Shady grove 2013: day four

Shady grove 2013: day four sleep was beautiful last night. I bought John some fleece footie pajamas at Walmart yesterday while the battery was being swapped. And it was a good thing too! The temperature dropped a bit and inside the tent was a little chilly but everyone was prepared and warm so everyone slept soundly. What a difference being prepared makes! The low temperature made the crickets so silent near the tent. I could hear some that were further away and thought that they must be by the water. Since the crickets were silent the crows flying under the tree canopy and geese flying over the canopy were that much louder. It was nice to lay in the tent and just listen to the woods waking up. I made a deal with the kids that if they helped me pack up camp quickly we could stay and play with their friends until lunch at around 1. They did great. We packed the van with everything but the stroller and the cooler- so I could still get around the campground with John and we could eat lunch with cooler items. During the packing John got fussy and I put him in the stroller for a calming walk. My neighbor, Laura, was heading out to see friends and offered to push him- Frankie and MJ joined Laura and her kids for the walk as well. The big kids and I finished partially packing by putting the canoe back up on top of the van and attaching the tailgate for the bikes, though bikes stayed off the tailgate so they could be used. After I announced we were good everyone disappeared. I felt really dizzy and think maybe I was needing a rest, some water, and some calories. I seem to keep forgetting that I'm 35 weeks pregnant! So I sat with a cup of water, an apple, and a peanut butter chocolate Lara bar. That seemed to do the trick so I set off and across the main road to find people at the group site. Everyone was busy packing up but I still got to chat a bit with peter, Lisa's husband, about walking dead until I spotted Laura and the kids up through the trees on the main road. I took the kids and headed over to the playground. They played for awhile before I notified the older kids who were playing on the field that it was time for lunch. Back at camp we had sandwiches, oranges, carrots, and the last of the raw milk. There was just enough room in the back of the van for the cooler. We then attached the tailgate and went out to collect Frankie's bike- that she left at the group pavilion the night before. The kids were so beat on the way home from camping. That never fails to be true. all in all we had such a good trip. I'm so glad we got to spend such a great weekend with our homeschool friends. I counted it as our unofficial "goodbye" and I was a little sad when Sunday came so fast. I wished I had more time. It was something I took to mass that night- thankfulness for such good friends for the kids and I.