This is the big year–the year Silas goes to kindergarten! After lots of thought and prayer we enrolled Silas at Bethany Elementary, our excellent neighborhood public elementary school. We’re prayerfully sending him to school while seeking to build our relationship with Silas in such a way that we hear and know his heart and shepherd him to look to Christ in everything.

Silas’s Expedition was one small step in that direction.

Sometime early this year, I stumbled across Brad Hambrick’s blog where he described taking his sons on their own “rite of passage” trips before each of them began kindergarten. I loved everything about the idea: concentrated one-on-one time for Silas and Stephen, a chance for Daddy to treasure his son and invest in his heart, opportunity for Silas to grow and try new, brave things, and a milestone marking this new phase of Silas’s life. Stephen was totally on board.

The Expedition was set to begin on a Thursday afternoon, but when a work emergency came up for Stephen, the guys had to wait until that night. We attended Bethany’s back-to-school night, saw Silas’s K5 classroom, and met his teacher. Afterwards Father and Son headed for Silver Falls State Park to spend the night in one of the park’s rustic cabins.Here’s Silas in his natural state–a whirling blur of arms, legs, laughter and energy!

They cooked over a campfire, drank coffee together like men, hiked to Silver Falls, and called home on a pay phone. Silas loved being grown up! The next night, they stayed in our brand new tent, and managed to stay dry despite the rain. They played Battleship (one of Silas’s favorites, but a very long drawn-out ordeal with a 5 1/2 year old learning how to read a grid), and Silas entertained himself by digging at the campsite with Stephen’s old shovel.

As with all things in life, reality hit, and the guys had to roll with the punches. The last day Stephen’s Vibe broke down. Some kind souls carted them back to the ranger station where they were able to get a message through to me and to call for a tow back to Salem, OR.

Thankfully, they were safe, and the kids and I met our men in Salem where we finished Silas’s Expedition with a seafood dinner from Red Lobster. It wasn’t the trip we had planned, but it was so very valuable and precious!

Time spent with our little man before we sent him off to school was worth fighting for.