... only smaller: August 2017

This past weekend was our big annual camping trip. I can call it annual because this was the second year in a row that Sadie and I went camping at North-South Lake.

We went with the same four families Sadie and I went with last year, but this year mommy and Sawyer joined us.

Another difference from last year is that this year we went for TWO nights!

We left Brooklyn at around 4:45 on Friday, picked Sadie up from her last day of summer camp, and headed North. The weather report gave us a 60% chance of rain on Friday night and the weather did not disappoint. It rained cats and dogs and little fishes for over an hour as we drove. Then the rain stopped and the skies cleared up a little before it got dark, and by the time we arrived at the campsite after dark, it was already drying up.

All five families' campsites were right in a row, so we greeted our neighbors and got to work setting up camp. I pitched the tent by the car headlights with Sadie's help while Mommy tried to contain Sawyer who was tired but thrilled to be out of doors in so much nature.

Anyway, it was a pretty great weekend. There were the usual stressful camping moments, like getting the fire going and getting the kids to take their shoes off before getting into the tent and zip the tent up when they went in and out, and when papa forgot to eat or drink and became very irritable, but nothing too dramatic.

Here are some photos. Click any photo to see full size.

Sawyer was a little cheer-bug the whole weekend. He did not have a single moment of camping-related fussing. Well, maybe a very little - bedtime the first night was pretty hard because he was sleeping uncontained on a sleeping mat rather than contained in a crib or a stroller or car seat. Each time we set him down on a mat, any mat, he would crawl from corner to corner looking for just the right place to curl up and then he would crawl back on top of his sister and she would scream - there seemed to be no end to this so it took an awfully long time and he fussed a lot when told he had to stay put.

But in the morning, he was cheerful again.

Something there is about a picnic table that makes children want to stand atop it.

Sawyer was very much at home in the woods. He showed no signs of discomfort with our arrangements.

Indeed, every chance he got, Sawyer ran off down the road or into the woods or somewhere to see what was what.

On Saturday morning, all five families went for a short child-friendly hike up to a little waterfall.

Although the path was flat and not dangerous, there were a lot of rocks to fall on and a lot of big mud puddles to fall into and Sawyer was very unhappy to be carried through large sections. Ultimately, he rode along in papa's baby-carrier backpack thingy and he seemed content.

Mommy and Jess, who, as you might notice, is six weeks from full term. She was a trooper!

Jessi told us that Maxton (Jess and Ari's youngest, for the moment) professed his love for Sadie to his parents on Saturday evening. Here are Sadie and Maxton enjoying a quiet moment on the rocks beneath the waterfall.

Then we all plopped down at the base of the waterfall and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

As always, my wife is an exceptional sport!

This is Ari, Jess, Stella and Maxton.

And here are Luke, Niko, Meghan and Esme.

And here are Orli, Asher (you can see his eye peeking out), Matt and Siona. (and Stella on the right).

I haven't said much about Sadie yet. She was a trooper. She played like a champ with the other kids and never tired out. And, she seems to really enjoy nature. Such a great kid!

Mommy and Sadie looked into a hole in an old tree to see what might pop out. Happily, nothing did.

Back at camp later, the kids all sat in their camp chairs and chilled while the grown-ups prepared dinner.

Sadie really enjoyed hanging out with her new friend, Siona.

After dinner, the kids ran around in the woods behind the campsites. Sadie and Stella always had a lot to talk about.

Then it was time for S'mores! Sadie was already an expert from last year.

Sawyer figured out S'mores-ing pretty quickly.

Sawyer even took his s'more with him when he went off on a post-prandial, barefoot constitutional in the forest.

Sawyer got along with everyone. It was not unusual to hear the big kids calling him by name to come play. Here he is with Asher.

Once it got dark, all the kids put on their pajamas and headlamps (an especially good combination) and went out to see what happens in the forest at night.

When, finally, it was bedtime, Victoria put Sawyer in the car in his carseat. While she attended to getting Sadie down, I told Sawyer stories until he fell asleep. Then we left him sleeping in the car while we went back and joined the grownups by the campfire and ate a LOT more s'mores with beer - such a good combination!!

Then it started to rain.

THEN IT STARTED TO POUR!!!

Someone set up a big canopy over the chairs in front of the fire and most of us stayed out for another hour or so while it poured around us.

Finally, around 10:30, we were ready to go to bed ourselves. V and I choreographed a dance by which she got Sawyer from the car to the tent where I received him through the door and put him down -- all in an effort to get him into the tent with minimal rain on him and back to sleep without fuss. He ended up sleeping beside V rather than on his mat.
But in the morning, everyone was cheerful again!

By Sunday, Sawyer owned the place. He came and went as he pleased and was very much at home.

Checkout time on Sunday was 11am, so we struck our campsite, packed up our stuff into the car, prepared picnic lunches and all headed to the lake beach.

Meghan had the amazing idea to get all the kids lined up on the beach. All it took was the promise of a marshmallow each and they stood and mugged for a surprisingly long time.