Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Camp McAnally

Y'all - yesterday's link-up was so much fun!!! I loved seeing all the ADORABLE rooms and getting a little peek into y'alls homes.

Several people here and on IG asked about the paint colors in my kids rooms and it's the same color in both rooms - and I promise I'll find the can and let y'all know what it is.  Pinky promise. :)

Now, on with today's post!!!

The boys have been talking about "summer camp" for weeks.  They're enthralled with all things camp.  They're obviously too young for overnight camp, so I decided to surprise them with a day of "Camp McAnally" :)

They woke up Saturday morning and, like always, came to hang out in our bed.  I told them that we had a surprise for them in the family room and they were PUMPED to find new sleeping bags set out with their tent and camp chairs.  Griffin spent a solid 15 minutes peeking in and out of the tent :)

I set a really simple little table for them... our regular chalkboard platter, a small jar with flowers, a cast iron skillet and a "bug box" that they made at Home Depot last weekend.  The vinyl tablecloth was a $4 WalMart find that I just folded in half.


I hung their backpacks on their chairs and we were ready for biscuits!!!

Any excuse for biscuits and gravy, right?!?!?! :)


After breakfast we went on a "nature walk" in our neighborhood.  They each had a scavenger hunt on a clipboard and they carried crayons and crossed things off as we found them.

It was HOT Saturday morning and so we came home (red-faced!) and watched a Paw Patrol in sleeping bags :)

After some rest time we packed up our happy campers and headed to the pool.

Lunch time!




Sister was already pretty sleepy - no morning nap and fun in the sun will do that do a girl :)





We pretty much had the whole pool to ourselves and we had the best time!  Luke jumped off the diving board without his puddle jumper for the first time ever and was SO SO SO proud of himself.  His swimming has come so far this summer!

 It always cracks me up when I see all the "stuff" for three little kids at the pool :)


After swimming the boys wanted to walk up to the top of the "big hills" to look at the driving range...

... and of course race DOWN the hill as well :)

When we got home, Griffin went down for a nap and the boys, Dave and I enjoyed a surprise snack I had made (as in... I had someone who knows what they're doing make them - hahaha)  special just for our camp day.


Our "camp cookies" were a big hit and a fun treat for the afternoon.

Dave took the boys to the library, where they picked out books and a few movies that were all "camping" related.  We spent the afternoon reading books and working on a special "campfire craft"...

I cut out pieces of orange and red scrapbook paper and yellow crepe paper and the boys glued down popsicle sticks and the paper scraps to create their very own campfire!

Masons...

Luke's :)
(in typical Luke fashion... he had a plan for his from the start and I even had to hunt down yellow envelopes in my craft closet for him to use instead of the crepe paper since he wanted them to all be the same "texture".  That boy is sooooooooooo my child. hahaha)

For dinner we had sloppy joes... simple and "campy".  They're not my favorite thing in the world, but I think that they might be Dave's favorite meal ever - and apparently all three of my kids take after him :)

Gibi came down to hang out and watch us make smores on our little tabletop "fire pit" hahaha  It is WAAAAAAAAYYY too hot and dry here for any kind of outdoor fire, so we improvised... country club fashion :)


Mason only ate the chocolate...

... and I think Luke had at least two complete s'mores :)


 After dinner and s'mores, Dave went to a poker night with some friends and Haha stopped by and took both boys (Luke was already in PJs) out for frozen yogurt :)


The boys got home from froyo and started a movie in their sleeping bags and I found them like this about 10 minutes later...


They both told me at least once that this was the "best day ever" and I tend to agree :)  Nothing extravagant or over the top - just purposeful, quality family time.  I can't wait to surprise them with another camp day!  I'm thinking we'll definitely have one this Fall when it's more bearable to do actual outdoor activities, sleep outside and have a real campfire.

38 comments :

  1. So so FUN!!
    Those cookies are the most adorable thing ever!!
    Love the campfire craft :)
    A day with a theme is so brilliant!
    www.floralandfudge.blogspot.com

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  2. Andrea - this is so cute and creative! What great memories your kids will have looking back on their childhood!

