We went camping... finally!

After many many many times of begging Dan to go camping he finally told me to go ahead and get everything ready to go.  Last time we went camping was close to five years ago when I was pregnant with Aaron, we had a great time camping with the Arizona Browns that we really wanted to do it again.  We already had the tent and some sleeping bags, our cool outdoor stove and folding chairs so we were pretty much set up and after getting some last minute things and food we loaded up the van and off we went to the Houston Lake State Park just to be told they were full.  I had no idea that so many people were going to be there that weekend.  Then we tried last week again but this time I made a reservation ahead of time and got a spot for a Friday night.  This meant that I was going to be the one setting up the tent and that I was going to be by myself with the kids for a couple of hours before Dan got there. 
Our tent all set up, we did a good job :)

Thanks to Shayna who is really smart we were able to set up the tent after an hour and a half.  We got the perfect camping spot way way in the back away from any other sites and we pretty much could not see them at all.  
The only bad thing was that I did not have cash for the firewood and they promised to deliver it anyways and then collect the money after Dan got there but they didn't. 


 The kids were in 7th heaven running around and exploring as much as they could, basically running wild without that much supervision. 

Dan and I took care of dinner and soon after did some marshmallow burning (they literally caught on fire), it was fun to see Dan teaching the kids how to do it right.
Victor had to pass some Scout requirements so we made a couple of smores but nobody liked them so we ended up just eating the marshmallows.
Just before we went to bed the kids ran around some more in the dark and chased fireflies.  Kahlan only had one crying fit that night and after that she stayed asleep most of the night, we slept with one of the window open so we could enjoy the nice fresh air.

I have to say that all the kids slept just fine and surprisingly enough they did not wake up when some creature out there was howling like crazy (I was scared for a while).  The noises finally quieted down and I slept just fine.

Our tent is so big that it even fits our pack and play.




 We used the buddy system the entire time we were there, Victor was supposed to stay with Aaron and Shayna was always attached to Tristan (or most of the time).


Kahlan sleeping like an angel in my sleeping bag after her morning feed.

After we all woke up, cooked some breakfast and started to clean up our site a little bit.  We went on a nature walk looking for sticks, bugs, leaves and rocks (at Victor's request) and found some cool spots to throw rocks and sticks in the water.

 Shayna even found one of her favorite animals... a cute little frog.

 

 

 Dan was trying to teach Victor how to take the bark off the stick they found while on our walk, too bad we left soon after... Victor was sad he didn't get to finish it.

It wasn't perfect of course because with kids it never is but even with their crying and whining in the end they told us that it was really fun and want to do it again.  I guess we will have to try it in the winter next time and see how it goes.  I love being outdoors and enjoy nature, I am so glad we were able to do it before it got really hot and humid.


This face says it all, they had fun!