boys weekend

Jason wanted to take Ethan camping for his 5th birthday. So this plan has been in the works for some time now (Ethan asked every day how many days were left until they could go camping) and Friday afternoon they headed out to the woods to be in nature. Yes, this is the nature they were in.

They did stuff like fish....not your typical bass or trout...they were more like goldfish. But these fish were trained to bite. So Ethan got to experience catching his first fish...which he told me later was bigger than dad's fish.
They took a hike too...yes, not your typical hike. But it is Hawaii. Ethan was fascinated by the moss on this tree and wanted Jason to take a picture of it. They also saw some pretty amazing flowers and plants.

Ethan found a heart shaped leaf that had a Velcro-type back to it and placed it where his real heart would be...and then wanted Jason to take a picture.

They then set up their tent and slept on the ground. Jason told me that Ethan's bedtime story before turning off the flashlights was The Epic of Gilgamesh (what Jason is teaching for the 7th-8th graders) and I guess Ethan was pretty captivated. Later they found out that their waterproof tent wasn't and woke up a bit soaked. But Ethan didn't complain and Jason said he slept like a champ.

They also cooked their food over an open fire and then once it rained...over an open flame on the kerosene stove. Ethan told me his favorite part was roasting marshmallows.

Ethan even took a few pictures too. So this happened to be about the only picture of Jason.

His other pictures included things like this...

and this...

So even through the rain it sounded like camping was a great experience for all. Ethan is already talking about when they go next time...maybe Jude could go too.