Camping

A couple of weeks ago, our weekend plans got cancelled last-minute, and we found ourselves with 4 unscheduled days. I had been disappointed we didn't have the opportunity to go camping this summer, so I suggested the idea to a few friends who'd also expressed interest in camping. Remarkably, everyone was in! Mike wasn't able to take time off of work, so another girlfriend and I packed up our kids and cars and way too much gear and headed to Illinois Beach State Park on a Thursday afternoon. The next day, another friend brought her kids for the day and on Friday evening, Mike and another family joined us for the rest of the weekend.

In our past two attempts at camping, we hadn't made it more than 24 hours before one of the girls got sick, so we weren't really sure how three days would work. But I'm happy to report that we all survived. We had some moments, like when Lily got too sticky from her s'mores and needed to be cleaned right away; or when the "showers" only stayed on for 30 seconds at a time once a minute and we were trying to wash 11lbs of sand out of June's hair; or when the cicadas started chirping at bedtime the first night and the girls took nearly 2 hours to fall asleep because of all the noise (city kids!). But all in all, we had a wonderful long weekend filled with outdoor adventures, great friends and learning that cooking over a fire is not quick or without hitches. We can't wait to go back again!

See all of our pictures from the camping trip here.