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  3. AHHHH! This is SO great and my preschool class is doing "camping in the mountains" for our theme in August, so this got my mind rolling! Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Andrea!!! What a fun family day!! I love how you create memories for your kids-this is awesome!! And one question-did you make those cookies??? Because seriously they are adorable!!!!

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  5. LOVE this idea! My kids would love a camp day like this. Thanks for the great ideas.

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  6. You are truly the most fun mom--- ever!! WHo thinks of these things!

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  7. Andrea. I have no words. EVERYTHING was fabulous. And then I saw the cookies. And I just about died. DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE 3 KIDS? When in the world do you have time to be making fabulous cookies? Luke told me about Camp McAnally when he was over here, and he said there were "lots of fun activities!". You win BEST MOM EVER!!!!!

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  8. I'm loving these ideas! Super cute! Posting on Facebook and adding to Pinterest boards as we speak! :-)

    Elizabeth
    www.allkindsofthingsblog.com

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  9. You are so creative. I am stealing so many of your ideas. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Aw I love this! That's so sweet and creative! I'm sure they loved it. It looked like so much fun? What a great idea. Thanks for sharing :)

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  11. O my goodness! Such a cute idea & totally my idea of roughing it!!! Love it!

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  12. What a fun and special day for your kiddos!

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  13. What a fun idea! Love this! It looks like your kids had a blast! Those cookies looked pretty amazing...everything did!
    Have a great day!

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  14. Absolute perfection! Such amazing ideas!!!!

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  15. Seriously?! You are one amazing mom!!!

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  16. This looks SO fun! I need to do something like this!

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  17. I love your themes! Did you decorate those cookies?? They look professional! And I have to say that, even as a an adult, s'mores are one of my fave desserts!

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  18. OMG!! This is seriously just about the CUTEST idea ever!! I can't get over how fun it looks & what amazing memories they will have from this!!

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  19. This is so fun and cute I could cry. You and Dave are making such fun memories for your kids!!! Awesome! :)

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  20. You are like the best mom ever! I wish I could be as creative as you. My kids would love this. It might be something I plan for when my youngest is a little bit older so he understands about camping. Thanks for sharing!

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  21. This is ADORABLE! My kids "camp" in the backyard in a tent (with my husband - mama doesn't sleep outside) but we've never taken it farther than that. I think we might have to step up our game!

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  22. What a great and fun idea! Love it all...especially ending the day with s'mores! My favorite :) I am taking Xavier (2.5yo) camping this weekend for the first time. I am nervous and excited all at the same time! Thankfully we have my dad's winnebago instead of a tent if it gets too hot, buggy, etc. :)

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  23. Your creativity blows me away girl!!!!

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  24. I mean seriously, the cutest camp day ever!!! You are so creative and just such a fun mom!!! Mason's face in the picture before the scavenger hunt....LOVE!!!!

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  25. Most precious idea ever!! Mason looks so much like Luke in the picture where he is eating chocolate!

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  26. simply amazing... I just came back from 4 days "real" camping with my two year old twins... and I about lost my mind cause it was hard to keep them from going close to the fire or running away from the camp site.. (toddlers and trying to be independent..lol) but they keep talking about "campin mama campin) so perhaps I can recreate it again later this summer at home :)

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  27. You're such a fun mom! What a great camp day! :)

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  28. What a fun day for your kids! I'm stealing this idea and making my shopping list right now. Thanks Andrea! You are such a fun and creative mom.

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  29. Love it so much! I am INSPIRED by you, as usual :)

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  30. Wow! You are the best mom ever. You thought of EVERYTHING! Those cookies were so cool. Your kids are just adorable and I love their smiles!

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  31. I love this!!!!! Can I send my boys to you for a weekend?? :)
    518nymammaof2.blogspot.com

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  32. Great idea! So cute and what fun for your kids!

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  33. I love this! I really admire how present and intentional you are with your kids, even though you're super busy. So inspiring!

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  34. Love it! Such a fun time for your sweet family!

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  35. Cutest idea ever! What a fun day and one they will remember for a long time!
    Jan Fisher

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  36. This was the sweetest post ever!!! You have totally inspired me to do something like this for my boys, thank you for sharing!! They won't forget this day for a long time!

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