Camping

Well, we had our first camping trip of the year. It took a few days of packing and preparing, as usual. Friday after I got home from work, we left for Cheney. Luckily, it only takes about 30 minutes to get there. We scouted out a couple of sites since our friends planned to join us on Saturday. We found a nice spot with plenty of space and a sandy beach. The evening was still and cool. Just right.

Sunflowers growing wild across from our campsite.

Since we got in late, we didn't get a fire going until it was almost dark. We had a yummy hobo dinner around 9:30 pm. After that, we all hit the showers. The water was very cold and I could hear screaming from the men's room - Tyler was not a fan of the cold water, I guess.

On the way back to camp, Tyler was holding my hand as we walked.

Tyler said, "Daddy, I like Mommy better than you."

"Oh, why's that?" Wayne asked.

"Well, she's shorter and fatter and she has a nice hand."

Wayne (to me, sarcastically), "Oh, you're welcome." (To Tyler), "you like Mommy's hand?"
Tyler, "It's soft and it feels good."

The next day, after another conversation including comparisons, Michelle wondered whether Tyler realized he could like 2 people equally. We explained that he could, which seemed to make sense to him. Before that, though, he said that he like me better because I'm cuter. I like that better. :)

The next day was very hot. Michelle & Matt, Lisa & Pat, Mark and Patty and their boys all joined us (sans Leo). The boys enjoyed playing in the sand and just running around.

It was a really hot day. We tried to stay in the shade to stay cool.

As we got in our cars to head for a designated swimming area (with less algae and muck than at our site) we realized that the battery was dead. I had kept the back hatch unlatched during the day and apparently that was enough to drain the battery. Just after we realized it was dead, the camp host came by and said that he could get someone to come in 20 minutes to loan us jumper cables. So, Tyler and I hitched a ride and Wayne stayed - they never showed. (We borrowed jumper cables from our camping neighbors the next morning).

While we were swimming, it started raining. So, we came back and found shelter until the storm blew through - I think we spent about 45 minutes in the car. Here's Tyler enjoying playing in the front seat. A rare treat for him.

We enjoyed a camping feast in the evening. After putting the children to bed, we enjoyed a little campfire time with the adults. However, I was so worn out, I didn't last very long. We had another delicious meal for breakfast, and lounged around for Sunday morning. We came home in the afternoon exhausted and dirty. It felt so good to have a thorough shower and sleep in my bed again. But, I still loved camping. It's a great chance to be together, enjoy the outdoors (and maybe appreciate the conveniences of home a little more).

Last evening, I was so tired I could hardly see straight. Tyler wanted to spend the night at Abe's house, which really surprised me. I know he loves Abe, and playing at Abe's house, but leaving him is usually hard (at least on me). He's never slept at any one's house before besides Ted & Sue's (which was only once). I was extra surprised at his request because lately he has been talking about wishing I didn't have to work and has had some regression in his ... how should I say...toilet habits. But, since he was so sure that he wanted to stay over and they were willing, we tried it. Apparently he did well and didn't ask for us once. I really appreciated it. After I got over the weirdness of not having Tyler around I realized that I was able to get my laundry done and the house picked up pretty quickly. That made today so much more relaxing.

Today, Labor Day, we did some shopping, went to the park, and enjoyed ice cream in the afternoon. All in all, it's been a pretty great weekend! I feel refreshed. :)