Life Lesson: Don't go camping with a newborn

It's hard. Really hard. Like working on a weekend hard. A few weekends ago Dianne and I took the girls to Prineville Reservoir  down in Oregon for the annual Rufener Family camping trip. This is a trip we go on every year for a week and any given day usually consist of:

• Wake up.
• Go out in the boat.
• Breakfast.
• Chill.
• Drink.
• Lunch.
• Go out in the boat.
• Chill.
• Drink.
• Dinner.
• Chill.
• Drink.

But with a newborn (and a three-year-old), it's more like:

• Wake up in the middle of the night because a). newborn needs food or b). three-year-old kicks you in the face while sleeping.
• Wake up earlier than you would have liked.
• One parent goes out in boat while other parent stays in camp (boating parent feels immense guilt).
• Breakfast, try to get three-year-old not to eat dirt.
• Keep newborn happy and cool / entertain three-year-old.
• Lunch, still try to keep three-year-old from eating dirt.
• Keep newborn cool / try to get three-year-old to nap, one parent has to stay nearby, other can go out in the boat (more guilt).
• Hand off newborn to family member, relax for 30 minutes.
• Keep newborn cool / get now awake three-year-old, entertain them.
• Dinner, dirt issue.
• Drag three-year-old to bed, which takes about an hour.
• Fall asleep exhausted.

As you can see, drinking and chilling is non-existent. So is enjoying any quality time with your spouse. No don't get me wrong, seeing our family was absolutely great, and they were ALL very supportive and helpful, but even with their help it is still a different trip from the days of chilling, drinking and boating.

That's not to say it was all bad, actually quite the opposite:

• Maddie was a doll the entire time. She played with the other kids like a champ. She had a great time going out in the boat. She loved eating dirt. She acted exactly how a three-year-old having a fantastic time should act. 
• Piper was super chill. She slept a lot. She didn't cry that much. She only woke up once a night. She was happy when members of the family held her. Perfect little newborn.
• Seeing family was awesome. We don't get to see this side of the family but once a year and it is always a pleasure. The grandparents/parents are fun to hang out with and really helpful with the girls. The kids are all super fun and great to Maddie.
• My family even stopped by (JJ, Melissa, Mom and Amanda) and I was able to take them on a boat tour of the reservoir. I totally felt like my Dad when he used to take the family out in the boat when we were kids.

I guess my main compliant is that when camping with a newborn and a three-year-old, you always have to be ON. You never get a chance to really relax or hang out with your honey. Also, with a trip like this which we have done many years in a row, you have an expectation of what the trip will be so when it varies from that expectation it can be hard to deal with.

Will Dianne and I never camp with our kids? Of course not. Camping is a great tradition and an important part of being a kid. I think with a few modifications it can still be a fantastic experience:

• Keep it short. A week is just too long with little kids.
• Don't travel far from home. When camping is over, a short car ride is nice.
• Don't go anywhere too hot.
• Go with other parents that have kids the same age.
• Plan on staying in camp (don't bring a boat).
• Don't expect too much. Be happy just spending time together.

Though camping this year was tough, watching how much fun Maddie had (and the other older kids who were there) makes me really excited for future camping trips when the girls are old enough to entertain themselves and Dianne and I can sit back, read a book and drink a beer.