I have returned from my writer's block to give you another mini tale! This is the long awaited Dave-centric camping fic! It's a little long for a mini tale, so just imagine it as like a double length bonus episode!

This entire story was a big learning curve for me. I wrote it as a script first. That helped get the characters' reactions on point. Then, I went back to add the prose. Getting into Dave's head was really difficult, but I stuck with it! I tried my best. It's probably not perfect. But, does it have to be?

I hope you enjoy this! It's got a LOT of great scenes. I really love it when all six kids are just being their lovable and aggravating selves.

Without further ado, here we go!

CAMPING WITH THE SCAMPS

Dave's POV

All I wanted to do was have a nice family camping trip. It's summer, so the kids aren't in school. They've been begging me for a vacation. Sadly, we weren't able to manage one for a while because of my job. I'm a songwriter, but that doesn't always go very well. Inspiration is hard to come by. So, I have a job on the side, helping out wherever I'm needed at the record company. Sometimes I write scores for movies, sometimes jingles for advertising. Sometimes, I do things like print sheet music and give advice to young musicians just starting out. They've even asked me to occasionally wash the windows and clean the bathrooms.

But enough about that. I really would rather not think about work right now. It's hard balancing work with caring for three kids. Sometimes, even six kids. I know the girls aren't my kids, but they're very much like part of our family.

So, anyway, the kids spent a big portion of the summer begging and pleading for a vacation. Then, I begged and pleaded with my boss to let me use my vacation days. At last, I got a week off where other people could cover for me. Then, I spent half of my week off planning for our vacation. There was so much to do.

The kids all had very different reactions to camping. I know it wasn't the fancy vacation they were expecting, but I was determined to make some fun memories with them. I camped a lot when I was a kid, and it's always been something that brings me joy.

We packed our bags and headed to the campsite. Miss. Miller, the Chipettes mom, even decided to join us. Once there, everyone seemed to adjust to it well. I figured they would. They were all making the best of it.

I sat down on a log and Simon helped get the campfire burning. Once everyone was situated, I figured I'd have some time to relax and enjoy myself. That's what I figured. Yeah, well, I figured WRONG.

Five minutes. That's all it took. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the campfire. Then, I got up and took a short hike just around our campsite, looking up at the trees and the bright blue sky. It felt fantastic. A whole three days where I didn't have to worry about anything except enjoying nature. It was shaping up to be a great weekend.

I hummed to myself as I walked along. This was giving me some great inspiration for a new song, but there was no way I was stopping to write a song now. It's supposed to be a vacation.

When my short hike was finished, I returned to the campsite. I looked around for the kids. They were nowhere in sight. Surely, they had to still be here, right? Maybe they just went inside the tent?

I unzipped the tent I'd be sharing with the boys. Their backpacks were inside. No sign of them. I began to panic. The camouflage T shirt I was wearing quickly became drenched in sweat.

"Boys!?" I shouted. "Simon!? Theodore!?" I was about to yell Alvin's name angrily, but I stopped myself. I didn't need to yell at him. I just needed to know where he was. "Alvin!?" No answer.

I checked in the Chipettes' tent, but they were nowhere to be found either. "Brittany!?" I called. "Jeanette!? Eleanor!?"

It was time to face facts. I had no idea where any of the kids were. I had expected them to get settled while I was hiking. Where could they have run off to!?

"No no no! They're gone!?" I frantically continued my search. "But…It's only been 5 minutes!" I checked my watch to confirm that.

I sighed. I should have known I couldn't trust them alone for even two minutes. Who knew what they were up to!? Hmmm. Maybe Miss. Miller might have some idea.

I hurried over to the log that Miss. Miller was seated on. She was wearing her usual pink floral dress with her gray hair piled high on her head. She seemed to be as relaxed as I was while taking my hike. You know, before realizing that I let the kids go gallivanting off into the woods without supervision. Not exactly winning the best parent award today.

I sat down beside the elderly lady. "Miss. Miller, have you seen the kids?" I asked.

"Of course I've seen them." She responded instantly. "I live with three of them. And I see your boys all the time."

Okay, clearly she didn't understand what I meant. I needed to give her more information. "I mean, recently. Have you seen them recently? Say, in the last 5 minutes?"

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Can't say that I have, David. But I wouldn't worry. They're probably fine. They're off doing what makes them happy."

The last sentence gave me a little hope. It implied that she must know at least something.

"Did any of them say what exactly they were going to do?" I tried to ignore all the thoughts of the trouble they might be getting into that were whirling through my mind.

"Well….let's see." Miss. Miller really had to concentrate. She tapped her head. "Simon was going on a nature hike with Jeanette, Theodore's grabbing snacks, Alvin's building some fancy doohicky and Eleanor said she was going swimming." The woman reported. "Brittany should be around here somewhere. She mentioned "getting her glamp on." I have no idea what she meant by that. But she didn't seem interested in the hike."

Wow! That was more than I was expecting to get out of the scatterbrained senior.

"Thanks, Miss. Miller." I stood up and started to walk away. I was on a mission to track down the six chipmunks before it got dark. Luckily, there were still a few hours until sunset.

"Don't mention it, David." The woman replied happily. "My memory isn't what it used to be, but I hope that helps!"

Truthfully, it wasn't a lot to go off, but it was SOMETHING. It gave me an idea of where to begin, at least.

I decided to head into the woods first. I was just about to do so when I noticed that the girls' tent looked different. There were pink flowers twisted around it in an elegant sort of pattern. Had they been there before and I just didn't notice? No. That's impossible.

I heard a rustling noise coming from the tent. Aha! My suspicion was right! The flowers were new. Someone was inside the large pink tent, and it had to be one of the Chipettes!

I unzipped the opening of the tent carefully and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was Brittany. She was unpacking a gigantic pink backpack that had to be almost a third of my height. It was a LOT bigger than she was, since she stood at roughly 18 inches tall.

"When did you get here?" I wondered aloud. "I checked a few minutes ago and the tent was empty."

The girl in the light pink off-shoulder T shirt, darker pink tank top, and periwinkle shorts continued to sort her possessions. "I just got back from picking flowers." She smiled at me. "They add just the right amount of flare, don't you think?"

I didn't know what to say to that. I couldn't tell if they added flare or not. "Uh…sure." I mumbled.

"Absolutely beautiful!" The eldest Chipette seemed proud of her handiwork.

I needed to get down to business. "Brittany, do you know where your sisters are?"

I stuck my hands in the pockets of my dark gray shorts, trying to keep them from visibly balling into fists and showing Brittany how impatient and angry I was slowly becoming.

"Beats me." She fished a bag of hairclips out of the backpack. "I asked them to help me unpack, but they told me to do it all by myself. Can you believe that!? How very VERY un-sisterly of them."

I could feel my patience being tested already. "Well, maybe if you had packed only what you need, you'd have this finished a lot faster." I told the Chipette while trying not to clench my jaw.

