We went camping last week, it was the first time we had gone for a week. The first night there we froze our tails off, the Hubs ended up taking the Babe home at just after midnight. After that it was pretty much smooth sailing. We went with two other families so we rented three sites on a cul-de-sac and dead end. The kids had a fantastic time. It was really nice to be outside and let them run and jump and scream as much as they wanted to. We were right at the lake which was great, the kids could fish or skip rocks and they did... a lot.
Deli Dude spent most of his time hurting himself, one accident after another. He ended up wearing his helmet most of the week just in case. Thanks to him, the kids all got a little bit of a lesson in first aid.
Bookworm learned how to ride her bike without the training wheels in about 10 minutes and she was ecstatic that she caught a few bass.
Cheeseburger Boy got devoured by mosquitoes and fished and did I mention being devoured by mosquitoes? Poor kid I was spraying him down constantly, the first three days I think all the mosquitoes in the woods were swarming around him chanting "bite him, bite him."
Super Why climbed every log, rock and hill while wearing his Indiana Jones hat and cracking his whip.
The Babe with the Power was content to crawl after the kids while they rode their bikes and splashing in the lake, they all enjoyed splashing in the lake... until the snake came tailing through the water at the swimming beach, they were done after that for the rest of the day.
The weather ended up being pretty great. We were forcasted 4 days of rain and ended up only with a quick shower one night, a small storm one night (both after we were already in bed, so it didn't effect us) and one day of rain. No one really cared about the rainy day, the adults hung out in the screen houses while the kids went puddle jumping and riding their bikes through the biggest puddles they could find. You'll see in one of the pictures, Bookworm has a mud racing stripe up her back from the spray off her back tire.
The week was awesome and exhausting all at once. Even though I didn't allow anyone to bring electronic devices except John and my cell phones for safety the kids didn't want to come home, they didn't even miss them. Cheeseburger Boy especially wanted to live at camp. I do think it gave them, all a new appreciation for being able to walk a few feet to use the bathroom instead of having to hike quite a ways to the bath house. Next time we go I have to remember my camera though, I had to use my cell phone as my camera all week. It was really kind of nice to be unplugged for a week. My kids don't watch much TV or play many video games now, but I think I may be instituting electronic free days at home. I along with the kids can't wait to go camping again, John on the other hand says we should skip it next year and we can go again the following year, we'll have to see about that.
