Oh, how I welcomed Midsummer with open arms this year! I was ready for summer: no school means time to write, time to plan, time to swim, and time to rest. The kids went with wide-open eyes into our media fast and I had a plan to teach them lots of skills and chores. I love that summer is unique in all the year; at least for stay-at-home moms and kids, it is a gift of time large enough to explore different skills and new ways of being.
And, of course, we kicked off summer with our traditional camping trip. Here's a recap:
1. We went somewhere new this year: Lake Le-Aqua-Na. It's a man-made lake in Lena, hence the silly name. I find it ironic that even though I associate Midsummer with the desert, we will probably always camp near water now that we live in Illinois. The fun thing about choosing a campsite this year was that we made it an item of business for our (newly-formed) family council. We voted not to return to Apple River, then a sub-committee was formed to research other sites. Carl and I were the sub-committee and we chose Lake Le-Aqua-Na. We chose well.2. As is traditional, we took our 72-hour kits on the camp-out as well as several kinds of summer fruit. The kids spent the first hour there gorging on cherries, fruit snacks, and granola bars. I think that next year I will not give them immediate access to the kits but will require them to help with the campsite set-up. Except for Leif, of course.
3. There was another family camping close by with a little boy and a little girl. They had brought toys, which made my boys pretty happy. All the kids played together while Scott got the fire set up.
4. Cheddar wurst: a Midsummer tradition in the making.
5. We went down to the lake just before the sun set and Scott set up the fishing rod on a deserted dock. He didn't catch anything, though we all saw plenty of silver glimmers jumping from the lake. There were frogs in the underbrush, too. I chased Leif up and down the dock, worrying that he would fall in the lake. In the end, he slipped on a muddy spot along the shore and we headed back to the campsite.
7. The next morning, after a popular breakfast of oatmeal packets made in tin cups, we went down to Lake Le-Aqua-Na. There's a big beach area, where the younger boys played for hours in the sand. I visited with our campsite neighbors, who were also at the beach, while Scott took Carl to go fishing again on the docks. I made a sandcastle, which impressed Sven. But after he wrecked my towers, it looked more like a sand lump.
8. There was a group of boys and dads that came canoeing by; they were an LDS cub scout troop. When they came to play in the water, Soren splashed out to join them. It made me so happy to see him playing with other boys his own age. They were throwing around a ball--and Soren actually caught it once! It reminded me that I really need to try again to contact our local Cub Scouts troop. We don't have one in our ward but I don't want Soren to miss out on scouting. After watching him with those boys and leaders, I feel certain that it's something he really needs.9. After visiting the lake, we packed up and went home. Every year, I feel bad that we are not serious campers; we hardly ever stay for a full 24 hours. And we didn't even do a hike this time! But then I tell myself that some camping is better than none and I head home for a nap and a shower.
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