Vacation Day 7 - Thursday

Did I say we would actually sleep while camping? Ha!
It’s cold. I would have been fine if I could have stayed nicely snuggled in my sleeping bag all night, but it was not to be. Matthew frequently awakens. Here is a sample conversation:
Me: Are you cold?
Matt: No, I want your pillow.
Me: You have your special towel pillow.
Matt: But I want your pillow.
Me: Ok, can I have your towel pillow?
Matt: No.
Me: Let’s share.
Matt: I don’t want to share.
(I give in and give him my pillow and make myself another faux pillow out of extra jackets and stuff)
Matt: I want your pillow.
Me: I already gave you my pillow.
Matt: No, I want that pillow (indicating my faux pillow).
Me: Ok, can I have my other pillow back.
Matt: No.
(Of course Matthew is crying and using his whiniest voice and I’m desperately hoping he will not wake up Jackson.)

This occurs several times through the night for up to an hour at a time. Finally, I appease him by letting him watch cartoons on my ipod.
When it’s time to get up I find that the air mattress, which we are using for only the 2nd time has deflated and Steve is more or less sleeping on the ground.

We’re all tired and a little grouchy and pretty sure that we will not be doing any more camping on this trip. I had bought some tasty looking muffins for breakfast the night before, but at some point they got dropped on the ground, so we have pop-tarts and hot chocolate for breakfast. Actually, the kids eat mostly marshmallows. Jackson manages to spill a large quantity of lukewarm chocolate on himself.

Grandparents are heading home today, so we’re on our own. Grampaw cursed us the night previous by asking if we had any jumper cables, just in case. “Of course we do!”

Steve starts sorting through and wrapping our mineral finds, we break down the tent and begin packing up the car. At some point, kids get in the car and someone turns on the hazard lights. When we’re ready to leave, car battery is dead. We ask camping neighbors for help, as Steve realizes the emergency car safety bag I got from work does not actually have jumper cables in it. They are in the other emergency car safety bag I got from work, which is in my car at home. Neighbors eventually come through and we get the car going.

We had planned to stop by Florrisant National Monument Fossil Beds today, but we’re getting off later than planned so we just drive. It takes us an incredible amount of time to get out of Colorado. Steve eventually gets sick and tired of driving in the mountains. He’s had enough of the scenic, but winding roads, where people feel the need to drive slowly.

We eat whatever we can find in the car and barely stop, except for the occasional rock shop. We roll into Alamogordo late and once again carry sleeping babies into motel. Our room is a suite. Nice bedroom with king bed and a full kitchen/living/dining room with a pull out bed. Reluctantly, we put the kids, fully dressed into the nice comfy king bed. No one wakes up to complain about jammies tonight. Steve & I crash on the pull out. It’s not comfortable, but we’re so tired it doesn’t matter.