Camping

We had a wonderful time camping, as I expected! It didn't start out so great though.
We arrived on Sunday, in the rain. We quickly put on our rain gear (I was so thankful to have packed it within easy reach!) and set up the tents ... in the rain. It took us a while to settle into the fact that it was probably going to rain all evening, but once we did, it really wasn't too bad. I put the "wet suit" on Isaac and let him play, no longer worrying about the mud on his hands and knees. The older kids sat under the screen tent (I was so thankful to have the new screen tent with side flaps. They kept the rain out and the warmth in) and played Uno, Clue and Monopoly . That night it rained some more. I wasn't as happy the next morning, Monday, when we discovered there was water in the tent. It wasn't a flood. We were able to mop it up with old towels, but it did make a few sleeping bags wet. We spent that day in our rain gear as well. Our friends arrived and set up their camper in the rain. They said the forcast was more rain through the night. I was starting to lose heart. The rain stopped long enough to build a campfire and that helped a little. I went to bed hoping things would be better by morning, listening to the rain drops on the tent.
The next morning I was relieved to wake up with sunshine streaming into the tent. It was warm enough that the kids could play at the beach. We hiked, rode bikes, ate, played at the park, made new friends and had a great time for the rest of the week.
Builder made a special new friend. He is a little boy, exactly Builder's age and with exactly the same amount of energy - too much! I talked to his Grandma, with whom this little boy was spending the week. It turns out that this little boy has a twin brother with Leukemia. He was undergoing treatment that week and Grandma decided to bring his brother camping with her. She said it was such a blessing to see this little boy play with a friend. He had really been missing his brother. It was a blessing for Builder too. He's been feeling left out lately and needed a buddy.
So, as usual, we came home from our trip rested and looking forward to the next trip. My only regret is that I can't find my camera and I wasn't able to take pictures. Please say a prayer that I find it. My husband got it for me not long ago. I have a terrible feeling that the last time we were at the park someone helped themself to it, and in the hustle and bustle of loading kids in the van I didn't notice it was missing.