Autumn Camp Out and Bridging Ceremony ~

 So I seem to have fallen way behind in blogland, so I thought I would try and get caught up.  We had our official camp out and bridging ceremony on Sept 27th...and we had way too much fun!

 We set up tents first, then enjoyed our bridging ceremony!  We had a lot of girls bridging up as well as several new girls joining our troop, so all the girls were very excited.

 We enjoyed the river and rope swing, riding bikes, trampoline fun, and general sillyness!  And then of course it was time for dinner and a campfire...

 We enjoyed hot dogs, chips and cookies...and then it was time for s'mores.  The s'mores made quite a mess...

 just look at Oriana the s'more monster!

 Then as the evening got late and some girls went to bed...I say some, because most of them were still up...this gigantic racoon strolled into camp.  He had no fear of all the girls and their giggles, and wandered into camp to see what he could eat.  He happily ate some chips, so Bella named him chips.  For many of the girls it was their first time seeing a racoon up close (or in person), so he was a big hit with our campers.

 Here he is eating a giant marshmallow...he came back into camp 4 separate times throughout the evening, looking for food...what a little piggy!

 We enjoyed firing glow sticks out of the potato gun...which is a lot like fireworks in the dark...the girls scrambled around in the yard collecting all the glow sticks, and then Justin would shoot them off again.  Finally the last of the girls went to bed around 1:30...but us moms stayed up until almost 4am...what can i say...we were having a great time too!

 The girls woke up around 7, and were hungry from the get go...so 3 VERY TIRED moms started making breakfast...pancakes, sausage, and fresh fruit.

 Oh...and did i mention hot cocoa...it was 45 degrees in the morning, so the hot cocoa was a welcome treat!

 Of course, there were some daredevils that decided to jump into the river regardless of the chilly morning, but as soon as they jumped in, they jumped right back out gasping for breath :)

It was a great night filled with lots of fun and laughter and we suffered only one casualty....a black eye via the light sabers...but Serenity was tough and played on!  We had big plans to work on our outdoor skills patch, but the girls were having so much fun getting to know each other and sharing adventures that we decided to save that for our next sleepover!  Thanks for all of your help Robin, Eva and Angie...without your help these moments wouldnt be possible!