Bonding Is More Important Than Comfort

And a pretty setting helps balance out the lack of comfort, as well. This past weekend, I took the three older boys (Mark 9, James 7, and Peter 5) to a yearly Father and Son camp out. The campground was just beyond the silo and barn in the pictures below.

And this is what was coming towards us as we drove into camp. Personally, I love rain when camping. But I prefer to get the camp set up before the rain comes. And dealing with rain while camping is much easier when I'm not responsible for three little boys. When did I grow up?

I took advantage of the scout tents and cots they had available. Scout camp begins in another two weeks so we did the camp a favor by setting up the campsite and we had the benefit of a little added comfort. Cots are so much better than rocks and roots and miscellaneous bumps in the ground. Mark and James stayed in one tent.

And I got to sleep with Peter in the other. Mark and James are certain that they stayed up till 1:15 in the morning...regardless of how many times I remind them that they had no watch in their tent. But "it was pitch black..." so in their minds, it HAD to be 1:15 in the morning. Regardless what time they fell asleep, Peter and I were out by 10:30 listening to the last drops of the evening rain.

Morning came and things were a little wet outside, but there was no more rain in the forecast. And the rain brought a little cooler weather so that was nice. We enjoyed some breakfast and other activities that morning.

Like finding walking sticks (James has an unseen power that draws him to the best walking sticks around. I think we have a collection of about six in our garage.) and hiking over creeks and on bridges.

Mark and James always stayed together as we were walking. I would love to know what they talked about! I stayed behind with Peter. As you can see, he enjoyed taking his time with his hands behind his back.

The boys got to check out the shooting range.

Since I had three boys with me, I could never find a convenient time to take a picture of them actually shooting the gun. My job was to make sure they kept the gun pointed TOWARDS the target. So I took a picture after the fact...more for them than for the blog...so they could remember. Mark and James have been to a shooting range before but this was Peter's first time. I aimed the gun and he pulled the trigger.

And then we pulled off the highway on our way home to enjoy some more scenery. Maybe next year I'll try to get in one of these pictures so it looks more like a Father and Son camp out.

Despite not having the comforts of home, I look forward to spending some time with my boys...slowing down the hectic daily schedule of life and being reminded of what really matters. And next year, I think I'll even give up the comfort of a scout tent and cots so we can all sleep in the same tent and enjoy even more bonding. Then Mark and James can prove to me that they can stay up till 1:15 in the morning. :)