Packing

This weekend is the big family-Halloween-campout. I was sort of game when the topic came up a month or so ago, but I'm wimping out. It's pretty much official. I'm packing now for Nathaniel to take Marianne and Ruth camping, while Meg and I spend some quality time in the warmth of our home. As I gather camping supplies, there's this tiny part of me that wants to go. I really do love tent camping! But then there's the baby and the coldness... I love summer camping, preferably near a body of cool water in case it gets too hot. It's not like I haven't taken babies camping before. As a matter of fact, Ruth was almost exactly Meg's age on her first weekend campout. Marianne camped twice the summer before she even turned one!

At nine months:
And at ten months:
(Gratuitous baby pictures of Marianne included both as evidence of camping experience, and because I'd meant to include some with her birthday post yesterday but was feeling too lazy to pull out the old cds.)

It's just that trying to coax small children to sleep when it's freezing is not so much my idea of an ideal weekend. And, as silly as it sounds, the idea of losing the "extra" hour of sleep on the night of the time change makes me very sad. Not that Meg will really let me enjoy it - I'm sure she'll be up at six instead of seven on Sunday morning.

The bottom line is, Meg and I will join them for the day on Saturday, but I'm just not feeling up to the overnights.

I'm off to finish packing supplies and food for the brave ones. Say a little prayer for them that it goes well - that they can stay dry and warm reasonably well rested.