Indian Princesses

Texas has a ton of traditions...
yellow ribbons tied to the trees in town
in support of the high school sports teams,
school signs in front yards to show your pride,
the Red River rivalry every fall during football season...
the list goes on and on.
It's really pretty cool!
But one of the sweetest traditions is surely Y Guides/Indian Princesses.
From kindergarten through second grade,
girls and their dads join an Indian Princesses group
with other kiddos in their grade.

There are meetings filled with father-daughter activities every few months,
a father-daughter dance and holiday events.
But the highlight is, without a doubt, the fall and spring camping trips.

Sometimes these take place at YMCA camps about an hour from Dallas.
Other times they're at personal ranches or lake houses.
Always they are filled with super excited 6 year olds
who spend their weekend running, squealing,
trying every outdoor activity under the sun and 
having the time of their lives with their friends and their dads.

They all come home a little stinky, a little tired,
a little (lot) bath deprived and a little sun burned,
and they wouldn't have it any other way.
Lexi's best friend was part of the fall camp out,
so that made it super special,
especially because it was the very first one.
Any guesses as to which girl kept her cabin mates up til midnight
that Friday telling ghost stories?

The weekend was filled with fishing, archery, bb gun target practice,
hiking, horseback riding, canoeing,
and of course the traditional cookout and s'mores around the campfire. 
Then, the girls crash in their cabins will the dads sneak some much needed
wine/beer and toast to a really fun time.
The spring trip let them try out an amazing zipline course through the woods,
shooting off rockets and a giant climbing wall.
What a wonderful tradition - for both the dads and their daughters!