Camping and Lake Day

We didn't get to the campsite until well after sunset. The light was gone and the children were hungry and for a while I wasn't sure we'd made the right decision in spontaneously deciding to sleep out in the woods desert. But eventually the fire was built and the children were fed and the tent was functional and ready for sleepers. And miraculously, all the stress of creating that quaint little scene pictured above seemed to be completely lost on the children who ended up feeling like it was one of the best nights ever. So, I suppose we could consider that a success.

We had decided to drive an hour away to a campsite that looked remarkably like Afghanistan (not that I've ever been to Afghanistan, of course, but I have seen pictures and movies... so...). I suppose the desert has it's perks, but beautiful camping isn't one of them. It was the only campsite that was available within the short distance we were willing to travel for one night, and it was located right next to a portion of Lake Mead that we hadn't explored before, so we went.

The following morning we put on our swimming suits, packed up our campsite, and went out in search of a beach. There was nothing within walking distance, so we hopped in the car. There didn't seem to be much within a short driving distance either, so we drove to the nearest docking point and explored the options of renting a boat for the day, or wave runners, or a kayak... but everything was taken, or too expensive, or rather unmanageable with a brand new baby.

The helpful workers at the dock informed us that the nearest beach for playing was located in Boulder City - about an hour away from where we were currently standing, and seven minutes from home. Well, then. Okay.

So it ended up feeling a bit silly to drive out an hour away to a rather lousy campsite just to put up our tent in the dark and take it back down first thing in the morning to drive back home. But, there we were.

These boys hadn't been getting along all that well, but it was amazing to see what a little bit of outside playing did to bring them together. Next time they start fighting I'm just going to throw them in the back of the van and drive them out to the lake.

McKenzie, on the other hand, didn't have quite so much fun after a sad consequence of Not Being Allowed in the Water for the Rest of the Day was sentenced.

She had asked me if she could swim out to the buoy, and after my mind flashed back to that time she almost drowned in Lake Powell (seriously) and that time when my dad told a story of his friend drowning in a lake while they were growing up, I gave her a strong 'no'.

So she went and secretly asked Dad. Who said 'yes'.

When she got back from her long (frightening for me) swim out to the buoy, the wrongdoing was discovered and her poor mad little heart took a while to soften again. Hopefully the lesson of Mom and Dad are a Team sunk in a bit deeper.

The way Timothy is looking up at Brian in this next picture melts my heart a bit.

These pictures trigger the thought for me that our children are always watching.

Which can be scary thought because not all of the things I do and say fit in the 'I'm proud of that' box. But it can also be a beautiful thought because this day they saw, whether consciously or subconsciously, a mother and a father working together through the stress of life to create a night and a day of beautiful outdoor magic for their children.