Camping!

Last Friday we went on the first ever Kaplo family camping trip. And boy did we have fun. In one of Evan's favorite episodes of Bob the Builder "the team" goes camping and roasts marshmallows on a camp fire. He talks about it all the time, so I knew Evan would enjoy camping out "just like Bob". I just couldn't have known how much he would like it. His happiness and excitment were contagious.

We had a beautiful water front campsite at Pawtuckaway State Park (just 30 minutes from home), and the weather was perfect. The first order of business was not setting up the tent, but throwing rocks in to the water. The shore was down a short, but steep embankment, so Evan needed an escort for his rock throwing exploits, which delayed the set up of camp but was well worth it. He was very excited to see all of the boats speeding by, but the real thrill was seeing how far he could throw the rocks, or how big a splash he could make.

After exhausting a large pile of rocks we asked him to find sticks for the fire while Dad set up the tent and Mom fed Eli. He was delighted by this chore and would happily announce each new stick or twig he found. This kept him busy for quite some time. After the tent was up, we started a fire - which delighted Evan no end. We cooked veggie burgers over the fire and then settled in for some "marsh-mesh-ow" roasting. Evan can toast a pretty good marshmallow, which of course he had to do by himself (with just a bit of help from Dad). As darkness began to settle someone across the lake launched a rather impressive display of fireworks. As infatuated with fireworks as he is, they still scare him, so he clung to me with his face buried in my neck until the fireworks were finished.

At bed time we all climbed into our giant tent (or "office" as Evan called it). Evan has his own twin air mattress, Pat and I have a queen and Eli had his car seat between the mattresses. It was a perfect evening for sleeping outside. The temperature was about 68, the air was still and the stars were out. The one exception to this Utopian camp out was the slow leak in the queen mattress. Around midnight I woke up to find that enough air had leaked out so that I could feel the ground. Misery. I tried to get comfortable to no avail. So I decided to crawl on to Evan's mattress which was still very firm. For a little guy he takes up a lot of bed, and he moves ALOT. I tried sleeping at the foot of the bed, but the ground was at a slant which made it uncomfortable. So I suffered through a long night with a wiggling, bed hogging toddler, which just may have been slightly more comfortable than sleeping on the ground on top of a flat air mattress like poor Pat.

I woke first, followed closely by Eli who woke with a smile and a coo, after sleeping through the night. He was so calm and happy the whole time we were out, we decided that like his brother he must be made for camping. He didn't seem to mind having his diaper changed on the picnic table, or sleeping outdoors in a car seat. He also enjoyed watching the light of the fire and going for exploratory walks with his brother.

It was a beautiful morning. The lake was still and we could hear the cry of a loon - which is one of my favorite sounds. When Evan woke we threw rocks in the water for a while and then went exploring. We heard a woodpecker (a bird hammering his nose), saw some chipmunks, and then listened to more loons. Unfortunately the bugs were enjoying the still dawn as much we were so we fled back to the tent and woke up Daddy. It was at this point that we realized with dismay that despite having brought our plastic french press and our Starbucks coffee we had no mugs. This may not sound like a big deal, but Pat and I don't function well without our morning caffeine. As a matter of fact, it's best not to talk to Pat until he's had a few sips. So we packed it in early and headed for the nearest Dunkin Donuts. As we were leaving I was excited to think that we would have many more of these camping adventures. But next time I have to bring the camera!