Sunday, July 08, 2007

Camping...or at least our attempt




















































We went camping this past weekend. Our first time as a family of 6, our first time with Shai, and its been a long time since we went camping with a baby. I was originally going to go camping with some friends during the week without Dads, but the weather didn't cooperate. The kids were feeling disappointed so we decided to take advantage of camping at a conservation area we know inside and out, and is conveniently only 5 mins away should we need.
Well, we needed. Although we managed to problem solve in ways that didn't actually require going home, but the thought did cross our minds. After a slow day of packing, nursing, and some more nursing the van and trailer were loaded up. We arrived both hungry and excited. We opened the tent bag to find some mice had decided to to nest in the bag, nibbling a hole in the bottom. This didn't discourage us, there was no rain forecast :) The first pole we took out fell to pieces as the rope holding it together had been nibbled. A small bump in the road. I sat for twenty minutes trying to re-thread and join threads together. Chris pulled the rest of the poles which had no string at all, just dust and mice poop. Big bump. We brainstormed; sleep outside, string the tent from the trees, buy a new one, sleep at home, cry, call some friends. We are so thankful a friend was home, able and willing to not only deliver us a tent but help put it up and join us for a nice chat around the fire.
The rest of the weekend was great, not bump free, but we were away and together.
We enjoyed camp songs, pop can bowling, fireflies and an amazing assortment of butterflies, uno and Dad's storytelling, Frisbee and the beach. We were awed by an animal at 3 am who sounded like a didgeridoo, that three of the kids fell off the bed the second night and slept in a pile around the mattresses, that we packed up in threatening rain and eventually rain in under 30 minutes, that Aria asked to go to sleep each night and that we left wanting to return.
Ahh there is nothing like camping.


No comments: