Mari & Ilna—You guys are 1000 different kinds of awesome. Thanks for all the offers to help this week. You are both the best.
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In honor of Steve and Catherine's first anniversary we're going to be posting not one but two BONUS stories this weekend. Today is part 1 of the camping story, tomorrow will be part 2, then Sunday will be an anniversary day story. (SPOILER ALERT we're saving the big early year marathon for Niblet's arrival)
Great Idea (1/2)
Danny, Grace and Scout got to the beach house early Saturday morning and found the Allen kids, along with Jadon, sitting on the deck, anxiously awaiting their arrival. As soon as Jacob spotted the trio coming around the side of the house he jumped out of his seat and pumped his fist.
"Uncle Danny is here!"
"Let the camping begin!" Kaitlyn added excitedly.
Dylan hopped up and began picking up items from the supplies piled on the edge of the deck. "Let's get started!"
Jenna smiled as she and Catherine emerged from the house carrying a load of extra pillows and blankets. "As you can tell they've been a little eager for you to get here," she told Danny.
"I'm not exactly sure why they were waiting for me," he snorted. "If I'm the one who's supposed to be driving this train we're in for a very long weekend."
"Don't sell yourself short," Catherine said as she placed a stack of pillows next to the pile of sleeping bags the Allen kids had carried from the car. "You're gonna do great."
"You're better at this than you think," Grace agreed. "You just need a little more practice."
Danny pinned Catherine with a mock glare. "Your husband is gonna pay."
He couldn't help but notice that even a year after the wedding hearing Steve referred to as her husband still brought a smile to Catherine's face.
"First, we have to decide where we're going to build the campfire," Dylan plowed forward, anxious to get started. "We won't know where to put the tents until we decide where the fire is gonna be."
Even though he was about to embark on a weekend filled with one of his least favorite activities Danny had to admit he was impressed with how seriously Dylan took the matter of camp safety. "Where would you recommend?" he asked the middle Allen boy.
Dylan pointed to a spot close to the water. "Uncle Steve said we should use the portable fire pit in the garage this weekend just to be extra safe," he explained. "But we still need to clean up any debris in the surrounding area and also have a shovel nearby in case there's an emergency so we can cover the fire with sand and put it out."
"Me and Jadon will grab the fire pit and carry it down to the beach for you," Cody offered.
"Jadon and I." Jacob grinned.
Jadon held out his hand and Jacob gave him a leaping high five. "You better be careful, Codeman. The student is surpassing the master."
Cody rolled his eyes and headed for the garage.
"Grace, could you and Casey please take one of the loungers down to the beach?" Catherine asked. "We'll put it in the girls tent for me. I'm afraid if I sleep on the ground it might take me," she rubbed her tummy with a smile, "us rather, half the morning to get up."
Danny looked at her with confusion. "You're sleeping in the tent?"
"Of course I'm sleeping in the tent," she replied. "You didn't think I was gonna miss all the fun, did you?"
"Why in the world … you have a perfectly comfortable bed … you know what? Never mind," he huffed. "I don't even know why I'm surprised."
"To be honest, I don't either." Catherine smirked.
"Ok then, let's get this adventure started." Jenna's upbeat call to action had the rest of the kids scrambling to their feet. "We need to move all this gear down to the beach and get those tents set up."
"YAY!" Jacob picked up an armload of equipment, stepped off the deck and almost immediately got his feet tangled and ended up in a heap on the grass. "I'm ok!" he said as he scrambled to his feet.
Jenna shook her head as she and Danny each picked up a carrying case containing a large, multi-person tent. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked.
He sighed deeply. "Not even close."
Cody and Jadon placed the fire pit at the designated spot then watched as Dylan carefully walked off the safety perimeter and began scanning the ground for any loose debris that could be a hazard. Once he was satisfied the area was safe the tent assembling began.
As the kids removed the canvas pieces and poles from their carrier bags Danny stood facing them, hands on hips.
"Before we go any further I just want to remind you all AGAIN that there is a perfectly good house RIGHT THERE." He pointed over his shoulder. "Why is it we're sleeping outside again?"
"We're camping, Uncle Danny," Kaitlyn said in her best 'grown-ups are silly' voice. "You can't camp in the house."
"Are you sure about that?" He squatted down to her eye level. "I seem to remember a pretty impressive blanket fort."
Kaitlyn reached out her small hand and patted his shoulder. "That's not the same." Danny couldn't help but smile softly at the earnest look on the young girl's face as she spoke again. "You're gonna do good at this. I know you are."
Catherine pulled her phone out of her pocket and snapped a picture of the sweet moment.
"Just do your best," Jacob added. "That's what Mom always says."
"C'mon, Danno." Grace nudged her father playfully, "This is gonna be fun."
"I feel like I'm the lone voice of sanity around here." Danny sighed. "But since I'm outvoted, let's get these tents up."
"I hope we're not too late," Carrie said as she and John made their way towards the beach. "My morning meeting ran long."
"Your timing is perfect." Catherine smiled. "We just got the tents up. Stow your gear then help Jenna and I get lunch started."
"We're gonna play horseshoes," Jacob said excitedly to John. "You wanna play?"
"I sure do." John smiled, immediately caught up in the young boy's enthusiasm.
"Be careful," Jenna reminded her youngest.
"I will!" Jacob promised.
As the crew of horseshoe players headed up the beach Catherine heard Cody clear his throat behind her.
"Catherine, could I talk to you for a minute?" he asked as Jadon finished carefully placing plastic over the plants just off the deck.
"Sure, what do you need?"
Cody's face was serious. "I was reading the back of the cans of the stain and sealer we're gonna use on the deck."
"Is there a problem?" she asked.
"It says the fumes can be dangerous for pregnant women. I know we're using it outside and that makes a difference but still," he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I just thought if you could stay as far away as possible that would be good. Just to be safe."
Catherine smiled.
In that moment he reminded her so much of Steve.
"I'll do that. Thanks, Cody."
"The wind is blowing in that direction." He indicated left to right. "So I figure if you have to go in the house to use the bathroom you should go around that side of the house," he pointed left, "to get to the front door."
"Sounds like an excellent plan." She nodded.
"Good." He smiled. "Or if you need something you could just let me know and I'll get it for you."
"That's very thoughtful." Catherine smiled. "Thanks for looking out for me. And for Niblet."
"You're welcome." He blushed slightly. "Ok then, we're gonna get started."
"Let me know if you need anything."
"Will do," he called over his shoulder as he jogged towards the deck.
"Who does he remind you of?" Carrie grinned as she opened one of the coolers.
"Steve." Catherine beamed at her best friend. "More and more every day."
"It's so adorable he was reading the cans and then mapping out your path to the bathroom."
"Don't let him hear you call him adorable." Jenna chuckled. "He hates that."
"Like I said." Catherine grinned. "More and more every day."
"We're not eating any of the fish though, right?" Kaitlyn asked for the third time. She trusted Dylan's assurances but she just wanted to be extra sure.
"We'll name them and throw them back," Dylan promised.
"I made a big bowl of Nonna's pasta salad for dinner and we're gonna cook chicken and hot dogs over the campfire," Catherine said as a way of reassuring Kaitlyn dinner was covered.
"Yum," Kaitlyn said happily.
"How long do you think it's gonna be until she starts equating the chicken we're having for dinner with real live chickens?" Carrie asked as she and Jenna double checked to make sure all the smaller kids were wearing floaties.
"Probably not long." Jenna acknowledged. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Twenty minutes later they were all spread out along the shore, lines in the water, hoping for a bite.
"Uncle Steve said he used to catch lots of fish here when he was younger," Dylan reported. As if on cue there was a tug on his line. "I think I caught something!" he squealed excitedly.
Five minutes later John was helping him take a nice sized blue striped snapper off the hook.
"She's pretty," Kaitlyn said in a sing-song voice.
"How do you know it's a girl?" Dylan asked.
"I just do."
Catherine pulled out her camera. "Let's get a picture for Uncle Steve."
Dylan smiled proudly as he held up the fish. Once Catherine nodded that she had a good shot he turned to his sister. "What's her name?"