"I did pack what I need!" Brittany protested, while unpacking what looked like a giant fuzzy pink chair.

My inner Eagle Scout was not happy with her making a mockery of camping. "Remember, I told you, camping is about the essentials." I said firmly. "You don't need to bring your entire room with you. We're only going to be here a few days."

The pink shirted child rolled her eyes at me. "This isn't my entire room. Just…most of it."

I sighed. Brittany hadn't been a very happy camper since I announced our vacation. In fact, in the days leading up to it, while the other five chipmunks had come around to the idea, Brittany remained stubbornly stuck in her ways.

As I watched her continue to unpack a lot of things she didn't need, I recalled the way she'd been acting since we arrived at the campsite.

We were climbing up a hill to reach the spot I'd picked out. Everyone was staring at Brittany as she lugged the oversized backpack. The other five chipmunks and I sported much more reasonably sized backpacks. I wondered how she could even lift that thing. Then, I remembered that she has super strength. Each of the kids has a special supernatural skill. I still don't fully understand how that's possible, but the proof it's true was right in front of me.

Eleanor squinted at her older sister. "Brittany, you look ridiculous."

Oh good. She said it so I didn't have to.

"Keep talking like that, and I won't let you use my massage chair." The girl in pink huffed.

"I wouldn't wanna use it anyway." Eleanor retorted smugly.

Alvin decided that now would be a great time for some teasing. He's changed so much and so little at the same time. It gives me a headache thinking about it.

"You look like a turtle!" The red capped chipmunk grinned.

Brittany was offended. "Do not!"

That didn't stop Alvin. He doubled down on the insult. "Do so! Turtle girl! Turtle girl!"

"Alvinnn!" Brittany shouted, whirling around to face him and almost whacking me with her backpack in the process.

The boy in the red T shirt with a yellow A and cyan shorts darted away from her. Alvin must have known he pushed too far.

I stepped back so I didn't get smacked. "I think you overdid it." I tried to tell Brittany as gently as possible.

"I did not." The stubborn girl insisted. "I have everything I need. I'm not going camping. I'm going glamping."

Thank goodness Theodore asked so I didn't have to.

"What's glamping? It sounds fun. Can I join?" The little boy adjusted his electric green bandanna.

Simon had tied his blue bandanna around his head. He said it looked cooler that way. I wasn't sure. I don't have much of a fashion sense.

"It's a fancy way of saying she's glamor camping." The brown haired boy explained. "Basically, pampering herself." He rolled his eyes, which matched his medium blue tank top. "As if she doesn't already do that every single day."

Jeanette fidgeted with the small fringe on her purple vest. "Britt, I really think you should take this opportunity to get more in touch with nature." She told her sister.

Before anyone could respond, Alvin started messing with the pink clad girl AGAIN. "I'll make her touch nature." He gave Brittany a sharp poke with a long stick he picked up off the ground.

"Quit it!" She hissed, glaring at the redheaded child.

I'd had enough of Alvin's antics. "No poking people." I grabbed the stick and snapped it in two. "Look, fellas, we came out here for a nice family camping trip and that's what we're going to have."

"Dave's right, dears." Miss. Miller added lovingly. "We're going to have a fun vacation."

Eleanor frowned. "It'll be fun alright." She murmured sarcastically.

We all continued our walk to the campsite together…

The flashback in my head concluded and I stared at the pile of things Brittany had unpacked while I was distracted. She had a hair dryer with a portable charger, a fluffy pillow, her shimmery sleeping bag, three bags of clothes, and a box of hair curlers. Is there anything she didn't pack!?

I attempted to lift the backpack to see if it was any less heavy than earlier. My knees buckled immediately, causing me to set it back down.

"How much…does this thing…weigh?" I panted.

Brittany shrugged.

"Do you know where the boys are?" I paced around the tent.

She put a polished nail against her cheek. "Theo overdosed on s'mores and went to find a place to puke."

I groaned. "Of course he did."

Brittany looked at her polished nail disapprovingly. "Can you hand me my mani pedi kit?" She asked.

I handed it over, giving up on getting her to embrace camping without all her "essentials."

"Would you like to come with me to round up the others?" I gave her an awkward smile.

"Hmmm." She thought about it and then turned the offer down. "No thanks."

I sighed. I could have used a hand. "Well…Good luck getting this all unpacked before sundown." I replied.

I left the girls' tent and decided to check the boys' tent once more to see if they'd returned.

"Hello? Anyone home?" I called, looking inside.

Nope. Nothing.

I left the campsite and came to a small lake, hoping to spot another kid, maybe even two or three.

I called their names. "Simon! Jeanette! Eleanor! Theodore! Alvin!"

A shuffling noise rustled the trees next to the lake. A familiar chubby chipmunk in a pale green T shirt and darker green shorts popped into view.

"What is it, Dave?" My youngest son asked.

I was so relieved to see him. "Theodore, oh thank goodness. Are you okay?"

"Uh huh. Why wouldn't I be?" The brown eyed boy blinked and tilted his head.

I crouched down to get closer to his height. "Brittany said you overdosed on s'mores."

"Uhh…well…I did have eleven, but I'm okay." He confessed. "I just have a tummy ache is all."

Well, that wasn't great, but at least he was still alive and not drowning in the lake or something.

I stood back up to my full height. "I don't suppose you've seen the others."

Theodore scrunched his nose. "Uhhh…nope." His eyes shined sweetly. "But, I bet I can sniff them out for you!"

Sniff them out? How was I supposed to respond to that? I think that's Theo's special "superpower" if I'm remembering what Alvin said correctly.

"A…Alright." I murmured.

We spent a while hiking around, looking for the others. I used my Eagle Scout training knowledge to navigate and make sure we didn't get lost.

As we walked, Theodore had quite a bit to talk about.

"Would you like to hear about Mr. Toasty's camping safety tips?" The green clad boy hopped over a twig on the ground as he scampered beside me.

I frowned, not because I was upset, but because as usual…I had no idea what Theo was talking about. "Who's Mr. Toasty?"

"The guy on my shirt! See?" He pointed to the graphic of a s'more with eyes and arms and legs.

"He's a s'more?" I asked.

My youngest son decided to tell me Mr. Toasty's entire backstory, whether I wanted to hear it or not. "He's a talking s'more, with a lot of good camping safety tips. Like, if you have a picnic basket, make sure that you make it bear-proof. Oh, and always remember to put out your fire before you sleep! That's a big one. And, and, choose your campsite wisely. Don't put your tent under a tree or camp too close to water." Theodore squeaked in that adorable child-like voice. "Did we choose our campsite wisely, Dave?"

Well, I guess I did appreciate him being so concerned about camping safety, even if this WAS a lot of information to take in at once…and most of it I already knew.

"Yes we did, Theodore." I responded gently.

