Camping At The Zoo!

We got to camp at the zoo last weekend!!!  I conned Richard into paying some big bucks to camp at the zoo this summer.  He was skeptical the entire time, and probably with good reason.  We are not a camping family, but our kids have been begging to camp for two summers now and we have failed them.  I told Richard, this was how we needed to camp:  less than ten minutes from home, food provided, bathrooms, sinks, running water-it was the way to go.  

So, the day came and we had an adventure!  The kids were ecstatic all day long, like bouncing off the walls excited.  Of course, that day was the latest Richard got home from work, but I had things packed and loaded, so we hit the road shortly after 6:00.  We checked in, loaded our stuff in the truck, and they dropped us off at our little campsite.  

It was pretty obvious that a storm was rolling in, so Richard quickly set up our tent and then we headed inside for dinner.  Sure enough, just after we sat down with our food, the winds picked up, there was thunder and lightning, and pouring rain.  We took our time with dinner and hung out inside.  The zoo had tons of activities planned for the kids, but the rain foiled most of those.  They did move face painting inside though, so the kids still got to do that.  

By this time the rain had turned to a drizzle so we walked back to our tent to check out the damage.  Considering the tarp I packed was too small, we fared pretty well!  Only some outside edges of our tent were damp, but other than that we were okay!  We turned on our lantern and played some card games for a while.  After that we ventured out again for smores.  Thank goodness the weather cooperated for that!

We were back in our tent and ready for bed at 10:00.  After some squabbles, Bridget and Marshall fell asleep at 10:30, and Richard followed soon after.  Rachel, however, was enjoying freedom from her crib for the first time ever and was getting crazier and crazier.  By 11:00, she was body slamming the three sleeping family members and laughing her head off.  I finally traded her places, put her in my sleeping bag, on my pillow, at the edge of the tent and rubbed her stomach while whispering zoo animals to her.  This got her holding still long enough that she fell asleep at 11:15.  I was relieved, but also disappointed that I found myself on her tiny Frozen sleeping bag and pillow.  About an hour later, after tossing and turning, I was able to swap her places and I finally drifted into a decent sleep at 2:30!  Yikes!

Because I have great luck, I was also the first one to wake up at 6:30.  This was my view for quite some time.  They are all so cute.  

The zoo provided breakfast:  cereal and donuts, perfect for my kids.  :)

After that it was time to pack up.  By this time we were all getting a little cranky from lack of sleep.  Here are Bridget and Rachel fighting over the suitcase.  

And now, I will end with this picture, because I love it.  :)

It was incredibly hot and humid that weekend and by 9:00 we were roasting and sticky.  We had all our stuffed packed up and were waiting for the truck to pick us up.  I caught this moment , and love it.  I think my Dad could caption this perfectly.  :)

So glad we did this though.  It was fun and memorable, and such an adventure for the kids.  Never mind we could have stayed in a hotel for less.  :)  Richard and I have since decided we will camp again; it will just be with a bigger tent and air mattresses.  :)