Camping!

So that was the first half of Saturday, swim class, ballet show, pony ride, oh, and bouncy house, but I didn't take pics of that.  We also ate mini-donuts.  It's that time of year, where every festival outdoors has a mini-donut vendor.  You don't have to wait for the State Fair anymore, they're everywhere!  I love it.  So did Lily.

Then we had to go home and get ready for camping!  Tegan's Mum invited us to this family party at Dodge Nature Center, where Tegan goes to preschool.  It is so cool there!  They have woods and ponds and a squishy swamp (okay, wetland, but I called it The Squish), and some animals who were hurt in the wild and brought there to recover and teach kids about wildlife.  And even a bear head someone found while camping up north.  Actually he found a whole bear (dead) but only brought back the head.  So they put it in a cage outdoors and are leaving it to decompose, and the kids can watch it.  I know, it sounds disgusting, but it was actually really cool.  There is still fur on the top of the head, but the mouth is clean of skin and fur, and you can see the big jaw and huge teeth this black bear had.  I think it's actually a pretty neat way to teach kids.

So we went to this party called Rock the Barn, at their barn area, and they had music, a craft fair, concessions (they ran out of veggie hot dogs before I could get any, which pissed me off.  I swear, that happens at every event we go to where they have veg dogs, I think because a bunch of meat-eaters decide to try it.  Hey! Back off of my dogs, you carnivores!), face painting, and some animals the kids could touch.  Lily held three baby chicks, one after the other, until I had to drag her away to do something else.  Before that she sat in a chair and had a snake in her lap.  I controlled my squeam factor reaction.  She actually really likes snakes.

There was also a hayloft in the barn where they kids could jump in the hay, and then use a hoist to lift a hay bale.  She liked that.  I let Dad take her in there, because I'm allergic to hay.

I didn't take any pics of Rock the Barn because I forgot the camera in the tent and didn't feel up to being the photographer.  I had a migraine from the sun and had to do my injections in the tent.  It worked okay.  But I was a bit crankers.  Esp. when they ran out of veg dogs.

But it was a beautiful place and we slept in the tent in the forest, with Tegan and her mom right next to us in their tent, and the girls had a fabulous time.  This was Lily's first time camping and I think it was a wonderful introduction to it.  Here she is in the tent:

After the Rock the Barn party, there was a campfire for the people who were camping.  It was really fun, with all families with kids.  They played together well.  Lily roasted a few marshmallows but didn't really eat them.  Her and Tegan liked eating them raw better.

Here's Lily after dark.  T.'s mom got them both these cute kiddie camp chairs to sit in. 

And here's the fire in the dark.  I love taking pics of campfires.

And here's our little glowing child. I think there might have been a flashlight pointed at her.  That or she's glowing from within.  Notice her flaming marshmallow.  She never had any intention of eating it.  Just wanted to see it burning, I guess.  Which is pretty fun.