Carter's Camp Out Birthday Party

Carter decided on a Camp Out theme for his 7th birthday, and we decided to be adventurous and invite his friends to sleep over. It was intended to be an actual camp out, with the kids who were brave enough sleeping in tents in our back yard with Chris, but the weather was cooler than we had hoped the weekend of his party, so we all ended up "camping" inside at bedtime.

Chris still pitched a couple of tents outside for the kids to pay with and we strung Christmas lights across the backyard for some festive lighting.

Grandma Ernie's work of art.

A little football action after dinner.

Check out the huddle--serious business.

The whole crew armed with their silly string cans.

Silly string war! This blur was totally unintended, but really captures the spirit of the evening--kids everywhere and feeling like it's all a blur. :)

We thought it would be a good idea to have the silly string war behind our fence in the empty lots so we didn't have the mess in our yard. Well, we weren't aware that those empty lots were FULL of thistle--sharp, thin little needles that stick to clothing and shoes. What a mess. The kids were very patient, but we spent about an hour picking thistles out of everyone's clothes--they are painful little buggers!

Then the kids were split up into groups and sent on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood with an adult. They found headbands, flashlights, and hot chocolate mix on their hunts.

Then it was more free time in the back yard, and we headed inside for gifts and cake.

By that time, it was time to start winding down. The kids all got PJs on, got comfy in front of the big screen, and watched "The Croods". They also enjoyed s'mores and hot chocolate during the movie.

Chris & I were laughing because every time Carter moved positions (which was a LOT--all the kids kept switching seats), he'd always end up with girls right beside him. Oh geez.

After the movie, we moved the girls to one half of the room and the boys to the opposite side, turned the lights out, and waited for silence (which did take awhile).

And they all slept WELL. The first few were up around 6:45am, and the rest followed shortly after. It was donuts and juice for breakfast in a kum-ba-yah circle on the floor. ;)

Then they played outside for a little longer before being picked up by their parents.

We're lucky to know such a good group of kids, and Carter had an awesome birthday. I know people think we're crazy to have so many kids over, but we love them all! Happy 7th birthday, to our biggest boy! Love you, bud!