CAMPING!!

We just returned from our first every family camping trip. Well let me re-phrase. the boys have camped and Lindsay and I have joined them during the day hours but we have never all overnight camped. Well several months ago Austin started talking about wanting to use his parent's camper to go camping as a family for his b-day. Well life got busy in early May and we ended up postponing it until the kids were out of school. Its also Memorial Day weekend but we left early in the week to avoid all the crowds. Well as we got closer to the trip I had this thought that we should invite Colby's friend Ella. She is our pastor's daughter and someone Colby and we know VERY well. The kids have known each other since they were babies and have been friends since they were 4. Anyway so we chose to leave Wednesday after the kids got out of school. Austin had gone up Tuesday to help get the camper all set up by the time we got there. 
So Wednesday after Awards Day I brought Ella, Colby, and Lindsay home. I basically spent 2 hours working full speed to clean, finish packing, and make them lunches, then finally load up the van. I think we pulled out about 12:30.
The kids were great in the car. They played on Ella's tablet and watched "The Secret Life of Pets" in the car. We got to the campground right at 2:30. We actually arrived and no one else was there. The kids got to scout out the place and we waited a few minutes for Austin, his mom, Shelbi, and Maggie to arrive. We spent a little bit unloading and setting up. His mom left shortly after we arrived with the girls b/c they were getting picked up that evening by their dad. We basically let the kids explore and ride their bikes around. We were all tired that afternoon. I think I finally even layed down on the bed a bit to rest. We walked around a bit with the kids so they could burn off energy and check out the sights. They even made fast friends with some kids near us. That night Austin's mom came back and we grilled burgers and hot dogs. They tasted so good and I was so hungry by that point! That night we were all pretty tired and by the time it got dark I think everyone was ready to call it a night. We got all the kids showered and ourselves. I was pleasantly surprised how well everyone slept! 
Thursday morning the kids were up and at it early. Austin already had them all dressed and they were outside playing by the time I got up. We soon started cooking pancakes and sausage for them. After breakfast the adults got dressed and ready and we decided to load up and bring them to the Armed Forces Museum. It was close to the campground and we figured getting the kids out the sun/heat for awhile would be good. The camper got the morning sun so it was hard to even really sit out there during those hours. We enjoyed the museum but the kids quickly got antsy and wanted to run around. I think they enjoyed looking at the planes and army vehicles outside the most! After we finished up there it was time to head back to the camper for lunch. We had sandwiches and pizza. It was nice to sit down and enjoy lunch. By this point we had some shade so we were able to sit outside and visit. Wendi and the girls hung out with us a couple hours. During that time the kids mostly played and rode bikes. The adults sat around outside just enjoying the gorgeous weather and visiting. They left around 2 to go get their haircut. Austin's mom also left during that time to go back to her house and check on some things. It was nice to have that full afternoon of just Austin and I and the kids. He decided to take them to the lake to go swim. I was relieved to have a little while all to myself. I really wasn't interested in standing in the hot sun and I knew I wasn't going to swim. I used that time to do my quiet time then I laid down for a bit. Once he got in with them from the lake we took it easy a little while. Then later he had to get out to run some errands. While he was gone the kids and I rested. They played inside and I laid down on the couch and we had about an hour to cool down. Then they were ready to go back out to play. I sat outside to watch them. Austin brought back BBQ and we made mac n cheese. His mom and Shelbi also came back that night to eat with us. The dinner was really yummy and once again we enjoyed a meal outside. Everything tasted so good on this trip! After dinner the kids wanted to go fish so that's what we did. his mom and Shelbi packed up to go back to her house. That night we got the kids to bed early which was nice. It was a little bit easier with just having us and the kids to get them wound down plus I think we were all pretty tired. We had a bit longer to just lay in bed and watch tv that night then we had the other nights too. 
Friday morning we made breakfast for the kids. Austin made them scrambled eggs and bacon. After they ate we all got loaded up and we took them back into Hattiesburg to my parent's apartment. I had originally planned to go alone and go shower but we got the idea for us all to go. I was able to take a bath/shower and Austin took the kids swimming in the pool. I think they enjoyed cooling off and getting cleaned up. I also did some laundry. After spending about 2+ hours at the apartment we loaded back up and went to his mom's house for lunch. We picked up chicken and took it to her house to eat. After lunch we went ahead and went back to the campground. Again it was nice to have a little time to ourselves. During that time the kids played and we tried to relax a bit. Austin took the kids fishing around 4 and that is when everyone started arriving for our big family dinner. We enjoyed just sitting out visiting with everyone. Harvey and Wendi grilled pork ribs, sausage, corn, and we had potato salad for dinner. We all ate around the picnic table which was fun. We just spent the evening hanging out and visiting while the kids played. We decided to do a campfire that night and roast marshmallows which the kids all loved! It was such a fun and sweet way to close out the trip. We definitely had a later night that night. His mom stayed with us and everyone else packed up for home. It took us a bit longer to get everyone cleaned up and off to bed. By the time we all got cleaned up it was time to go to sleep. 
The next morning we were up bright and early and ready to head back home. It was a great trip but I was ready to get home by that point. Plus I had a funeral to attend. Anyway the trip was great. I think we will try going back sometime this fall just the 4 of us. Maybe even try a new campground. Honestly I really fell in love with camping! Can't wait to try it again soon!