I remember Jacob's first camping trip. And when we planned this trip (and reserved the camp sites $$) we were under the impression we would be traveling to China in late April. Mid-August sounded like perfect timing for Ty's first camping excursion. But then our travel didn't happen until July and we wondered if we should just forfeit the site. But Ty had done so well since coming home, and loves the outdoors so much, we believed we could make this work.
Preparing for this trip I questioned my sanity. Preparing for camping is the most labor-intensive effort ever. Worse than moving, worse than international travel, worse than fundraisers or large-scale parties. Okay, maybe that is all a bit of an overstatement, but it feels worse than those things in the moment. It's just an overwhelming amount of stuff to try and organize and gather. Preparing to take 5 young children camping (and without Daddy for the first 36 hours) is just a bit ridiculous.
For 3 days before we left I ran myself into the ground trying to balance the 5 kiddos and their need for play time and mama time with my mile-long-list of packing and preparing. The day before we left I almost gave up. It was too much.
Only being home from China 3 weeks means that Drew and Jacob are still sensitive to mama not being immediately available. Being home just 3 short weeks means I am supposed to be focusing on continual bonding activities with my new son. Being home just 3 short weeks means I barely put the suitcases and laundry away from the last trip and dragging them back out was not as exiting as usual.
But I chose to persevere.
And I am so glad I did.
Thursday morning we finished loading the car and drove away after lunch. We rolled into our camp site near Fort Bragg at about 6 pm. Fortunately we were camping with our dear friends and they had arrived early enough in the day to be completely set up so our kids could play while I set up our campsite solo. Brad had to remain at work through Friday evening because of his 17 day leave for China so the first day and a half of this trip was all mama.
Seven bodies in one tent. We may need a new tent soon...
Not bad for havin' to do it all myself (except for the help from David with the tent, thanks David!)
Our amazing friends also cooked dinner for both our families while I finished setting up and provided the s'mores that night for the kids. So glad I didn't have to cook or even touch our food that first night. It took every minute of daylight and every ounce of energy to set up camp and get us all fed and ready for bed.
Ty was confused as to why he needed to wear two sets of jammies to bed. He woke up to go to the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning and when we stepped out of the tent he said, "Oh! Cold!" Yes, it was cold.
Some of my favorite memories from this trip are of carrying my boys to and from the bathroom in the middle of the night. It may seem strange, but being alone together in the dark with the light of the moon shining down on my quiet little boy is just a special experience. I had the opportunity to carry all three of them at different times, just the two of us, in the quiet of the night. Love that memory.
After our first sleep it was 3 days of pure bliss. I cannot tell you how glad I was to be on this trip with my kids. Every minute of craziness before we left was worth it. Being exhausted was worth it. Coming home to 7 loads of laundry was worth it. Showering once in 4 days was worth it. Driving 55 miles an hour for over 5 hours to and from our campground was worth it. The pictures can show you why:
These sand dunes were directly behind our sites.
After breakfast we walked out to the boardwalk along the coast. Beautiful.
Happy boy.
Me and my 5 kids.
Boys.
For some reason Ty got a big kick out of picking flowers and putting them in my hair. Caitlin finally asked, "How does the flower in your hair keep changing color?"
The wildlife is very used to people. The ground squirrels and seagulls are just not afraid at all.
She used to be my baby.
Small boy, big ocean.
First time playing in the waves.
Daddy got to join us Friday night for dinner. The kids were all excited to see him. We enjoyed dinner together and mama got everyone through the showers and bath (a wash bin we brought). Then we enjoyed a s'mores variation with sugar cones, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows. They were goooood.
Saturday morning we went for a hike around the lake.
Climbing trees
Ty got a little adventurous with his climbing and about 3 minutes after this picture he managed to fall out of the tree. He earned himself a decent battle wound on his right arm, but by the time we made it back to camp and bandaged him up he was ready for the next adventure without complaint.
Nap time.
After naps it was time to hit the beach. With water temperatures around 55 degrees I was so grateful to have the summer wet suits donated to our garage sales that never sold. Wouldn't you know it: they fit our three children perfectly.
Caitlin managed to catch this starfish for Ty. He asked if we could eat it...
After dinner we went for a sunset bike ride along the beach. The boys rode bikes, the girls rode scooters, and Jacob enjoyed the view from his stroller with an occasional break to walk or try sissy's scooter.
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Sunday morning before we packed up we took one more trip out to the tide pools. We caught the tide nice and low and were able to climb all over the rocks. The boys were in heaven.
I found a little star fish for the little boys to see since they had missed the one Ty saw.
And I caught a crab for Ty to examine. He told me if it were bigger it would be good for eating...
Then we went back to camp, threw everything into the car, truck, and trailer, and repeated the 5 hour drive at 55 miles per hour home.
It was more than worth it.
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