"Are you sure?" He stuck out his lower lip in a pout.

"I'm a former Eagle Scout." I bragged. "Camping is my specialty." I might be clueless with modern technology, but out here I have all the knowledge I need.

Theodore looked up at me. "Is our picnic basket bear-proof?"

Bear proof? This was the first time I'd heard of that concept. All I knew was that you're supposed to keep the lid of the picnic basket or cooler closed as much as possible so that bears aren't attracted to the scent of the food inside.

But, I didn't want to tell my son I had no idea what he meant, so I did something I'm not proud of.

"I'm fairly sure." I lied. I straight up lied to my own son.

Theodore scrunched his nose again. I could tell he was thinking. "But not 100% sure?" DRAT! He was onto me.

I knew exactly what to say to keep him calm. "It will be fine. You don't need to worry about this stuff. I'm the parent. It's my job to keep you safe. I take my job very seriously." I responded. I didn't need the poor kid up with nightmares about bears attacking our camp. The odds of that happening were slim.

"I know. I just thought…maybe if I help you, then you don't have to work so hard and get so stressed." The little chipmunk spoke softly and tenderly.

Gosh, he was as kind and generous and helpful as they come. Almost to a fault. "That's very sweet of you, Theodore." I replied.

We continued our trek through the forest and it wasn't long before my thoughts were interrupted by another question from Theodore.

"So, did you check the weather for this week?" He tugged at my sock.

I was beginning to get irritated. It doesn't take much to irritate me. My mother used to always say I was hot headed. She wasn't…entirely wrong.

I tried my best to hide my rapidly thinning patience. "I did. It's sunny and beautiful."

Theodore didn't seem convinced. "No storms?"

"No storms." I confirmed. "The weatherman said nothing but clear skies and low humidity."

"What if the weatherman is wrong?" My son tremembled a little. "Do we have a storm plan in place? Mr. Toasty says we always need an emergency plan in case things go wrong."

An emergency plan? Well, maybe it would be a good idea to have one. I decided I would make a plan when I got back to camp.

And since I was going to make one, I lied again. "Sure, yes, we have a plan." I felt so guilty lying to him. The alternative was to have him freak out, and I didn't want that.

"That's good." He seemed satisfied and then launched into another question. "Do we have a first aid kit?"

"Yes." I groaned. Then, I muttered to myself under my breath. "This is going to be a looong hike."

Theodore gasped. "It is? Maybe I should have brought more s'mores." Darn it! I forgot this kid hears EVERYTHING.

I looked at him sternly. "I think you've had your fill of s'mores." If he ate any more, he'd surely puke…and I'd be stuck cleaning it up.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Luckily, the boy in green agreed.

After a while, Theodore suddenly shrieked. "There they are!"

I had been preoccupied thinking about possible places we might find the others and all the dangerous situations they might be getting into. The noise caught me off guard and I nearly stumbled.

"Huh?" I squinted into the distance where Theo was pointing.

"Look! Look!" He shouted again. "It's Simon and Jeanette!"

He was right! There they were! Four kids accounted for. Two to go.

Simon was wearing a medium blue T shirt that said I Will Survive on it. Notably different from the darker blue tank top he'd worn earlier that day. He waved at me with a sheepish smile. "H…Hi, Dave."

Before he could say anything else, Jeanette took over for him. She babbled excitedly as she held up a thick maroon spiral-bound notebook. "We're seeing who can identify the most flora and fauna and add it to our nature guide!" She gushed. "So far, we've added over 30 different species!"

I folded my arms. "That's great, guys, but you still shouldn't have left camp without telling me."

"We're sorry." Simon replied genuinely. "Jeanette was just so excited to go, we didn't think of it."

The girl with the purple dragonfly hairclip decorating her bun, nodded. "We'll try to remember next time. We promise."

"Truthfully, I was excited to go as well." My son adjusted his glasses. "I don't get much time to spend alone with her without Alvin butting in."

He was definitely right about that.

Jeanette rested a hand on Simon's shoulder, adjusting her own round purple glasses. "He was a little disappointed, but I told him that he could hike with me tomorrow. Today is Simon's time." She looked affectionately at her best friend.

"That's nice." Theodore agreed. "Simon deserves his time."

Enough explaining. I was happy for the two of them, but there were more important things going on.

I finally got to ask the question I was hoping to ask: "Have you seen Alvin? Or Eleanor?"

Jeanette frowned slightly. "Not since we left camp."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Alvin was rambling about various cryptids again, but that's all I know."

Theodore slumped his shoulders. "Eleanor said she was gonna swim, but when I went to the lake, she wasn't there." I could tell he was disappointed. He and Eleanor are usually like two peas in a pod.

"Maybe she was and you didn't notice her." Simon joked with a small smirk.

The boy in green folded his arms. He frowned at his older brother. "I always notice her."

Simon rested a hand on his hip. "Anyway, may we continue our hike?" He requested. "Aloooone?" He added, drawing out the vowel sound in the last word to really drive home his point.

"Yeah, of course." I replied. I thought for a moment. Simon probably knew this, but it never hurts to check. "You know how to get back to camp, right?"

He smirked again. You could really see his subtle resemblance to Alvin "Yes. we'll just follow the sound of Brittany complaining." He joked.

I scolded him for that one, even though it had truth to it. "Simon."

Jeanette was all giggles. "Don't worry. We have the map."

Theodore waved goodbye to the bespectacled duo. "We'll see you at dinnertime." He said, hopping over another twig.

"Be careful out here." I warned.

Simon gave me a goofy salute. "Sure thing, troop leader Dave." He responded, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

I watched my son and his best friend walk away and listened to them talk more about their nature guide book.

"I hope we see a pygmy nuthatch." Jeanette squeaked. "What are you hoping to see?"

Simon smiled. "A wandering salamander. Unfortunately, they're pretty elusive."

"It's definitely easier documenting things that don't move." The Chipette in the lavender ECO girl T-shirt, and deep purple shorts, agreed.

"Indeed." Simon snapped a photo of a tree using his phone camera. "Add Douglas-fir tree to the guide."

Jeanette jumped around. "And it's right next to a red alder!"

"Exquisite." Simon snapped another photo.

"I'm still impressed you were able to snap a picture of the brush rabbit." Jeanette added. "He was so fast."

My son nodded. "I honestly didn't think I'd get him."

"Did you know, California is a World Biodiversity Hotspot?" The brunette Chipette sure was enjoying herself.

My son raised an eyebrow in awe. "It is? Wow."

"60% of its flora is exclusively native to California." Jeanette went on.

"Incredible!" Simon replied, his voice fading away as he became just a tiny blue dot on the trail in the distance.

Theodore and I walked in the opposite direction, as we continued our search for Alvin and Eleanor.

The littlest chipmunk tugged on my sock again. "Do you know the way back to camp, Dave?" He asked nicely. "My legs are really tired."

