We went on Jacob's first camping trip ever at the end of March. We had no idea what to expect, but it went really well! The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the kids had a blast, as usual. We set the tents up together on the far side of the sites, away from the fire (so the grown-ups could have some fun after dark around the fire) and I think it was a great plan. (Too bad I was so tired I went to bed right after the kids....)
Jacob hung out, happy to play with his toy while we set up camp. The other kids messed around in the tent as usual, then came out to supervise while Luke made a fire.
There was an awesome stump that became the focus of a great game of jump for a while. Parks was the first to check it out, then Cana. Charlotte wanted to be just like them, but was too afraid to jump once she got up there. Parks was a sweet gentleman and helped her down. She ended up jumping after all, it just took a while to warm up her courage.
We had hot dogs and beans for dinner, followed by the obligatory s'mores. Yum! Paige was really into roasting her own marshmallow this trip and did it again, and again, and again. There were lots of burned marshmallows....
That night it was pretty chilly, into the mid-40s, so Jacob and I slept in the car while Koby and the girls toughed it out in the tent. Turns out cars get pretty cold overnight, too. We probably would have been better off sharing body heat with everyone else! But little man was a champ, and with the exceptions of a couple of feeds, slept pretty well.
We had breakfast tacos, then headed out for a hike to the pier.
After a quick lunch of pbj, we went for another short hike.
We tried and tried to get all 4 big kids in a picture, but Cana really wanted a stick just like Parks's and refused to get on the trail for the picture. Eventually we all gave up and moved on.
We stopped for a break by a cute little stream (really just an overflow section, but hey...) and Parks went full-on little boy into the underbrush. For the most part, the girls weren't terribly interested. They found a sandy spot on the trail and played quietly.
You would have thought that they were in the safer spot, but you'd be wrong. As I was taking this last picture, I heard a quiet rustling right behind me and turned just in time to watch a long, dark snake slither by. That's right. A snake. Shudder!
Nap time!
Gotta love a baby that wakes up disoriented and ready to cry, only to see you and start grinning! We finished the trip by visiting the little playground, then a spaghetti dinner and a grimy drive home. Another fun, successful camping trip for all!
