A Camping Adventure

So I was thinking we should go camping and enjoy some of that great nature and outdoorsiness and listen to the wind in the trees all night and hear the crickets chirping and listen to the birds wake up early in the morning.

My husband said, "Open the window. We can get all that right here plus sleep in a comfortable bed."

And he was right. But I got Desert Boy on my side and we convinced him we should go anyway.
Desert Boy was extremely excited to go camping. We didn't go far from home, and we went to a developed campground so we had bathrooms and running water nearby, nice amenities with little kids. But still, we were camping. We set up a tent and had coolers of food and buckets of supplies, and sleeping bags and sleeping pads and headlamps and loads of other stuff.

The cousins and their parents came up to eat dinner with us, which was proceeded by an Emma photoshoot.

Kayli, Megan, and Caleb were also going to stay the night with us and give Desert Boy some entertainment (or channel his energy, depending on your mindset).

Megan was dudded up in her cowboy hat and boots.

Before long the burgers and steaks were on the grill and we were ready to eat.

I'm not sure if this is Kayli's impression of the food or if she just likes making faces for the camera.

After dinner, we wandered down to the ranger evening program and learned a little about some animal adaptations to the desert.

And then it was time to eat again. After all, one of the best parts of camping is eating. We put all the ingredients pictured above together to make some yummy S'mores.

I hadn't had one in a long time and I had forgotten how good they are!

Then it was time to get in the tent. The kids had a little tent party, while my husband and I relaxed a bit outside. Then it was time for us to go to bed.

My husband looked in the tent and said, "I'm going to go sleep in the van."

What? That left me and five kids in the tent. What a wuss.

Actually, I was just jealous he had thought of it before me. Emma refused to sleep unless she was on the same tiny air mattress as me, and Desert Boy woke up before the birds even began singing, waking up his cousins (and me) in the process. I was not a happy camper in the morning.

We eventually made some breakfast burritos and that made everyone a little cheerier.

Desert Girl thought camping was fun because she got to play in the dirt.

Then I asked the cousins to take Desert Boy for a walk and my husband to take Desert Girl and I went back into the tent and went to sleep.

When I got up, I wandered out to see where the kids were, and they were playing school in the picnic area.

Caleb had a lot of fun cutting things with his knife, and Desert Boy really wanted to help.

My hubby came down and joined in the fun.

And because you can't have fun in our world unless you get dirty, Desert Boy went over to the fire pit and started playing with the charred bits of wood.

Ah, good times. Caleb and Desert Boy.

Megan.
Kayli.
And Emma, who managed to get a stick and eat it.

This is an interesting texture and flavor. A little chewy, with a tangy wood taste. Perhaps I should try eating more sticks.

On second thought, the aftertaste isn't so great. Perhaps I'll reconsider.

Maybe I should stick to dirt and leaves.

Desert Boy still asks almost every day if we can go camping again, so I guess that means it was a successful trip!

We packed everything up so that it will be easier to go the next time. Now I just need to work up the nerve and not think so much about my comfortable bed.