I wasn't ready to go back yet. "We really need to find Alvin." I told him gently. "Who knows what trouble he's gotten himself into?"

Theodore sighed heavily. "Yeah. I know." He looked at me with those dark brown puppy-dog eyes. "Can I ride on your back?"

I couldn't say no to him. He did have MUCH shorter legs than I did. It made sense he'd grow tired of hiking sooner or later.

"Sure." I lifted my son into the air and put him on my back. He could ride up there without putting too much strain on my shoulders. Though I'd definitely feel it after a while.

"This is much better." He squeaked, sniffing the air. "I think I can smell Alvin from up here!"

I had to chuckle at that. The way he said it sounded ridiculous.

"How does that work?" I wondered. "Wouldn't Alvin be closer to the ground?"

Theodore gripped my shoulders tighter. "Maybe he's climbing trees?"

I hadn't considered that. Climbing trees was a very Alvin thing to do. "Oh, good thinking." I put my hands on my hips. "Okay, tell me which direction to go to find Alvin." I said, suddenly confident we'd locate my third son in record time.

Theodore's directions weren't the easiest to follow, he started off pointing in the direction he wanted me to go. That didn't do much good when I couldn't see where he was pointing. He was still riding on my back.

Eventually, he figured out he had to say the directions verbally. That was still pretty hard to follow.

"Right, then straight, now make a left, no, wait, right again,…"

I groaned. "Which is it?"

"Right! Right!" Theo squeaked. "It's getting stronger! And I can hear him talking!"

I couldn't hear a thing. "Are you sure?"

"Trust me, Dave." He begged.

Sure enough, he was right. We both found Alvin hooking up some crazy contraption in a tree. I had no idea what it was supposed to be. It looked like a collection of sensors and wires and a huge net. Then, there were bells attached to some sort of pole which was also attached to the net.

I gave up trying to make sense of it and shouted up at my son. "Alvin! What are you doing up there!?"

"I'm using my genius inventor brain to catch Bigfoot!" The red capped boy hollered back, sounding slightly annoyed.

Yes, Alvin's an inventor now. He calls himself Alvin 2.0. I asked him a few times to be more like Simon, and it seems like he took it to heart in the worst way possible. Okay, that's not really a fair assessment. He's come a long way, which I have to remind myself constantly because, well, he does things like this.

I groaned. Some things never change. "Alvin, Bigfoot isn't real."

"Oh yes he is!" My oldest son argued. "I saw him!"

I didn't believe that for a second. Alvin was known for jumping to conclusions. "You saw him?" I raised an eyebrow.

Theodore's grip tightened to the point where his sharp nails were digging into my shoulders, OW.

"B…Bigfoot?" The younger chipmunk trembled.

Time for some expert parenting. "It's okay, Theodore." I calmed him down. "I'm sure Alvin was just imagining things." I sternly glared up at the boy in red and cyan clothes. "Right, Alvin?"

Alvin expertly climbed down the tree and slid off a branch, leaping through the air and landing on his feet at the bottom of the tree. I noticed he'd tied his wild red hair into a tiny ponytail. He probably thought that made him look more mature. It did not.

"I know what I saw, Dave!" He continued to speak. "He was HUGE! He was covered in mud and he had leaves in his fur! A real live cryptid in our local forest! Can you believe it?"

Theodore and I answered him at the same time. "No."

Alvin huffed. "Fine. Well, then you two skeptics run along." He adjusted his red glasses and fiddled with a sensor. "I must continue my quest."

No way. I was not letting him fool around with this. Not without supervision. "That looks dangerous." I pointed out.

While this "2.0" fella has a survival instinct, he still tends to overestimate his capability to…not make things explode.

"Spoken like someone who has no idea how the laws of physics work." He scoffed.

Let me tell you, I was getting mighty tired of his "genius" and his insistence that he always knew more than I did.

I took Theodore off my shoulders and held him in my arms. That way, he wouldn't dig his claws into me if he got scared again.

"So how does your trap work?" The little munk in green asked his brother, before I could stop him.

This made Alvin break out in a large smile "I'm so glad you asked…"

He proceeded to explain his mythical beast trap in complicated science words. I didn't have a clue what he was saying. It was all too fast and too much to take in. Not to mention, I suspect he forgot that he wasn't explaining this to Simon or Jeanette, so he just babbled and babbled without stopping. He was completely unaware that his explanation was…pointless.

"Do you know what he means by that?" I whispered quietly to Theodore.

He shook his head. "Not really no."

"Should we nod and pretend we do?" I wondered, still talking in a hushed whisper.

Theodore nodded, and the two sprigs of brownish blonde hair on his head bounced around. "I think that would be best, even though it's lying."

Alvin finally finished his long winded speech of science gibberish. "And then, once the net has ensnared its victim, these bells will ring at a frequency of 8,000 hertz."

Theodore frowned. "Oh brother." He groaned. "When those go off, my ears are gonna hertz." I don't think he meant to make a joke, but I did find that pretty funny.

"Any questions?" Alvin gestured to his trap with a flourish.

"No, I think we got it." I lied.

Theodore joined me. "Yep. Totally understand it."

That seemed to please the aggravatingly wordy boy. "Would you like to help me adjust the sensors and recalibrate everything?" His bright blue eyes glistened. "I could use someone….taller." He rubbed his arm awkwardly. I could tell admitting he's too short was difficult for him.

I'm not sure how much he'll grow when he gets older. It's very likely that he'll remain too short for some things, even as an adult. They all might.

Because I felt bad for lying to him, I decided I probably should help. "Uhhh….well….sure."

Alvin 2.0 grinned and held up a hand to high five me. "Stupendous!"

I bent down and touched his tiny hand with two of my fingers.

Setting up the trap with him proved to be harder than I thought. We both got frustrated with each other quickly. Theo was there to help smooth things over, but nothing was going well.

"You need to follow directions, Dave." Alvin told me sharply.

"I am following the directions!" I insisted. You know, the ones that I actually understood. Admittedly, that wasn't much.

Next thing I knew, I was re-tying one of the ropes and Alvin was off staring into the woods.

"I think I saw him again! Come look!" The red capped chipmunk begged.

I scolded him. "Pay attention, Alvin!"

We finally got the trap fully recalibrated after at least ten failed attempts. I breathed a sigh of relief and then accidentally stepped too close to a sensor.

The net shot out and scooped me up. I found myself hanging from the tree, upside down. I struggled to flip myself upright.

Alvin chuckled obnoxiously. "Well, the good news is, the trap works." He reported proudly. "It is fully functional." Then, he started bragging. "I have truly outdone myself with this one."

I was pushed to my limit. "ALVINNN!" I yelled. "GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

"Oh brother." Theodore watched the scene and sighed.

