Affleck Park

Here's what you need to know about camping with Tommy.

His favorite hobby is throwing rocks into bodies of water that will go "splash".

Rocks are most often tiny pieces of gravel. Bodies of water that go "splash" are often as small as 3 drips.

And he can't miss even one opportunity.

Also he is good at helping set up the tent.

Until he realizes there are some rocks he hasn't picked up yet.

We all had our first priorities upon arriving at our campsite. My top priority had to do with Josh lighting our dinner on fire so we could eat it right away. Tommy's top priority had to do with picking up the (cold) coals from the fire before ours and rubbing them all over his face.

We played games and read books (me) and went for walks and licked the dirt (Tommy) and ate food and tickle tortured our child (Josh) and it was a beautiful thing.

I like being the 3 of us dirty and stinky and uncivilized. It suits us.

 

The first night Tommy wasn't thrilled about going to bed. He stayed awake (and quiet) for nearly an hour before Josh dared to check on him, and found him standing in the pack-n-play staring at the window in the tent as if he was just waiting for someone to come and play with him. When Josh pulled a fast one and ran the other way Tommy was MAD. By the time we went to bed we were done listening to him whine and whimper and just let him sleep with us in our sleeping bag. Which he did.
Sideways.
All. Night. Long.

The next day the Hales showed up bringing cold water (have you ever noticed how desperately you need cold water while camping? No? Just me?) and entertainment for Tommy.

We spent the day playing more games, eating more food, and telling the children to "Stay away from that fire!!!!"

Spencer spent his entire night as master of the fire because he felt some need to burn a week's supply of wood in 24 hours. Which he probably did.

 

Tommy was apparently tired enough not to care where he slept that night, and he went down just beautifully sleeping for 12 hours!!!

If it wasn't for the wicked violent rainstorm in the middle of the night, Josh and I might have slept at least 3 hours in a row which would've been some kind of record - but it did rain, enormous LOUD drops of rain. It was beautiful. And wet. Which made for a perfectly soggy cool mountain morning. Perfect for pancakes and MORE FIRE!!! (insert Tim Allen man-grunt here)

Tommy sat reverently on the picnic table and folded his arms while we cleaned things up. Oh wait, no. That's not what happened at all. But you would never believe that, because who is going to side with me against a face like this?

Sunday morning we packed everything up (in record time!) and raced home for church.

I think we all wished we had just one more day, reminding Josh and I that a 3-day work week (as a nurse) just might be the greatest invention of all time.

[chants: school is worth it. school is worth it. school is worth it.]