Boys/Girls Night Out/In

I'm not a huge fan of sleep-overs, which is kind of sad because I certainly enjoyed them as a child and a teenager. It's interesting how becoming a parent can change your mind about something. I do love the giggling and the fun associated, but I do not love the lack of sleep, and the resulting less than pleasant demeanor that inevitably comes out the next day. We do our fair share of late nights, but actual sleep-overs are a rare commodity.

A couple of weekends ago was our ward's Fathers and Sons campout; an event that ranks right up there with Christmas at our house. I must have been in a great mood because when I realized the boys would be away my first thought was, "We should have a slumber party with the girls". I'm sure Olivia was confused, but she was too delighted (giddy) to question me.

So...

while Darin was away with the boys doing this:


I was at home with these guys (Olivia, three cousins, and a friend):


doing this

and thisWe also did perler beads, painted masks (from the dollar section at Allen's), made pizza, and watched a movie. I also found out how many tweens it takes to change a newborn's diaper. The answer is: All of them. One to do the changing, one to hold his hands, and the rest to squeal when the newborn pees all over the place. I'm not sure where my burst of energy came from, but we all had a great time. (Actually, the best time to have a slumber party is when you have a newborn around. I didn't miss out on any sleep because I was used to being sleep deprived!)
Seeing the smiles on the girls' faces reminds me why they love sleep-overs.
The boys came home full of smiles as well. The campout was everything they dreamed it would be.
Even though we had tired children the next day, it was all worth it. A few years from now we won't remember the crankiness, but they will likely remember the fun.