Braylen's turn to go camping with Dad! Being our oldest son, we thought Braylen needed his camping trip to be a bit more adventurous than his brothers' trips were. Derek planned to take him to a faraway campsite in the forest. He looked up the 4-wheel trails and planned a fun trip. What he didn't plan for was an early October snow and bronchitis! Plans changed, but the trip was still a success. Thank goodness for our family's cabin, which happens to be surrounded with some pretty neat 4-wheeling trails. Derek, being the trooper that he is, took his antibiotics and cough drops and forged ahead with this trip.
Kaleb plopped down in the snow to build a fort.
Aaron and I built a snowman. This is how it looked 2 days after the snow fell.
Strangely enough, there wasn't any snow at the cabin. Plenty cold though! Derek let Braylen drive the 4-wheeler around the property for a while. He went through every dip and mud hole he could find! Once on the trail, his confidence wavered a bit. I think the ruts on the trail had something to do with that. Braylen drove off the trail 5 or 6 times. Derek brought tow ropes along for that very reason! Amazingly, he didn't need to use them. He was able to drive Braylen's 4-wheeler back onto the trail every time. :)
Aren't they cute?
Back at "camp," Derek took the opportunity to talk with Braylen about growing up; changes that lie ahead, friendships (including the g word--girls), and making his faith his own. He used several role-play situations and Dr. Dobson's book, "Preparing for Adolescence." They enjoyed going through the workbook together. Derek and I are trying to learn how to be intentional parents. To address issues important to us instead of hoping our kids will catch on somehow. This trip was all about being intentional with Braylen. When my two guys came back home, I asked Braylen what his favorite part of his trip was. With a big smile on his face, he replied, "Just being with Daddy."
I have to say, Derek did a FANTASTIC job taking pictures during his 3 camping trips with our boys. What a guy! :)
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