Kaitlyn thought for a few seconds. "Cassandra. There was girl in the story we read at school with that name and she had a pretty blue dress."
"Ok then, Cassandra it is." John smiled. "Tell her goodbye."
As all the kids called out their goodbyes John waded into the shallow surf and carefully placed the fish back in the water.
A few minutes later Casey caught a small reddish fish which Kaitlyn immediately dubbed Clyde. Casey waved off the offers of help from the adults and removed the fish from the line herself then placed it back in the ocean.
After repeating a similar process several more times when Jacob, Kaitlyn and Grace each reeled in a catch they all decided to stow the fishing gear and take a swim before dinner. As they pulled in their lines Danny felt a tug.
"I think I caught something," he said, his voice tinged with disbelief.
A few seconds later a blue gray fish with a noticeable horn in the middle of its forehead emerged from the water.
"Cool," Dylan said enthusiastically. "You caught a unicorn fish. We learned about those in school."
Kaitlyn's mouth dropped open in wonder. "You caught a unicorn?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper. "Is it magical?"
"A unicorn fish," Dylan corrected. "It's called that because of the horn."
Kaitlyn reached out and gently petted the fish. "Her name is Sparkle."
"Ok, Sparkle." Danny smiled. "Time to go for a swim."
At that moment he realized he had never taken a fish off the hook before.
He looked at John, who was helping Jacob, then back at Kaitlyn.
"You can do it," she assured him confidently.
It was at that moment that Danny remembered the real magic was the look in the eye of a young girl who believed you could do anything. He carefully reached his fingers inside Sparkle's mouth, gently removed the hook, then placed Sparkle back in the water which earned him an impromptu hug from Kaitlyn.
Cody and Jadon finished the deck just in time to get cleaned up and join everyone on the beach for dinner.
"I worked up more of an appetite than I expected," Jadon said as he helped himself to more pasta salad. "That was a lot harder than my job under the big gold arches."
"You boys did a great job," Catherine said sincerely.
Once the sealer started to dry and the fumes dissipated she'd been allowed to get close enough to the deck to inspect the final product.
"You should both be very proud." She smiled.
"If it's ok I'm gonna have my mama take a look when she comes to pick me up," Jadon said.
"What do you mean when she comes to pick you up?" Danny asked. "You're not staying?"
"Actually, Cody and me made plans to do the deck before the whole camping thing came up. I wasn't sure if I was included in that particular venture."
"You're always welcome," Catherine assured him. "You know that."
"And if I have to stay, All Day J, you do, too," Danny said adamantly. "Call your mom and tell her I'll bring you home tomorrow night after this whole thing is over."
Jadon's face broke into a wide smile. "Are you saying you want me around, D-Dawg?"
"I'm saying," Danny grinned, "that misery loves company."
After a game of flashlight tag in the fading light, a bedtime snack of freshly made smores and a recitation of some spooky but not quite scary stories that Jenna had approved as being suitable for the younger kids it was time for bed.
"I'm gonna get a bucket of water to put on the fire just to be safe," Dylan said as he grabbed a pail and headed for the ocean.
"Good thinking," Danny said.
"He takes this stuff very seriously," John said to Jenna. "I think that's great."
Jenna smiled. "It's very important to him that Uncle Steve thinks he did a good job."
"He will." Catherine nodded confidently.
"Will you sleep beside me, Uncle Danny?" Jacob asked.
"Me, too," Dylan called as he carefully extinguished the fire.
"Don't forget Cammie and Scout are in the boy's tent," Catherine grinned. "They'll let me know if you try to sneak in the house and sleep."
"Don't give me any ideas." Danny smirked.
"Can we stay up for a little bit on our tent and play a game, Mom? Pleeeeease?" Jacob begged.
"If it's ok with Uncle Danny," Jenna agreed.
Jacob turned his wide eyes on Danny. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
"Sure," Danny exhaled loudly. "Why not?"
Jacob thrust his arms in the air. "Concentration!"
"I could have guessed that," Cody chuckled. "He wins every time."
"Camping this weekend was a great idea," Dylan said happily.
Danny snorted. "Remind me to thank Uncle Steve."
TBC tomorrow on BONUS Saturday.
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