Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked here. So after arriving, Keith brought multiple loads up while I showed Hannah around the site. I can tell already that Hannah is going to be adventurous--she was blazing her own trails through the brush, running up & down to other campsites, and gettin' dirty (she even decided to experience eating some rustic pine needles from the trail.) After a while, I thought I could help Keith with a couple loads of stuff--of course we had packed our car to the brim...for one night (barely 12 hours of camping.) I took a couple loads up, and on my last load, some ladies at the next site over (who were neatly set up already) mentioned that there were wheelbarrows to borrow. Well. Good to know...for next time. Keith set up the tent (muttering, sighing and envisioning the finished product) while I made "helpful comments." Note to self: it is probably best if I keep my mouth shut while he is setting up the tent; although he did break one of the little posts after I tried to mention that I thought it was the wrong one for that hole...I hate to say "I told you so..."
Once we got everything set up (I, of course, insisted on getting our bed all arranged & ready.) We relaxed and sat by the fire, which Andrash had put together in no time at all. That is really one of my favorite parts about camping or being outdoors--having an open fire! I love just sitting there watching it blaze--it's quite mesmerizing. Not for Hannah, though. She would not sit still! She really just wanted to run back & forth from our campsite to the family's across the way (also in our group.) Those girls entertained Hannah at their site some, and we walked up & down the trail a number of times. We had a delicious dinner of Trader Joe's brats cooked on the open flame, and some orzo salad I had brought along for a side. :)Hannah thoroughly enjoyed her standing-up-dinner, and joyfully walked around the campsite munching her meal. (Something she is not allowed to do at home.) (Later that evening, Jessica & Andrash whipped out their little water-boiler contraption and made themselves pasta with all the trimmings! Amazing!)
After dinner, Keith, Hannah & I walked down to the lake, which was really pretty; albeit a little dirty. :)
Isn't it picturesque? Note how angelic Hannah looks up there with the sun framing her face? Well, keep that picture in mind when I tell you about the bedtime ritual. ;)
After playing around the site more and visiting some with Jessica & her family, we decided to attempt to put Hannah to bed. Keith spent the next little while (I really have no idea how long, as there are no clocks in the wilds, but I am guessing it was a good 30-45 minutes) in there laying down with her while I could hear her jabbering on about daddy, mommy, Linus, outside, etc. Every few minutes, I'd see her foot, hand, or face being pressed up to the side of the tent. Keith would tell her to lie down, but to no avail. She'd ask for milk, she'd ask for water, she'd say "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?" over & over (doubtless those were the times Keith was pretending to "sleep.") After some time, I heard the tent open and out pops Hannah with a gleeful "HI!" She came bounding over as if re-energized, and then she proceeded to visit happily with the girls who were over visiting our site.
Since Hannah was awake & not in the least bit sleepy, we decided it might be time for something nice & calming...like S'mores. She & Keith had some gooey goodness while we sat by the fire. As in began to get a little darker, we decided that I should try to lie down with Hannah again. I went in the tent with her and pretended to go to sleep. This time she cried & yelled for Daddy, who fortunately came in to the tent shortly after. For the next hour (or more), we proceeded to lay down while Hannah bounced, rolled, and jumped all over the tent. She laid down for no more than 5 seconds at a time, and if Keith or I had our eyes closed, she woke poke our eyeballs and get a millimeter away from our face, saying "Daddy" or "Mommy." At one point, I really thought she would never fall asleep, and that our entire night would be spent keeping her busy in the tent. After countless attempts to keep her lying down & telling her "shhh, it's bedtime," or "stop talking now" or "lie down," and singing any number of songs, lullabies, tunes, and jingles, she finally started settling down. I found that to be my golden opportunity, as I really really wanted to sit by the fire for a while. Keith has no problem laying down & taking little naps here & there, but I was not sleepy at all, & I really did not relish going to bed without a s'more. So, I abandoned ship & left Keith & Hannah to get to sleep. :) (Terrible, isn't it?)
This is what I found when I went back in to the tent a while later:
Now, you might see this and think we got plenty of sleep that night; well, this is not the case when you are sleeping right next to a very shifty, active 2-year-old. (She doesn't slow down even when she is sleeping, let me tell you!!) For the rest of the night, Hannah proceeded to kick, slap & hit me with her arms & legs. When I wasn't dealing with that, I was trying to pull her away from the sides of the tent (which was where she wanted to squeeze into, probably to give her the sense of security that she has in her crib) because I thought she would get too cold. All in all, when morning finally came, both Keith & I were pretty sore and still tired. :) We had decided to go ahead on to church that morning, so we packed up in a hurry and tried to pull ourselves together to look somewhat presentable. :) Hannah was in a great mood, having slept through the night!
After all this, you might imagine we would never go camping again, but I am even having a hard time believing myself when I say that I would love to go again! Maybe it is somewhat like labor, where, even though you know it is painful at the time, you look back on the overall experience and think: "I want to do it again!" Keith and I are talking about trying to go once on our own later in the summer, but I think it would still be fun to go with Hannah. I think part of it is just getting her used to the tent so that she knows the drill. Another part is getting a little more outfitted with the proper camping gear--the most important being the handy french-press coffee maker that Jessica & Andrash broke out in the morning. I think with that in hand, all else would be just peachy. :)
The Happy Campers
