Ward Camp out

 Every year we look forward to the ward camp out.  For the past 3 years, I have been heavily involved in the planning and it wasn't all that much fun.  When I got released from the Primary Presidency a few months back, I actually said, "I'm so excited to go to the ward camp out and just be there with my family with no responsibilities."

And then I got put in charge of the whole thing. 

It really wasn't that bad.  Like I said, I had been really involved for the previous few years, so I knew what they wanted, and it all fell into place pretty easily. 
We did a balloon game, tug of war and a nature scavenger hunt.  Gave out glow sticks in the evening, had a fireside and treats around the fire. 

We hadn't taken Lexi camping yet, but had high hopes that she'd do all right.  Around 11, I realized that it wasn't going to go well.  She just couldn't fall asleep.  (And I should mention that it was freezing cold!)  By 12:30, Jeramy finally took her to the van to keep her from waking up the entire camp.  At 1:30, I decided to go relieve him and I went to check on them.  She was still crying. 
Good times.  I let Jeramy go back to the freezing cold tent and stayed with her all night.  I held her.  She tossed and turned and cried. 
All night. 
I remember looking at my clock at 5 and hearing the birds starting up.  Then I was woke up by my alarm at 6:30 to start breakfast prep.  Pretty sure that was all the sleep I got all night. 

Breakfast went really well.  We did breakfast burritos and cold cereal and fruit.  I kept the eggs and stuff warm in crock pots.  (We had electricity).  My count was that we had about 75 there in the morning.  We had around 115 there in the evening. 

It took us quite a while to get our stuff cleaned up, plus the camp site from those 75 campers.  Lexi finally fell asleep and I was able to pass her off to the bishop's wife and she held her while I cleaned up, but Macie was another story.  She was a wreck.  Crying and screaming.  We finally had to just put her in the car and let her cry it out. 
All the time we packed.
And the whole way home. 

Once we got home, I bathed Macie and then went down to clean up.  I realized after a while that I hadn't seen Macie come down.  I went up and found her in her towel, asleep on the floor. 

 And this one, asleep on my bed. 

I took a 4 hour nap, as did Lexi. 
But hey, think of the memories!