Holy Camping Adventure!!

We went group camping this weekend with several other families. Here is my timeline of events! :)

Wednesday P.M.: shopped for camping food and sundry items with the kids

Thursday A.M. : Me - realized I hadn't bought anything for breakfast one of the days, so baked blueberry banana muffins. Barbara made cupcake mix to bring for her birthday- I baked and frosted the 24 cupcakes. Put several loads of laundry through so I could dig out the necessary clothes for everyone, packed clothes, packed up 2 huge tubs- one with pantry items, one with supplies. Packed rain jackets (ironic, since they got left in the car when we needed them!) and a host of other things I can't even remember anymore. Tried to hold and nurse Leo and keep Sam occupied in the meantime, cut up and pre-boiled potatoes and carrots to go in foil packs with fish and zucchini- made up the foil packs. Got everyone lunch, finished packing, getting sleeping bags, blankets, air mattress, pack n play, pillows, etc, etc., etc, etc. BATHED all 4 kids, Got the little guys down for naps, tried to pack up the back of my car (we were taking 2 cars since my sisters were coming) Oh AND cleaned up the house which had turned into a distaster zone while I was packing- that alone was huge in my mind!!

Robbs got home around 4:30. Now imagine that after doing all the above, and being at the point of exhaustion, all your husband can do is ask in a mad way, "You didn't pack up the cooler?" and then proceed to go around humphing and snapping at everyone as if he is mad at you. He was also asking if we were going to eat before traveling, but I had already bought brats to cook up there. I was boiling mad that he couldn't see all that I HAD done and trying to figure out WHY exactly he was acting mad at me. Turns out he thought it was a bad idea to go up for 2 nights since we'd be getting there in the evening and still need to set up camp and then feed everyone. So somehow that was my fault. So I had a little meltdown. And we had a fight, and I almost refused to drive up. Finally he apologized and we kind of made up and got on the road. WHEW.

Thursday P.M. Got there while it was still light out, set up camp with some help and grilled brats and made smores and had campfire time and a couple beers after the kids went down. I was still feeling a little upset about the fight and maybe more quiet than usual but had a lot of fun!

Friday daytime: Barbara's birthday!!! FUN day of hanging out, swimming and picnicking, chilling at the campground, bocce, and two more families arrived for the 2nd night's camping.

Friday dinnertime: A sprinkling of rain had everyone spooked and we were trying to get the food cooked for dinner as quick as possible to get kids fed in case more rain came. WELL...

Some of the adults held a little conference to discuss the news that a huge chain of storms was heading our way, with pretty much rain and storms all night. Just as we were all deciding we should pack up camp and go home for the night, there was an eerie still, followed by a loud humming noise and then crazy winds!! I had always heard that a tornado (one of my worst fears since childhood!) sounded like a train coming, and to me that's what it sounded like so I thought we were going to get stuck in a tornado!

All the adults snapped into action, hurrying to get kids safely into the cars. Rain started to UNLEASH - I don't think I've ever been out in the middle of a storm like that - and we ran back and forth to grab all sorts of assorted gear and stuff the soaking bags and chairs and equipment into the cars, and the men tried to get the tents down.

Meanwhile, my poor kids were huddled in the car, absolutely TERRIFIED. Leo was sobbing and I put Barbara and Jimmy on duty trying to comfort him, but Barbara was near tears herself, asking WHY was Daddy not coming to the car? She was super worried about him, b/c he took so long with the tent. Jimmy at one point was just huddled in fetal position on the car floor, poor guy! Later he and Barbara told me that of all of them, Sammy was the most calm of all. Barbara described it that he must have been thinking, "this is grown up business. I'll just sit here and relax". :)

So we got everything stuffed into people's cars (one poor family had JUST arrived and set everything up before the strom hit) and headed out in a caravan, stopping every so often for the guys in the front cars to lift huge tree branches out of the road! I was SOOO wishing that we were all in one car at that point with Robbie driving instead of driving the minivan myself with the babies. I hadn;t slept at all the night before in the tent and so my knuckles were WHITE with concentrating on driving in the storm! Also, I had been wearing jean shorts and a T-shirt which were soaked through which made for a pretty uncomfortable ride!!! When we finally stopped to eat dinner at a Culvers a half hour later we must have looked like a big family of hobos coming in all soaking wet, because we got a lot of stares!! Warm food never tasted so good!

So we made it back home safely. When I pulled in the garage crooked, I had to get out and let Robbie straighten it b/c I was so out of it and relaly shouldn't have been driving anymore! After the warm meal and the rain stopped and I could relax my knuckles a bit the extreme tiredness of no sleep started to hit me! I barely remember getting the kids in to bed and then lying down to nurse poor crying Leo in bed. We were both OUT like a light and Robbie told me this morning he was trying to find my keys and I was completely non responsive - I had hung them on a random hook in the dining room. (not where I ever put them!) :) Poor Robbie had to unload all the wet stuff from the cars last night and put food back into the fridge, etc.

I must say, although it probably sounds like I am describing this as a bad experience, it was a REALLY fun adventure!!! Besides the initial fight with Robbie, I had a BLAST and I think the kids did too! One they were safe and fed at Culvers they were telling and retelling their side of the adventure. As exciting as it all was, it was pretty darn exciting to be back in a comfy bed, with my flushing toilet just feet away, and a nice warm shower and morning coffee!! It may not have been like any of our elaborate homemade birthday parties of past year, but I think Barbara definitely had a birthday to remember!!