Counts go Camping!

Thanks to the efforts of Stephanie W., 4 families in our small group convened on a national park in Wheaton, IL (of all places!), about an hour away, for an overnight camping adventure.  For each of the families, this was a first in some way for them.  For us, it was the first time we had gone camping without Wyatt in the pack-n-play.  All 4 of us were going to be in our own sleeping bags.  For the Wr family, it was the first time their younger daughter (nearly 2) was going camping, and the first time for their whole family.  For the Wa family, it was the first time ever w/ their 3 boys.  For the C family, it was the first time w/ their youngest daughter.  Recipe for fun (or disaster!).

The C family and the Wa family showed up early afternoon, and we showed up around 4pm.  The Wr fam arrived about an hour or so after we did.  We all got there in time to set up our tents, go for a little walk, and play in the lake (by throwing stones etc) for awhile before it was time to start dinner.  We all brought hotdogs, chips, and side dishes for dinner.  All the kids ate, more or less at the same time, then the adults got in on the action.  Mostly the kids were not around for the grilling of the hotdogs, but they came out in full force for SMORES!

Curtis, Tom, Ani w/ marshmallows; Art, Curtis, kids

Kids eating their s'mores

Wyatt caught stealing chocolate

Wyatt toasting marshmallow; Art & Wyatt toasting together

After yummy s'mores, it was time to start calming down.   Stephanie W was so great and brought crafts for the kids and also read them a story to get them all ready for bed.

Steph reading to all the kids

Wyatt, uninterested in the story, was enthralled with Matt's ice cream maker ball.  They spent a good deal of time rolling the ball around hoping to make some good ice cream.  Unfortunately there was not enough rock salt, so the experiment failed, but Wyatt was happy to roll away with Matt.

Kids waiting patiently

Chocolate face!!

All the kids went to bed - some better than others.  I'm happy to report that our boys were exhausted and went right to sleep w/out any issues.  My favorite story was of little Lilly who just would not go to sleep, and instead was standing up in her pack and play, pointing at the lantern in the ceiling of the tent saying "light" over and over like a mantra.  Too funny! (though not for her parents).  The adults all sat around the campfire chatting for a few hours before turning in sometime after 11pm (so late for us oldy parents!!).

Morning came early, with the light, before 7am.  It was glorious to wake up all together in our tent.  I loved that part (could have been at a later hour though).  All of us snugly together.  It was so humid and I was so sticky from repeat applications of bug spray that I opted for a shower.  Back down to the campsite  - Happy Father's Day!!  We gave Art his little present (applesauce in a squeezable/drinkable container), as did the other families.  Then BREAKFAST!!!  Oh yum!!  Eggs!  Pancakes!  Fruit!  So good!  Of course it started to rain right after breakfast, and the families hustled to get the tents packed up.  Stephanie coming through again with a craft to keep the kids busy while the rest of us packed up.  Naturally, once everyone was all set to go, the sun comes out (now that everything is WET).  We can the idea of leaving, and all drive over to the lake to do some fishing.  The Wa and Wr families all had fishing poles and all the other kids took turns with them.  Jack and Max caught fish!  As did Audry!  Zach had a good time, and Wyatt just loved throwing rocks into the lake.

It was a great outing for us, and we all had a fun time!