Flash Back Friday: Camping

This week Rick and I made the decision to try and sell our pop-up for a number of reasons. We enjoy camping and bought the pop-up before the kids were born. Unfortunately, it seems for the past two summers, we haven't made it out camping and this summer wasn't looking promising. I don't know how our life can be so busy with little stuff. Anyway, all of this made me think about our two camping trips we took as a family.

We first took the kids camping at 9 months old. I know some may think we were nuts, but at this point in our life we were excited to leave the house, even if it meant doing exactly what we did at home out at a campsite. We were also very determined to just try and do normal family things, as having three had placed some obvious limitations on us.
Jax and Delaney learned to hold their bottles a few weeks before this trip, which made my life SO much easier. They learned to crawl a few days after we made it home, which worked in our favor as well.

Here they are enjoying their first adventure in the sand before I had to head back to the trailer and give them a nap.

I enjoyed this trip. I think mostly because at the time I was desperate for a change of scenery. Sunday morning was bit chaotic as storms blew in and we had to try and pack up before they hit.

When the kids were two and a half, we camped near Flint Ridge with a few couples from church. This was fun, but this time it took what I did every day and made it much MORE difficult.

Here's my cute little campers. It was so fun to watch them explore.

This picture captures a rare moment of sleep. The kids had been on a very strict bed time and nap time schedule since they were 4 months old. This meant the kids thrived on routine, and camping put a major glitch in that. It took forever to get them to go to sleep the first night and then they literally woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning. This made for some tired and cranky kids, as well as mama. I was so frustrated and lost my patience more than a few times. They were in a major, "I only want mommy phase" so this left me to the difficult task of trying to get them to sleep the majority of time. I was not only frustrated but bummed that I was missing out on good times with friends. Definitely not my finest mothering moments!We did manage to have a wonderful time at Flint Creek. The kids loved the water and of course enjoyed lots of snacks. If I remember correctly though, on the last day, about the time we were getting ready to pack up, they each began to meltdown. Good Times!
I really love these pics of my beach bums.

Owners of a Pop-up or not, we will definitely have to take the kids camping sometime in the future. Who knows, maybe we'll find the time for a quick trip before we sell.