Spring Break Camping

For our first TX spring break, we headed south the Martin Dies Jr. State Park for a few nights of camping.  What a great trip.  

As  I'm gaining experience in family camping, I'm also learning about the very distinct phases of the camping process.  Here are the kids after Phase 1 (prepping, shopping, finding all of the gear/flashlights, packing, and scrambling to get it all into the car - usually an hour past the planned departure).  This pic depicts the mood after Phase 1 is finally done - elation and anticipation!   

Phase 2 is my favorite - The site set up!  Everyone is excited to find the site, set up the tent, and explore our new digs.  We ended up at this particular state park upon realizing that almost every state park was booked near us.  This one was 2 1/2 hours south - near Jasper - but it got good reviews, so we went for it.  We were so glad to find it!  It was relatively empty, at least on our side of the campsite (without electrical outlets), and we got to choose this site right beside the water.  We had no neighbors the first night and only a few the second night, but they were well spaced out.

Once the tent was up, the kiddos were ready to play in it.  And it was a little warm - so the shirts came off.

And while the kiddos enjoyed the tent, the adults enjoyed Luke's home-roasted, freshly ground aero pressed coffee.  A nice treat for reaching phase 2.

Our junior-est camper needed a snooze in the afternoons - 

With everyone settled, Phase 3 begins - actual camping - playing, cooking, outside tooth-brushing, trips to the bathroom, hand sanitizer, sleeping together in the tent, frisbee playing, hiking, exploring, getting grubby, and living it up!

The bigger junior campers enjoyed watching the worms before putting them on their lines - 

After napping and fishing on the first afternoon, we did a bit of hiking - 

Hot dogs for dinner.  Lucy's very 2-ish these days.  Here she is screaming about wanting to roast her hot dog by herself.  

Once we set it up for her, we did let her hold it. 

Happy s'more boy!

And she's learned her "camera smile"!  Aka "pained smile".

Happy s'more girl!

I didn't take a pic of happy s'more mom or dad, but we have discovered that we will never again eat s'mores without a cup of milk.  Perfect combo.  

While the big kids and I made trips to the bathroom on that first night, Lucy and Luke got to sit and fish with her little "Dora Fishing Pool" and "watch the sun go bye bye".  A sweet moment and a beautiful sunset (the pic doesn't do it justice).  

Day 2!  Morning hot cocoa - 

After breakfast, we gathered our things and headed out for canoeing!  This turned out to be the highlight of the trip - canoeing through the swamp.  We were all amazed by this strange, murky, marshy, mossy land.  We canoed around an island (sort of).  It was a trial over 2 miles long.  Noelle did a great job paddling for a 5 year old!  Isaiah was a machine!  He paddled as much as I did - which I was grateful for since he was my boat buddy.  

Luke, Isaiah and I all had the same sized vests, but they fit us each a little differently.  This might be my favorite pic of the trip - 

After about an hour and a half, Lucy switched boats and fell asleep between my legs, only rousing occasionally when she heard mention of someone spotting a turtle - 

After nearly 2 hours on the canoes, we paddled through some super thick plant growth.  Isaiah and I got pretty stuck and Luke had to paddle in, tie our boat to his, and we all worked to get out.  I don't think we could have done it w/o Luke, though there was a woman on the bridge who kindly offered to push us with a stick if we wanted her to.  It wasn't funny in the moment, but I'm glad Luke reminded me of it later.  Such a funny offer of assistance that would not have worked at all.  

Our hiking trips were not like the ones we're used to in CO or CA -

This is kind of what we got stuck in when we were canoeing - 

Our best "camera smile" of the trip - 

On our final morning hike (which ended up being nearly 4 miles), Isaiah discovered a vine swing - so cool!

The end of Phase 3 (actual camping) and the beginning of Phase 4 (tear down camp, pack up, head home).  

We took this pic on the way out of the park.  We were hoping to see a gator from a safe distance, but we didn't spot any.  Maybe another time..

So now we are home, having completed most of Phase 5 - unpacking the car, cleaning up, putting things away, doing laundry, and taking long baths/showers.  With so many helpers, this phase was a little easier this time than in past trips.  There is still a pile of laundry waiting for me, but the camping trip is pretty much over.  

It was a great few days with our little crew.  A great break from normal life.  It was so nice to be outside constantly, to not be tied to our phones or the computer, to enjoy each other and the new sites and sounds of TX camping.  We think, in retrospect, we might have gone for 3 nights instead of 2.  And I definitely would have remembered trash bags.  Other than that, it was a complete success!