with some of the story coming from Addison her self.) 

February- The First Half

I know I said I was only going to blog once a month....but Lauren had a birthday and that is a big deal!

Her cake turned out perfect.  She loved it! 

I have an 11 year old!  What?  She is growing up sooo fast.  

Addison was having fun at Lauren's party as well!  

Speaking of Lauren's party...it was at Main Event.  She had a blast! 

All of her friends were able to make it to the party and that made Lauren very happy! 

Cassidy and Paityn are 2 of her best friends.  Cassidy has been Lauren's friend for over 5 years now and Paityn is Lauren's new soccer buddy and our neighbor.  

The little sisters got to sneak in and play Laser tag.  They had fun. 

Here is the whole group.  They came out laughing, smiling, and so tired since they ran around so much! 

I love this smile and her look!  We were singing very loudly to embarrass her! 

We had a Superbowl party that same weekend!  We were busy that weekend but it was well worth it! We love this family and love spending time with them. 

Ginger ended up on a leash because she enjoyed some Superbowl party food as well.  Mozzarella sticks to be exact...and some dipping sauce.  That Ginger. 

Lauren loved her gifts from Grandma Harding. 

She was so surprised when she received a Polaroid camera from us.  We surprised her for sure. 

Dinner was Lauren's choice and she chose Red Lobster.  

I was able to take the day off and attend both girls Valentine's Parties!  

I love Lauren's group of friends. 

We went and saw A Dog Purpose and we cried out eyes out.  It was a wonderful movie. 

And these girls...they are loving Girl Scouts this year and we are having so much fun at our meetings.  We have been very busy with Girl Scout cookies and several fun events this Spring.  

More to come in February!  Stay tuned! 

Girl Scout Camping with Lauren (For the Last Time!)

Lauren has decided her time with Girl Scouts has come to an end!  She has been a Girl Scout since 1st grade and has really loved it.  She has made so many new friends and created endless memories with her Girl Scout troop.  She has decided to focus on soccer (and since the meetings are the same night as practice, she really had no choice.)  She started to get a little bored with the meetings last year towards the end, so I think it is a good time to transition on to other activities.  But, she was officially a registered Girl Scout until September 30th, so she enjoyed one last camping trip with her troop!  

Lauren and Cassidy have been friends since they were 3 or 4.  They met at the daycare, and Cassidy introduced us to this troop (and to soccer for that matter.)  The girls don't go to the same school, so seeing each other at Girl Scout events is a special treat! 

Cassidy, Leah and Sloan have all been in the troop the entire time Lauren has been with the troop as well.  Leah's Mom is the leader, and Sloan's Mom is one of the other Mom's that is always willing to volunteer and help out.  Just like me and Cassidy's Mom as well.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of us Mom's one last time.  They are a great group of ladies.  

We slept in permatents (you can see them in the background,) cooked over the fire all weekend, and used outdoor (really gross) bathrooms.  I won't miss that at all.  After we arrived and got our tents set up, the girls played games while us Mom's relaxed a little.  

It took a while to get the fire going because it had been raining most of the afternoon.  We finally at dinner around 9:00 that night.  The girls made hobo packs, which is tradition.  It is meat, potatoes, and the vegetable of your choice, wrapped in foil with some butter and cooked over the fire for about 30 minutes.  They are delicious! 

We settled down around midnight and slept pretty well.  It was a gorgeous night.  The girls were awake when the sun came up, so it was time to start the day.  Breakfast was omelets, made in a Ziploc bag.  Very easy and very tasty.  

We did a little bit of hiking the next morning, and took the trash up to the dumpster.  Each girl had to carry it for a while.  That was not their favorite part at all! 

We did some more exploring and hiking before heading back for lunch.  

We also did some arts and crafts right in the middle of the woods.  There was a table set up on a stage and lots of places for us to sit.  Each girl got to decorate their own hat with paint.  They were all very creative and enjoyed the activity.  

Our Girl Scout run has been fun and I  know Lauren created endless memories with these girls.  I love the Mom's I have gotten to know and I hope we can all stay in touch.  It really is a great group to be around.