This is my annual opportunity to take over Lana's blog and tell about our Daddy/kid camping trip. This trip started with a few Dad's and our kids and has increased to 13 Dad's and 25 kids this year. The girls always look forward to this event. I have to say I do as well. I am in need of sleep when we return, but it is worth it. We left after our soccer game on Saturday and headed to Mineral Wells State Park. This was our first year to have our own tent. If you know me well, you know I am not handy. The joke for the first few hours was whether or not I was going to be able to get my tent up. Thankfully, with the help of a few good friends, I did it (and it stayed up all night long!!). We went hiking, fishing, and exploring around our campsite. The girls love being able to freely run around our campsite with their friends and just do something they don't get to do that often (be unsupervised, just kidding - be out in nature). We came together around dinner time.
Chez Brenda (Brandon) made hot dogs (which
Kylee said were the best she ever had) for the kids and fish tacos for the Dad's (I know, we were roughing it). We followed that up with
S'More's.
Kylee eats the full
S'More while Katie just kept walking by the table and grabbing another Hershey's bar when she thought nobody was looking (thinking she had about 2 full bars before the night was over). After
S'More's, we went to the
amphitheatre to see a presentation of all the different sounds in the woods. One of the Park Rangers put on a presentation that lasted about 1.5-2 hours. We made it through about 45 minutes before the kids decided they were done.
Kylee and her friends were busy chatting with each other, and Katie was fast asleep in my arms. We woke up the next morning to homemade donuts and bacon - who could ask for anything more. We then went fishing, which always ends up as swimming! We had a blast, and I look forward to this trip more and more every year.
My favorite part of the entire trip is just before we go to sleep and right when we wake up. I get the chance to cuddle with my two favorite little girls and talk about the day. It is like God allows me to hit the pause button on life and really appreciate the two blessings they are. I tend to get so busy that I don't often appreciate the time to just pause and enjoy my little girls. There is a line in the movie Enchanted, where the daughter says, "Dad, I am only 6," and the Dad responds, "Yeah, but you won't always be." As I look at my two little girls, I am so thankful for the opportunity to do things like this with them, to pause real life and just spend time focused on them. I get small moments to build a deeper bond with them. I also enjoy getting to watch them enjoy time with their friends and enjoy nature. I realize they won't always be 7 and 4, so I am thankful for these moments when we create bonds that will last well beyond 7 and 4. God is good for these moments, and I realize how much He loves me as I watch my two little girls play, eat, and sleep.
I love you both and thank God for you daily. God made you to do amazing things, and I am proud and thankful to be called your Daddy. I can't wait until next year.
Love, Daddy
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