We decided to go on our first camping trip. But to play it smart we decided to go someplace close to home. So we went a few miles down the road to Baldwin Oaks. It had many trees to make for plenty of shade. There were several Sassafras trees as well as Oak trees as the name of the campground indicates. I liked that there is not a lake at this campground so I won't have to worry about the boys running into the water when I'm not looking.
So Friday (June 9th) we set out for the campground with boys in tow. Grandma and I had set up the tent the night before while Grandpa watched the boys so we wouldn't need to worry about them getting in the way or running off. Once we got to the campground we just had to set up inside the tent. Then the boys were set free to investigate their new home. They did fairly well staying around our site and not wandering off. They recognized the tent right away. We had set it up in the house the week before to make sure there was no problems with it. At that time they had a chance to play in it and thought it was the coolest thing ever. They cried and hollered something fierce when I took it back down. But it made it nice to have something familiar there when they started to look around.
They wore shorts when we arrived but it didn't take long for me to realize that plain ole diapers was a better choice for camping attire. Especially since I brought the kiddie pool for them to play in. I don't put too much water in the pool in case they slip they won't drown. They did more than just play in the pool. Because it was so much more fun pushing the pool. Mostly it was William pushing. He is going to be Mr. Universe someday. He thrives on lifting or pushing large and very heavy objects. Grandma referred to him as Atlas (as in Greek mythology).
I think they enjoyed eating their lunch outdoors. At first we thought we could let them walk around us and we would feed them from our chairs. There were way too many distractions to keep them focused on food so I conceded and pulled out their feeding chairs. We finished our lunch at the picnic table. That was our first learning curve to camping with lil' ones.
After lunch they took a nap in the tent and woke up rearing to go again. More playing and discovering to do until dinner. Grandma made dinner on the grill. We decided not to do any campfires because I was too worried about them having an accident. I didn't want to experience the nightmare of one of them falling into the fire. She made one pot spaghetti and green beans. Then she roasted some red peppers for the next day. The boys like it. And they shared some with the critters. Well, what fell under their seats anyway.
It was getting close to bedtime when we drove home to check on the cats and grab a couple things we forgot about. The boys were so worn out that they fell asleep in the car. It thought this was great because then I could just put them to bed for the night back at camp. Nope. They woke up and wouldn't go back down. They cried and cried and cried. We even tried laying down with them but that just made them want to crawl around the tent and play. So I put them in the pack-n-plays and left the tent. More crying. Part of the problem I think was they were so tired that they couldn't calm down. The other part was probably where we were situated. The pool was on one side of us and the playground on the other. So we had a lot of noise coming at us and it would be hard to go to sleep with so many other kids playing loudly. I tried until 10 pm to get them down before I gave up. We packed it in and went home for the night. They quieted down in the car immediately and were out in just a few minutes. Once we got home and laid them in the cribs we didn't hear one peep out of them until morning.
Day 1
Overseeing the campsite set-up.
Levi is sitting in the camping chair and William is climbing the stroller.
Captain America a.k.a. Levi
How 'bout that. It's a tree.
Investigating the table.
I love those chipmunky cheeks
My dynamic duo.
Ooooooo, a stick!
Levi guarding the tent.
Plumb wore out from playing all day. Just a short snooze please.
We came back after lunch the second day. My little men were dressed in t-shirts and bathing suits over their diapers. Just so they didn't look so uncivilized. The boys recognized where they were and set off for more adventures. One of the things they decided they really liked about the campsite was running in and out of the tent. They could go on and on with that game. It was good for me because it gave me a break and kept them from running onto the "road."
At times they did try traveling further. There was a couple of dogs at a nearby site and William locked onto them. He kept wanting to go over there. I got some exercise chasing him down.
I was pleased that we made it through the camping trip without their tender skin getting burned. That in itself should make the whole trip a success. Of course there was a lot of shade which helped. But occasionally they would play where there was some sun so I made sure to keep the lotion flowing. One time William walked out of the shade into the sun. The ground must have felt really hot to his little feet because he started doing a little panic dance and then started crying. He didn't know what to do but knew he hurt. Grandma ran over to him and picked him up. She walked him to the kiddie pool and put his feet in the water. Instant relief. Poor kid. Such tender little feet.
It was a great weekend for camping. The weather was even kind. No rain or wind. It was in the 80's but it felt really nice at the campground. Between the shade and gentle breeze it felt perfect. Sometimes we would pull our chairs up to the kiddie pool and stick our feet in. There were a couple of times that William slipped and fell in the water. It was an unpleasant surprise for him but I was right there to grab him and then hold him. I of course got soaked when I would hold him but it felt good and kept me cool. William liked the snuggling and I soaked it up too, literally.
After dinner I slowly started packing up the site and putting what could in the car. We decided to make it our last day and not come back on Sunday. I knew we were all going to need a day to sleep a lot. Okay, Mom and Grandma needed to sleep a lot. Those boys sure kept us on our toes. Having to be so vigilant can wear a person out. At least at home they have boundaries so you don't have to watch them every second. Once we were home we unloaded the car and I left Grandma to giving the boys their baths and getting ready for bed. I went back to finish packing up the site. When I came home I could hear crying before I got in the door. They had just had their baths and were upset that they couldn't play in the water longer. I guess I got there in time. Off to bed they went and they slept good all night long. They even slept in late the next morning. How nice.
So in conclusion....we have decided that they are too young for overnight camping. This year we will stick to day-camping at some local parks. There are is no lack for parks in our area so we could pick a new one every week and it would take a year to get to them all. Next year we will try it again and hopefully they will be able to understand what is going on and be able to sleep in the tent at night.
Day 2
Playing the "in & out" game.
So that was our trip. Not too eventful and mostly enjoyable. :)
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