"Heh heh." Alvin's ears drooped, but he was still grinning. Did that mean he felt ashamed that his trap had caught me? "Right away, Davey boy!" He released me with the push of a button.

I stood up and dusted off my camouflage T-shirt. "Are you ready to get back to camp now?" I asked Alvin, trying to calm down again.

He rubbed his furry chin. "Hmmm. I dunno. Maybe I should add another motion sensor, just to be safe." He reached a hand toward the invention.

I picked him up and held him close. "The trap is fine, Alvin. Come on."

Theodore climbed up onto my shoulder and patted Alvin's head gently. "You need to take a break from using your brainy brain." He advised.

The newly intellectual chipmunk sighed. "Yeah, heh heh. You've got a point, Theo." He admitted. I was very glad that he was self aware enough not to argue with Theodore.

As we returned to camp, I thought about what Officer Dangus must be enduring at that moment. He was hired to babysit Simon's robot son Geizmo. He was also there to babysit Warbie (Alvin's bird son), Pippi (Jeanette's mouse daughter), Lilly (Theodore's pet dog), and Zeela (Jeanette's robot daughter.) He sure had his hands full.

I was glad he volunteered to help out. I didn't want to take the kids' kids camping too. If I had anyone else to track down, I would probably lose my mind. No, scratch that. Definitely. I would definitely lose my mind.

"We're back!" Theodore announced, jumping out of my arms and running up to Miss. Miller.

Alvin wriggled away from me and scurried over to rest on a log. "And my trap is set!" He boasted. "Ohoho! It won't be long now! I can feel it!"

Brittany looked up her fashion magazine. "Are you still going on about that?"

Alvin grabbed her magazine, so that she'd be forced to pay attention to him. "You're just jealous that my face is gonna be in every newspaper!" He went on. "I can see it now! The headline reads "Famous Rockstar Discovers Bigfoot!" He appeared to be in what he calls "Classic Alvin mode."

"Doubt it." Brittany scoffed.

He handed her magazine back. "Then, I'll interview the sasquatch and publish a research paper on my findings!" He rubbed his hands together. Okay, maybe he wasn't in "Classic Alvin mode" after all. That boy is very confusing.

Brittany looked at him with half lidded blue eyes. She was clearly getting more and more annoyed by the second. "I hope Bigfoot kidnaps you."

Okay, I needed to break this up before their banter got any worse. "Brittany, Alvin, please…" I began.

My rambunctious son interrupted me. "Don't worry, Britt! If trap number one fails, I can still use your help on trap number two. The revised edition." He babbled.

"Can't think of anything I'd like to do less." The strawberry blonde haired girl retorted.

Alvin nudged her playfully. "Come on! You're always saying we should spend more time together! I'm giving you an opening!"

Brittany pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't care about your doofy little invention." She replied. "You wanna spend time with me? Let's relax in the tent and talk." She stood up and pointed to the tent she decorated with pink flowers.

"Okay!" He seemed very enthusiastic, jumping up to follow her. "I have loads to talk about."

Brittany seemed content with that. She smiled, but her smile quickly faded as the red capped boy continued to talk.

"Did you know that Bigfoot sightings happen roughly 300 times a year?" He asked.

The pink clad Chipette covered her ears. "Not about Bigfoot. I will talk about anything but that. Literally anything!" She begged.

Alvin still didn't understand. "How about Mothman? The Chupacabra?" I am pretty sure she meant NO mythical beasts.

Brittany groaned and pulled Alvin into the tent with her.

I looked at Theodore, exhaustion written all over my face. "I will never understand those two."

The boy in the pale green T-shirt shrugged. "Me either."

We could both still hear the loud voices of the pink and red duo, even though they were slightly muffled.

"Alvin! Get your butt out of my massage chair!" Brittany demanded. "I called dibs!"

He whined. "But I'm very tense. I gotta relax."

"Move it!" I heard a thud. She must have dumped him out of the chair.

"Ow!" Alvin squeaked. "Okay okay!"

Should I go in there and scold them? No, no. Let them work things out on their own. The important thing is that I know where they are.

Theodore and I joined Miss. Miller by the campfire.

The little chipmunk held up a box of graham crackers and a bag of marshmallows. "Would you like me to make you a s'more, Miss. Miller?" He asked.

"Why isn't that sweet of you?" The elderly woman replied. "Of course, Theodore."

He smiled and stuck a marshmallow on a skewer, then he carefully stuck it near the flame.

While Theo made Miss. Miller the signature camping treat, I started to talk aloud to myself. "Let's see. I found Brittany, Theodore, Simon and Jeanette are accounted for. Alvin's here too." Suddenly, I gasped. I knew someone had slipped my mind. "Eleanor! I'm missing Eleanor!"

Miss. Miller rested a hand on my shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about her, David. She's a big girl. She's very independent."

I just couldn't shake the fear of something going wrong. "But what if she's in trouble?"

"I could try and text her." Theodore offered. He looked at his phone sadly. "Except there's no service out here."

"Does she know the way back to camp?" I felt the tension in my body increase.

The little chipmunk nodded. "I think so. She's a survival expert." He handed Miss. Miller the finished s'more. "Here you go. Careful, it's a little messy."

"Thank you." The old woman took a bite and melted chocolate dripped down her chin. "It's delicious."

I started to pace around the campfire. I was fully aware that my neurotic tendencies were not helping anyone, but I just couldn't stop myself from worrying. "Maybe I should go out and look for her."

"You need to relax, David." Miss. Miller advised.

I shook my head forcefully. "Relaxing is what got me into this." I reminded the Chipettes' mother. "I relaxed for a few minutes and the kids went gallivanting away on their own."

Theodore tried to calm me down with sugar. As if that would actually work. "Here, Dave, have a s'more. They're very yummy." He handed it to me.

I humored him and nibbled on the treat. "They are very good." I admitted.

"I wish I could eat some, but I can't until tomorrow." My son rubbed his stomach. "My tummy says no more marshmallows and chocolate for a while."

It wasn't long after that when Jeanette and Simon returned to the campsite.

Jeanette held the nature guide to her chest. "Guess how many species we added to the guidebook now!" She squealed.

Simon hopped up onto a log and took a seat. "I'll give you a hint, it's….a lot."

Theodore was more than happy to play their guessing game. "Is it a thousand?"

"Not that many." The chipmunk in blue responded with a slight chuckle.

I decided to join in. "Uh….45?"

"Higher!" Jeanette tucked the book under her arm and pointed upward.

Miss. Miller took a guess. "70?"

"Lower." Simon replied.

I exchanged glances with Miss. Miller and Theodore. We were all in agreement.

"We give up." I said.

Theo nodded. "Yeah, how many?"

Jeanette adjusted her purple vest. "52!" She announced.

"Whoah! Nice!" The chubby chipmunk gave her a high five.

Then, he high fived Simon as well.

