Camping Trip

Last weekend we decided at the last minute (well, a few hours before!) to go camping. It took me those few hours to get everything ready, while Leo did a flight. When he got home, we loaded up the boat and off we went. I wanted to get a better picture of our HUGE pile of stuff we took for just one night! Here's Leo, loading the boat.

We went across the lake, not far from where we'd had a picnic the weekend before. Even though it wasn't particularly warm, the kids got in their swimsuits right away. I stripped Malachi down and he enjoyed his dinner, especially the very juicy watermelon :) I bathed him in the little tub we'd brought for dishes. He was probably the cleanest one of all when we went to bed.

Here's the whole crew enjoying the picnic.

Here's the tentful of kids! We had one big tent, that all the kids slept in and one small one, for Leo and me :) Malachi made it until 2:00 am and then I brought him in our tent. He was awake until 4-4:30. He didn't scream, just clapped or yelled randomly. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep, so one night of camping is just right for us at this stage in life!

Here I am getting breakfast ready in the morning. We had fried potatoes, eggs and bacon with coffee and orange juice! Not bad for roughin' it :) Of course, most of the children preferred granola bars.

The three girls, ready for a morning swim. Well, maybe not quite ready to swim, but ready to be in their swimsuits.

Malachi took his morning nap on the beach, all cuddled in everyone's coats and pajamas... Camping is exhausting :) I brought my book and read a bunch, which was super fun for me.

Here's Ned, the hunter-gatherer, eating a wild onion he picked on the beach.

Lizzy Lou and her transplanted Iris :)

Leo took some of the kids down the beach to fish a bit. Just after they came back, he spotted a black bear on the beach across the bay. He took the three oldest kids and they went to investigate. I guess it was a pretty nice bear, but she had a cub with her, so she's still alive to tell her story about the crazy-boat people she saw on the water.

After lunch, Leo took most of the children for a hike while Malachi (and Rylea!) had naps. I read my book some more :)

A bunch of happy campers :) We went home around 3:00 Saturday afternoon, after a fun, relaxing camping adventure!