First Family Camping

Recently we embarked on our first camping trip as a crew of 5.  It took weeks to prepare for our little venture as we had a few holes in our camping supplies that needed to be filled before this could be a reality.  Luke got me and the big kids mummy bags.  We also needed camping chairs, a cooler, a grill, headlamps, and a lantern.  Here we are testing out the bags at home - 

We intended to go to Malibu Creek State Park for 2 nights, one on our own and the second with the Magos fam.  Isaiah came down w/ a fever right before we were about to head out (even the cooler was packed), so we stayed home on night 1, ate hot dogs in the backyard, read stories around the lantern, and prayed for a speedy and full recovery.  We were so thankful to see our perky boy back the next morning.  No fever, plenty of energy, and just a few sniffles.  So, we packed up and headed out.  The van was full to the brim - we can be a camping family, but we are a long way from being a backpacking family.  

Here we are pre-Magos family.  We set up camp, the big kids and Luke played Uno, and Lucy took a nap in the carrier.  

Then our friends arrived!  This soon-to-be family of 6 is a master camping family with lots of experience.  It was really fun to watch them do camping.  They were like a well-oiled machine setting up camp, making meals, etc.

Lookin' sassy -

The kids played for hours in the dirt with a few buckets, knights, horses, and one fairy.  It was a lot of work to get to the camping part of a camping trip, but once we were there, it was SO easy.  The kids were 100% occupied and content.

 Isaiah caught a blue-bellied lizard.

My foot/ankle was still recovering, so I skipped out on the hike.  Lucy snacked on blueberries while I organized food for dinner.

After dinner we were able to light a campfire, which we didn't expect we'd be able to do.   The kids had a great time running around w/ headlamps and flashlights.  And we made non-traditional s'mores w/ chocolate chips and marshmallows in ice cream cones.  We even got an hour or two of grown up time once the kids were all tucked in!  Then, we settled in for a COLD night.  We'd checked the nighttime lows, which was 50 degrees on both ends of the canyon.  We didn't expect the temps to be 20 degrees colder in the middle!!  Poor Luke didn't even bring pants - or a hat - or tall socks.  He was the coldest (but toughest) of the fam.  Lucy had been in her pack-n-play w/ 2 pairs of pj's and 2 sleep sacks, but by the time I came to bed, her hands felt like she'd been playing in snow, so she joined me in my sleeping bag for the rest of the night.  The big kids were chilly, but able to sleep.  We all just needed another layer of clothing, some good socks, and hats.  We were relieved to see the sun come up, but I wasn't prepared for morning tears from the girls - they were cold!!  I ended up sitting in the van w/ the heater on to thaw them out.  But, within a few hours, the temps were up to the 70's/80's again.  The dads took the kids (all in pj tops and jeans) on a hike and to play in the creek -

Lucy LOVED scooting around inside the tent.  It was great to have a place she could be mobile w/o having to be sure she wasn't chewing on rocks -

Lucy also loved scooting around in the dirt, of course.

The kids found a great spot for their final snacks as we loaded up the tents.

We packed a lot into our 24 hour camping trip, and I am now convinced that a camping trip should be at least 2 nights to make up for the many hours spent preparing and cleaning up!!  We're excited for our 2nd trip (3 nights) coming up in May and for many family camping trips to come!