Alvin came around to join us, climbing up onto the log next to me. "I'm bored." He complained. "And tired of Brittany." He looked around. "What's goin' on here?"

"I'm just making s'mores for everybody." Theodore informed him. "Want one?"

Alvin's blue eyes landed on the bag in Theo's hand. "Maybe just a roasted marshmallow."

Jeanette was even happier to see her boyfriend…it's still so strange to think of them like that. "Alvin! Alvin! Look at everything we added to the guide!" She handed him the notebook.

"Wow, you two were busy." The red capped boy with the cyan bandanna flipped through the guidebook pages.

Jeanette leaned her head on top of Alvin's cap. "Yeah, we were. It was nice."

"Glad ya enjoyed it." He replied. I was a little surprised that Alvin didn't seem bothered by Simon and Jeanette not wanting his company for a while. He really has improved.

The Chipette in purple smiled. "I'm looking forward to taking a hike with you too. If you want to." She fidgeted with the friendship bracelets around her wrist.

She'd made us all personalized ones in our favorite colors. Mine had navy blue, periwinkle, white, and grey.

Alvin's cheeks turned a bit pink. "I'm in!" He smiled back. "Maybe, you know, we could look for Bigfoot too." He twirled a strand of red-orange hair around on his finger, then jumped off the log. "I have a feeling he's close. I've felt like someone was watching me all day."

Brittany climbed onto the log between Theodore and Simon. "Alvin, give it a rest!" She grumbled. "Nobody but you cares about you know who!" She shouted. "Not even your girlfriend. Tell him, Jeanette."

"Err….uh….well…" Her younger sister didn't enjoy being put on the spot.

I needed to help change the topic. "Can we get back to enjoying the simple pleasures of camping?" I asked. "Please?" I stressed the last word.

Brittany didn't even hear me, I suppose. "Answer me, Jeanette." She demanded.

"I guess not." I muttered.

Simon stared at Alvin, looking irritated. "Let me put it this way, Alvin. If you can prove Bigfoot exists, I will buy you a Ferrari."

The redhead smirked. "I'll take that deal."

I sighed. "Alvin, he's not buying you a Ferrari."

"He has to if I prove Bigfoot exists!" My rambunctious son argued.

I facepalmed. Usually, Alvin could pick up on Simon's sarcasm. Apparently, not today.

Jeanette frowned. "I think we should just leave Bigfoot alone. He's probably tired of tourists trying to locate him." She said softly.

Brittany's ice blue eyes widened. "You believe he's real too?"

The girl in purple looked like she wanted to run away. "I…I b…believe we can't s…say he isn't for certain, so it's best to assume he is."

Simon's expression matched Brittany's. "This is ridiculous. You aren't going to catch Bigfoot!"

Alvin tapped his finger against his forehead. "The last time I looked for Bigfoot, I wasn't equipped with a big ol genius brain." He responded.

"It's adorable that you think that'll make a difference." Simon gave him a smug grin.

This caused the boy in red to get even more determined. "It will! You'll see!"

Suddenly, we all heard a SNAP! Then, the sound of bells ringing loudly followed it. Alvin's trap had been sprung! But, by who? Or what? Did he really catch Bigfoot?

"Oh my gosh! He actually did it!" Brittany exclaimed in disbelief.

Alvin danced around on the log. "OHOHO! YES! In your face!"

"What on earth…" I didn't know what else to say.

Alvin sped off to check his trap, forcing the rest of us to follow. Well, aside from Miss. Miller. She stayed at the camp.

"You go on ahead, dears. I'm not much of a runner." She told us.

Upon reaching the trap, we saw who the net had captured. It wasn't what we expected, that's for sure. It was ELEANOR! There she was in her dark teal tank top with orange leopard print letters. They read "GO WILD." She also had on a pair of mint striped shorts. In her hair, leaves decorated her twin ponytail holders.

She didn't look too upset about getting ensnared by Alvin's foolishness. She just smiled and said. "Wassup."

"Hey!" Alvin put a hand on his hip. "You're not Bigfoot."

"Nope, I'm not." The youngest Chipette agreed. "Gotcha!"

He squinted up at her, looking confused. "What?"

I realized what might have been going on before Alvin did. "Eleanor, have you been trying to prank Alvin this entire time?" I asked sternly.

The girl in teal and mint laughed. "Prank, mislead, fool, freak out….there's a lot of things you can call it."

Theodore sighed. "Oh Ellie."

Alvin started to pace up and down. "But I know I saw him!" He insisted. "This doesn't make any sense!"

Eleanor tumbled out of the trap as Simon released her. "Gotta admit, I was REALLY convincing in that costume." She revealed. "I made it out of mud and dried leaves, and I used some sticks as stilts." She laughed again.

"C…Costume?" The red capped chipmunk looked surprised, then disappointed.

Brittany scoffed at her youngest sister. "You're disgusting."

"Thanks!" The pigtailed blonde replied.

The truth about what he'd actually seen finally dawned on Alvin. He smacked himself in the forehead with his palm. "I can't believe Eleanor was Bigfoot this whole time!"

"Believe it, Sucker!" She taunted. She twirled around and then nudged him.

I folded my arms. "Okay, Eleanor. That's enough." I ordered. "Let's get back to camp."

On our way back, a rustling noise came from some nearby bushes. A faint growling accompanied it. I was getting angrier by the second, and so was everyone else.

"Stop it, Ells." Alvin commanded, brows furrowing with irritation. "It's not funny anymore."

"Yeah." Brittany added. "Knock it off, sis."

Jeanette nodded. "This joke has gone on long enough." She wasn't visibly angry. I think she may have just been trying to keep the peace.

"I'm not doing anything!" Eleanor told us, waving her hands. "See? Look. I'm right here."

Well, that wasn't good. If it wasn't Eleanor, then what was making that noise?

"Guys,….that's not her." Theodore squeaked nervously. "L…L…Look!"

A shaggy brown paw stepped out of the bushes.

Even Simon was freaking out now. "Everyone run!" He screamed.

We all hustled! We sped away as fast as possible.

"Was that Bigfoot?" I shrieked.

Brittany threw her hands up. "Who knows? But I'm not sticking around to find out!"

Alvin crept back toward the bushes. "Bigfoot, hi, huge fan! I have a couple very important questions for you…"

WHAT WAS HE DOING!? WAS HE OUT OF HIS MIND!?

More growling and rustling happened. I grabbed my idiot son and sprinted away. "Let's go, Alvin!"

The boy whined at me, reaching back toward the bushes with all his might. "BUT I JUST WANT A PICTURE WITH HIM!"

"It's not worth the risk, Alvin." Theodore said, still sounding terrified.

"I know, but it's my only chance!" Alvin begged. "Put me down! This isn't fair! Daaaaave! Let me goooo!" He squirmed, but I held him tightly. He wasn't going anywhere.

