No Moms Allowed

This past weekend, Cort took Charlie, Joseph, and Helen on the first annual "No Moms Allowed" camping trip. (More about Will later.)

I can't really report too much, since I wasn't allowed to go. But I did get periodic email updates with pictures, so I can share those. (Ah, camping in the age of technology). And everyone, including dad, reported having a lot of fun.

Kids eating around the campfire


Helen with Dad on her first camping trip

Bike riding

And trike riding

Will saw this one and was alarmed: "She needs a grownup with her!"


Of course, there was some dads-and-kids football


The football players

Mmmmm. Hot chocolate.


Not sure about real fishing, but Helen caught a Vaughn fish

The campfire. Cort sent this to me around 7:30pm. The kids had already been in bed for an hour.

Now, if you are wondering why Will didn't go, sure, that's an appropriate question. And here's the answer.

Cort is, of course, super Dad. There were four dads participating in the camping weekend. Cort had not only the most kids there, but also the youngest kid there. But there is a limit. And he quite reasonably decided that he was up for taking one 3-year-old camping, but not two.

Helen got picked because she is more independent, more likely to try to keep up with the big kids, and a better sleeper. Those factors outweighed the fact that she can't pee in the woods.

She reported that she loved camping, and Cort reported that he only lost her once. (And thankfully, Joe followed Cort's instructions to the T, staying right with her even though he was unable to get Miss Independent to stay on the trail she was supposed to be on. So that's really only quasi-lost.)

Will, then, stayed home for a "special weekend" with Mom. Which he loved.

We bought presents for dad and his siblings (which he picked out with guidance), wrapped them, and placed them under the Christmas tree. During the wrapping - specifically, putting the gift tags on the presents - I found out that he can write his own name. Oh, poor third/fourth child. We've got to spend more one-on-one time with these guys. Yes, he can write his own name, and all sorts of other things ("Dad," "Mom," "Joe" - all on his own!). We played games, read books, and watched Frosty the Snowman. We ran errands together and took a walk around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. I only had to run the dishwasher once all weekend. (OK, that's not about Will, but it amazed me so I just had to share.)

Arranging (aka, throwing) his gifts under the Christmas tree


He asked me to take this picture of his new tennis shoes "because they have As and airplanes on the bottom." Mr. Observant.


Showing off his name-writing skills


He wrote this too: "Merry Tree." ("Merry Christmas" didn't do it for him.)

Hoping for the future: Camping trips for the whole family, and more "special" time with the kids individually.