A-Camping-We-Did-Go

There's nothing like being with 6 boys, ages 2-9, surrounded by dirt, frogs, catepillars, and more dirt. Talk about watching kids in their element!

Thank you Jodi, for inviting us camping with your family. Al, Maria, Andy and their two boys Zach and Justin joined us as well. It was the same gang as last year's trip.

On a personal note, I have always been much more of a woods girl than a beach girl. I thrive on exploring forests, walking through the rocks on rivers searching for creatures, waking up to the lovely song of the birds. Going camping really returns me to my tomboy roots. I remember being 8 and collecting ants and slugs and feeding them hershey chocolate bars.

And so it is a joy to watch the boys get good and dirty and have the time of their lives. Max found many a "calepittar." Alexander caught various things in his net. Ethan caught frogs with his bare hands. Many of the campsite's kids caught frogs and raced them...poor guys were petrified afterwards and could hardly swim (the frogs, not the kids).

Suprisingly, Theo was not very interested by the wildlife; but he did love to run through the woods and throw rocks in the river. We would throw rocks and shout "splash!"...or in his case, "ash." The smile on his face sure made up for the lack of "spl" in the word. I often have to remind myself to bask in his happiness and be assured that the rest will work itself out. When he is, say, 10, and talking just like everyone else is, I'll remember his twinkling eyes and killer grin when the rocks went "splash."

Unlike the other boys, who were running around the fire and throwing things in it, Theo was happy to just sit and gaze at the marvelous flames. He spent both evenings quietly pondering the fire. He fell asleep peacefully in my arms watching perhaps nature's most awesome wonder.

Watch Carl and Max win the frog race: