we paid to sleep on the ground

when kyle and I were married in 2007, I insisted on registering for camping gear. mind you, we had never actually been camping, but I was convinced that we would become avid outdoor adventurers in no time. riiiight. three and a half years later, our friends the harms' and bansemars invited us on a camping trip to northern wisconsin. sure, why not? it's as if camping with a two year old and an infant would somehow be better timing than going as a young newly married childless couple. but whatev. we had to wipe the cobwebs off of our camping gear to inspect just what in the world we had registered for in the first place. and of all of the boxes (a camp stove, sleeping bag, tent, and air mattress), we had used precisely one - the air mattress. I know what you're thinking...this is going to be good.

we had already outgrown our never-been-opened tent, so we had to borrow one from my sister and her husband...along with just about every other piece of necessary camping gear. I wasn't about to convince kyle that we should run out and buy a bunch of stuff that may end up housing spiders in our basement for another three and a half years. we packed up everything but the kitchen sink and headed out on our four hour trip to council grounds state park.

having grown up camping many weekends of every summer, this was like a flashback to my childhood. minus the part where I had to think of everything we would need to survive for three days and be the one to pack it and keep it organized during the trip. apparently all of that did NOT magically happen while my brothers and sister and I ran around the campground...my hat's off to you, mom and dad!

as we drove into the park, miles proclaimed, "look at the trees!!" and then laughed hysterically. city kid. the campground was very nice and we were happy (read: relieved) to look across the road and see our good friends all set-up and ready. a special thank you to them for bringing along all of the necessities that we forgot. why were we across the road from them?  two words - electric site. city kid, remember? anna planned a menu centered around all things campfire or should I say all things pudgy pie. so isn't it fitting that all three families forgot to pack the pie makers? figures. oh well, anna, melissa, and I left the five little ones with their daddies and headed to town to shop for the groceries (and pie makers). hello piggly wiggly...it's been years. we even stopped at the wood shed and brought back a van-ful of fire wood. eat your heart out paul bunyan.

the kiddos were all loving the great outdoors and miles and henry slept like rocks. I'm not sure that was the case in the other two tents, but they were wrestling with teething and flu-ridden little ones. poor parents...er, I mean, poor babies! I did manage to remember to pack a few things to keep the big boys busy. who knew that the dollar store could hold so many treasures? (and for the record, yes. real men have tea parties)

I think what I love best about camping is how life slows down. it gives us time to enjoy the little things in life. we can sit and snuggle with babies, stay up late at the campfire, play umpteen games of t-ball, try out a sippy cup of water for the first time, and spend hours preparing and eating a meal. lunch at 2pm? why not? another added bonus - daily showers are (somewhat) optional. oh yeah, I said it. everything already smells like a campfire and continues to do so for days, but I will admit that the warm shower did feel amazing and I managed to take henry there all by myself. how's that for crafty? actually it was probably more of a strategic move on my part. you see, henry giggles in the shower. miles screams bloody murder. have fun daddy.

don't get me wrong, it wasn't all wonderful and sunshiny. there were oodles of mosquitos, a few well placed temper tantrums, a screaming baby on the way home, and a flu bug that managed to wipe out our entire family after we arrived home on sunday night, but we had a fabulous time!!!

we stopped at the nelson cheese factory on our way home for some ice cream. miles has never once wanted to try it. preposterous, I am aware. but on this particular day he opted for a taste of daddy's cone and LOVED it! I knew he was my child.

kyle is still a little perplexed at the notion of paying money to sleep on the ground, but he'll come around. I'm already shopping the end-of-season clearance sales at rei and we're scoping out a place a little closer to home for a quick overnight this fall. who could resist another opportunity to unpack this?