"You guys, this isn't Bigfoot." A soft voice said. "It's just a friendly grizzly bear." Was that Jeanette? I turned around to see her walking TOWARD the bear. "I have to write this in the guide!" The Chipette in purple opened her notebook.

"Jeanette, FORGET THE GUIDE!" Simon grabbed her hand.

The bear roared angrily.

"Or a not so friendly grizzly bear!" Jeanette snapped the notebook shut. "RUN!"

We all ran and didn't look back. I caught Theodore giving me a dirty look and wondered why. I didn't have to wonder long before he told me.

The little munk scowled. "I thought you said you bear-proofed our picnic basket, Dave!" He said frantically.

"Not now, Theodore!" I snapped. I probably could have handled that better, if I wasn't RUNNING FOR MY LIFE.

Alvin was still in my arms, but at least he stopped squirming. "The bear probably smelled Britt's bag of perfume and was like "what's that doing in my forest?" He commented. "This is all your fault, Britt."

Brittany's tail fluffed up. "I bet your stupid alarm bells attracted it!" She shot back, furiously.

"How dare you insult my glorious invention!?" Alvin placed a hand on his heart. "I am a master of my craft!"

"I vote we throw Alvin to the bear." Brittany smiled a devilish grin. "Who's with me?"

Eleanor raised her fist to the sky, while still running. "If that bear so much as messes with us, it's goin' DOWN!" She stopped and turned around.

"Don't fight the bear! Are you nuts!?" I yelled.

Simon looked from Eleanor to me. "Yes, she is."

"Urgh. Fine." She resumed sprinting. "But I could totally take him." She insisted.

We managed to make it back to camp safely. The bear eventually got bored of chasing us. We were all out of breath when we entered the campsite again.

"That was so close." Brittany was the first to catch her breath. "Now, I have to redo my hair." And she was back to complaining.

Simon glared at her. "I think that's a small price to pay for not being bear chow." He commented dryly.

Jeanette started writing in her guide. "What a majestic creature." She sighed happily.

"I'm hungry." Surprisingly, Eleanor said that, not Theo. "What's for dinner?" I guess pretending to be Bigfoot takes a lot of energy.

"There's sandwiches in the cooler." I told her, making a mental note to figure out how to bear-proof the cooler.

"What kinds?" The kids asked together.

I listed off what I planned for tonight's dinner. "Ham and cheese for Simon, myself, and Brittany, peanut butter and jelly for Alvin, you, Miss. Miller, and Theodore, and there's a vegan granola bar for Jeanette and some rice cakes."

"And apple slices and carrot sticks for everybody." Theodore added. I had forgotten he helped me pick out the snackier foods to add.

Miss. Miller greeted us as we walked by her. "Welcome back, dears. Did you have a good time?"

"It was….an experience." I answered.

She Smiled kindly. "Did the lovable scamps behave?"

"Barely." Simon muttered.

Theodore proudly puffed out his chest. "I think I was really well behaved."

"Alvin caught me in a Bigfoot trap." Eleanor added.

Alvin looked at her angrily. "You walked into it! You caught yourself!"

Immediately, Miss. Miller started looking her daughter over, checking for scrapes or cuts like any doting mother would. "Oh, goodness gracious. Are you okay, Eleanor?"

The golden haired Chipette didn't enjoy being fussed over. "Yeah. I'm fine." She said. "Don't sweat it."

Jeanette held her Nature Guidebook up. "Miss. Miller, would you like to read about all the different species Simon and I found?" She asked gently.

"Absolutely." The elderly lady allowed her middle daughter to climb up on her lap.

I finally had a chance to relax again. But, I definitely wouldn't make the same mistake as before. "I'm going to sit down for 5 minutes." I informed the kids. "Don't any of you wander off again."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Dave." Alvin replied. I hoped he was being honest. I have to trust him more. Don't I? Forgive me, it's very hard to adjust to him…not getting into trouble so often.

Brittany shuddered. "It'll be getting dark soon anyway. I don't want to be in the woods when it's dark."

"Are you cold?" Simon asked her.

"Y…Yeah." She nodded.

Theodore looked confused. "But it's warm here by the fire." He pointed out.

It finally hit me. Brittany was afraid of the dark. Simon must have known, because he was helping her explain her shivers in a different way. He really is a sweet kid. Every bit as sweet as he is intelligent.

"Wanna borrow my jacket?" Simon brought his backpack and unzipped it. He handed Brittany a blue and indigo two toned jacket.

"Yeah." She slipped it on over her clothes. "Thanks, Simon."

I sat down at last on the ground outside our tent. "Finally, a nice place to gather my thoughts."

The day had been full of surprises, but everyone was safe and accounted for now. I watched them out of the corner of my eye. Not that I didn't trust them. At the end of the day, they're good kids. But, I just…wanted to be extra careful so I didn't lose track of them again.

The next morning, I woke early and slipped on a white T shirt with a logo on it that I designed. It said, Camp Chipmunk. I was pretty proud of it. I made matching ones for the kids, but they didn't seem interested in them.

Theodore stirred in his green sleeping bag. His brown eyes opened and he crawled out. He was still giving me a very dirty look.

"You lied to me about following all the camping safety tips." He shook his finger at me. "Didn't you?"

I knew I needed to fess up. "Yeah, yeah. I did lie." I admitted. "I'm sorry." I didn't like this one bit. It felt like Theodore was trying to parent me. But, I knew that I needed to be held accountable for my decisions. "I didn't even know putting bear repellent on a picnic basket was a thing."

"That's why you gotta watch Mr. Toasty's safety videos on YouTube." He patted my leg. "I'll show you them whenever I get some data, or when we get home."

"I shouldn't have said what I said." I decided, well, maybe it was time to tell my emotionally intelligent son the FULL truth. No more secrets. "I guess I just feel sort of threatened when someone wants to help me with my…parenting. It makes me feel like I'm not good enough on my own." I confessed. It felt great to…have that out in the open. Scary, terrifying, yet great.

"But why?" Theodore climbed up and hugged me. "You're a good dad who's always trying your best." He smiled. "Even good dads need help sometimes."

Gosh, I hadn't thought about it that way. Asking for help didn't mean I was a bad parent. When you're a single father raising a bunch of kids, you…CAN'T always do it alone. "You're absolutely right, Theodore." I said. "And I'll try to work on accepting help more often." I promised. That would be hard. I'd have to un-learn some things and work through my internalized insecurities. Still, I owed it to the fellas to at least try.

Theodore and I walked out of the tent together and found Alvin standing there, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Oh really?" The redheaded chipmunk folded his arms. "Now you'll accept help!? I've been giving you parenting advice since we arrived and you ignored it!" He claimed. Oh no. Did he overhear everything!?

Simon joined Alvin and scoffed. "Please." He chuckled. "The only thing you've talked about since we arrived…is Bigfoot."

