Sleep-away

Something's been happening in our household lately.  It's been happening slowly, quietly and without much attention.  My 3 "munchkins" are getting bigger.   They are getting older (as are we!).   They are outgrowing their toys, car seats, clothes and SHOES.  In this house, there is no "baby" anymore.  There is part of me that mourns the passing of this stage a little bit (notice I said just a little bit?   The sleepless, diaper-blow out, breast milk and puke everywhere phase is brutal!!!).   This new phase is uncharted territory for us but we are learning as we go.

Case in point...Ava had her first "sleep away" camp with her Brownie Unit last weekend.  When notice of this event first came home,  James and I could not fathom being able to trust anyone enough to take our child over night on a winter camping expedition.   What if she got scared?   What if she got hurt? Who would make sure she changed her socks before bed and brushed her teeth properly??  She was at first hesitant and insisted the only way this camp was going to happen was if I went with her.  The leaders would not allow this.  I was only invited to stay as a guest at the camp for a short while to get her settled.  We had months to talk about this and get her confidence up.

There's a stow-away in the suitcase.

Well, turns out my presence was not only unnecessary, but also unwelcome.   I helped her pack and drove her to camp.   We unrolled her sleeping bag, made her bed, put her toiletries in the little cubby.   She chose the bottom bunk and we both just sat down waiting for what's next.   The other girls were giddy with excitement.   They were tossing stuffed animals around the room and singing songs from the Frozen soundtrack.   I wore a plastic visitor's badge around my neck and waited for my next instructions.  Ava watched their antics with the beginning of a smile on her face.  If you know my Ava, you are familiar with her serious scowl and how that little smirk creeps up on her face.  After a few minutes Ava leaned in a whispered in my ear "I think you can go now.  I want you to go now.  I'm ready".  Ouch.  And just like that my little bird left our cozy nest.  I gave her a big hug, kissed her goodbye and whispered in her ear how proud I am of her for being such a "big girl" now.  I told her to have fun and she could call if she needed us.  Any time.  I handed back my visitor pass (along with my cell phone number) to her Brown Owl and walked away with a bit of sting in my eyes.   Just like that, my first born was telling me she did not need me.

Ava loving her bottom bunk at camp!

We had a much quieter household for the next 24 hours, but it just didn't feel right.  Someone was missing.   Sydney shed some tears at bedtime because she did not want to go to sleep without her big sister.  Jack went looking for her a few times.   It was a social experiment in our family of 5.  Take one away and see what you get??

Sunday afternoon we made the drive together for pick-up (Sydney was just itching for a nice long car ride in her new booster seat in the way, way back of the van!!).  We were greeted with hugs and big smiles.   She had a great time and told us she did not want to go home!!  Her weekend was spent snow-shoeing, kick-sledding, crafting, singing, geo-caching and she even got to tap for maple syrup.  What an amazing growth experience for our little girl.

Once home, the kids were almost inseparable.   There was lots of hugging and cuddling.  It was so sweet!   The arguments and bickering resumed shortly, but for a few hours we had peace in our kingdom and proof positive that our little gang love each other very, very much.

3 peas in a pod