"We are going to Boone soon, we are going to Boone," I heard the kids singing as we woke up last Monday morning. We still had to finish packing and straightening the house, but the excitement level in the house was at a max and it was only 7 am. :) Thankfully our vacation to Boone was a huge success and a lot of fun and before it was even over, the kids were requesting a repeat!
We had a beautiful 3 hour drive to Boone with only one bathroom stop. On a side note, it's funny that successful drives are measured by the number of bathroom stops. We were the first ones in the house by 8 minutes, which means that the kids hurriedly scoped out the whole house, hid to scare cousins, and then busted out the front door as soon as they saw the truck pull up, way too excited to actually wait for the planned scaring. We met up with 5 cousins, an aunt and uncle, and the grandparents. Baba Z and the dads planned Scout Camp adventures and learning activities for the week, including daily room inspections, chores and other assignments for each patrol to complete. And of course, each patrol had a name: Tough Girls (the 6 girls) and Dragon's Breath (the 4 boys).
We had such a gorgeous view from our room!
We hit the ground running on Tuesday morning with flag ceremony. Abby got to lead out :)
The boys set the table for breakfast and the girls cleaned up afterward. The kids were amazing about contributing and offering to help, which earned them points for the week and also taught us that they can contribute more than we ask them to at home. Unfortunately for them, we are now going to be having more help from our kids after this successful week of seeing them work hard and do it happily :)
After our morning preparations and having each kid pack a lunch, we hiked to Otter Falls. It was a great hike and the view was gorgeous! The kids did a scavenger hunt during the hike and the determined Dragon's Breath Patrol beat the girls by 5 points.
This was the sunset that night. So gorgeous! Sam declared that we had to get this picture printed and displayed in our home to remember Boone
I have to just brag on this awesome, sweet Nora for a minute. We dragged this little one around and completely disrupted her schedule and she was still so amazing. She didn't want to be held by others for too long, but she was mostly happy. Besides, I don't mind holding her and soaking in the love. There's something amazing about being able to have someone calm down just by seeing you and being held by you that builds confidence and brings me happiness.
And of course we had to end the evening with a campfire. There were skits, stories, and songs and so much laughter!
Day two began with another hike, but this time we were smart and hiked up on the way to our destination. Baba Z taught the oldest kids about how to use a compass and then tested their navigational skills. I loved this idea! Not only was it hilarious to watch paper bags walk around, but it forced the kids to stop and think about what they were doing and really apply what they had learned a few minutes earlier.
Stay tuned for the second half of the week!
