Matthew had brought all his allowance along so he could buy a pocket knife. Unfortunately in Washington he lost our hygiene bag with everyone's toiletries, so he had to use his allowance to replace the bag and contents. When we arrived here, he saw a nice pocket knife for sale in the office and he set his heart on earning it. Each day he would eagerly find extra chores he could do to earn a bit of money here and a bit of money there. Since we aren't at home, there were not many extra chores I could come up with. After days of effort, he was almost ready to purchase the knife.
One night he counted his money and planned out his extra chores for the morning so he could earn the last two dollars necessary for the purchase. While Matthew read bedtime stories to the little boys, Sarah took her own allowance to the camp office and quietly bought the prized knife. She wrapped it in brown paper with a lovely anonymous tag, then hid it where Matthew would find it when he did his nightly chores. Boy was he excited! He ran into the tent and tackled Sarah in glee, laughing and hugging her until she squealed. What an awesome sister, I was so proud of her selfless gift.
Matthew was eager to use his new knife and help with meal prep. We had chili on the menu, so he obligingly cut up cheese to add as a topping. He was so excited to put this knife to use!
The children have been eagerly collecting patches from all the Junior Ranger programs, and here in Yellowstone there are three patches that can be earned. I told the children I would only pay for two patches per child, so they could pick their two favorites. Sarah and Matthew were a bit disappointed that they couldn't collect the full set, so Daniel generously gave them his patches after working for hours to earn them. What a neat brother!
This trip has really helped the children come together and be less contentious. This was one of my primary goals with this trip, because last month there had been such contention and competition among them.
I told them on Day One that our activities and daily menu would be directly tied to their behavior. If they were fighting, we'd have boring plain food for each meal and we wouldn't go on adventures. If they were being kind and serving each other, we'd have more field trips and yummier meals. After the first couple of days, they realized I was totally serious and since then they have put in a lot of effort to get along.
It's transformed our family relationships in such a positive way! It's been such a joy to watch them playing together so nicely like best friends each day. My heart is happy and our tent is so often filled with laughter and games now. In this regard, the trip is a huge success.
Today they made a little fort by draping a sleeping bag over our picnic table. They used towels for a carpet and played card games in their fort for hours this morning.
Bedtime is fun, since there are no distractions for me, I sing them bedtime hymns for ages. They request their favorite hymns and I sing. I used to sing quietly so as not to bother the campers around us, but one night I heard people lingering outside out tent enjoying the music. So last night I sang without worry of restraint, which was a delight. Perhaps they enjoy the calming strains as much as we do.
During this trip I have been reading a marvelous book called The Last Child In The Woods, a nonfiction work encouraging families to spend more time connecting with nature. It's been delightful, especially since we are able to put into practice what I'm reading about. Today is a totally unstructured day so the kids can just play in the woods and creek near our camp ground. They feel so adventurous exploring in such a wild area, and I am content to let them fill their little hearts with these memories.
This evening we celebrated the end of our Yellowstone adventure by making s'mores together. The sun is setting behind the tall pines and birds are singing around us. The camp ground is quiet and peaceful. It's a lovely way to end this chapter of our journey.
Tomorrow we pack up camp very early and head to a couple of fossil monuments and Dinosaur National Park. There is no electricity or water at that location, so we'll be digitally dark for four nights. Well be hiking all over the park seeing fossils exposed in rock faces. What an adventure lays before us!
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