"Yep. He's right." Theodore confirmed.

Alvin held up his pointer finger. "Well, if Dave's taking parenting critiques now, I have an entire list."

I groaned. Why does he get on my nerves so much? "That's not what I agreed to, Alvin."

"Is so! Is so!" He argued back.

Simon pointed across the camp. "Hey, Alvin, look over there! I think I saw Bigfoot!"

The rambunctious and wild boy let out a happy gasp. "Really!?" (He ran off with a determined grin plastered on his freckled face. "Ohoho! I'm gonna catch him at last! I'm gonna make hiiiiistooooryyyy!"

I smiled down at Simon. "You didn't actually see Bigfoot, did you?"

"No. No I did not." He replied with a smirk.

Theodore sighed. "He says he's so unpredictable, but then he does stuff like this."

We all had a good chuckle at the truth in that statement.

Later that same day, Eleanor, Simon, and I prepared to go fishing. We weren't actually going to eat the fish or cook them. I just enjoyed the calm, serene, relaxing experience of fishing. Jeanette had designed us fish friendly clips that wouldn't cut into them like hooks. We planned to simply catch and release them. It was a good family bonding activity.

"Don't forget the tacklebox, Dave." Simon ran up to me, holding the container of lures.

"I knew I was missing something." I grabbed the container from him. "Thanks, Simon."

Eleanor started to boast. "I bet I'm gonna catch the biggest fish."

"It's not a competition." The boy in blue reminded her.

She smiled. "But it could be." She nudged him.

I checked on Miss Miller, Theo, and Jeanette. They were swimming in the shallow end of the lake.

"Are you three enjoying your swim?" I asked.

Theodore nodded. "Yep!" He splashed around.

Jeanette floated on her back, wearing a purple and blue tie dye one-piece bathing suit. "I feel so unencumbered by the worries of the world." She let out a happy sigh.

"It's delightful." Miss. Miller agreed.

"Jeanette taught me to do the limp noodle!" Theodore added. He mimiced the girl in the purple glasses. "Check it out! I'm floating and I don't even have to paddle much!" He announced.

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Very nice, Theodore."

As I was about to head off on the fishing expedition, I overheard Brittany and Alvin nearby. I walked over to find Alvin laying on his back outside our tent. Brittany sat down beside him, looking equal parts sad and frustrated.

"Hey." She murmured.

Alvin 2.0 groaned. "What do you want?"

The Chipette in pink picked at her polished nails. "Do you still need someone to help you find Bigfoot?" She asked softly.

"No." Alvin sat up and pushed up his red glasses. He hugged his knees, looking disappointed. "Simon and Dave are right. He's probably just a myth. I should focus on something else."

I wanted to tell him not to give up. It hurt me to see my son so sad. Maybe there wasn't as much harm in obsessing over a mythical creature as I thought.

But I didn't have to say that yet, because at that moment, Brittany knew exactly what she had to say. "Or….maybe we could build a few more traps together?"

"It's okay." Alvin replied. "I know inventing isn't really your thing."

"Maybe not, but it IS yours." The Chipette continued. "Just like looking for cryptids and aliens and all that stuff. I know I make fun of you for it, but I'd hate to see it beaten out of you." She confessed.

Alvin brightened up. His ears twitched and he made a reference to the X Files. I'm not sure if Brittany picked up on it or not.

"Well…" He winked playfully. "Every Mulder needs a Scully."

Brittany grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. "Come on. Let's go bag us a sasquatch…" She said confidently. "…or at least have some fun trying."

Alvin's face broke into a wide smile as he followed her.

Suddenly, I realized Simon and Eleanor were behind me.

"What the heck was THAT?" Simon exclaimed in surprise.

I wasn't entirely sure what I'd just witnessed myself. "I think…Alvin and Brittany are actually…getting along."

Eleanor laughed so hard she snorted. "That's like seeing a unicorn and Bigfoot at the same time." She joked.

Simon and I both chuckled together. She was right.

The pigtailed girl rested a hand on the tacklebox I'd set down. "You know, all in all, this camping trip wasn't as bad as I expected." She admitted.

I smiled at her warmly. "Glad to hear that, Eleanor."

"I concur." Simon added. "Just our usual brand of tomfoolery."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I told the two of them. It was true. I meant it wholeheartedly.

We enjoyed the rest of our vacation and I am pleased to report I didn't lose the kids any more times. Alvin never did find Bigfoot, but he insists he'll try again the next time we go camping. Simon caught the biggest fish and held it over Eleanor's head the rest of the camping trip. Then, she scared him with a ghost story as revenge.

Theodore managed to get one bar of signal and we watched glitchy and pixelated Mr. Toasty camping safety videos together. He also taught me the recipe for bear repellent and we spread it all around the edge of our campsite. Jeanette documented 20 more species of plants and animals in her Nature guide, with help from Theo and Alvin. Brittany joined us on a family nature hike, provided Miss. Miller and I pulled her in a pink wagon the entire time.

I thought being an Eagle Scout as a kid was hard, but nothing is more difficult than parenting six kids who are all so different and all so incredible. They teach me so much every day. They help me to look at the world through different viewpoints.

Growing up, I never could have imagined myself parenting anyone. Then, these boys dropped into my life and now…I can't imagine myself as anything but their dad. Keeping them safe and watching them grow is the most important job in the world. It's just…too bad it doesn't pay well. Haha. No, wait, who am I kidding? It does pay well. It's priceless.

Heeey, it's been a WHILE, hasn't it? What do you think about my attempt at writing for Dave? It was DEFINITELY an "outside of my comfort zone" moment. I did my best! This story is very dialogue heavy, which helped a bit.

I laughed so hard writing some of these scenes. Also, it's so cool how whenever Alvin 2.0 himself isn't narrating, he somehow seems more true to Classic Alvin. As for Ellie, she's insane in the best way possible. I love her.

I chose to pair up Simon and Jeanette and Alvin and Brittany here because I feel like I don't write enough with those particular duos working together. I want to make it clear that even though they aren't couples, they DO still spend a lot of time together. All 6 of these kiddos are a close knit group.

I got to add quite a few Miss. Miller lines to this one, which was also really fun. Oh, by the way, I hate camping with a passion. Bet ya could have never guessed! But yeah, while I don't have a lot in common with Britt, I am like her when I go camping.

I'd probably enjoy camping more if not for the creepy crawlies and mosquitoes and poison ivy.

Lately, my life has been CRAZY busy and it doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. I'm still gonna focus on more mini tales and maybe organize and post the deleted scenes from Journey To Excelsior as well. Bear with me though (pun intended) the posts will probably be more sporadic than you are used to.

That's all for now, I dunno what mini tale I'll write next! It'll be one from one of the Chipmunks' or Chipettes' POVs for certain. Comment who you'd like as a narrator for the next mini tale!

Bye, guys! Happy reading!