Just back from camping with friends
at Honeyman State Park...
Kayaking out to a nearby island...
I was so sad I forgot my own "pink camping tutu"...
Let the bug hunting begin...
Colson swam out to the island several times...
(the water felt wonderful--great temp. for swimming)
Finding newts is a highlight of going to Honeyman...
Lydia discovered some new hair products...wet sand and lake water...
A bathtub for the newts...
First time in her own sleeping bag...
She's pretending...
"her own sleeping bag" lasted about 30 seconds...
(she ended up sleeping with us)
Cavan catching snakes...
(he told us he prayed God would let him catch a snake)
The snakes not liking Cavan catching them...
(snake bite on his finger)
BB gun target practice...
Those cute little Canadians...
(look what happens post immigration)
Jason and Lydi kayaking...
Catching more amazing bugs...
(don't worry--we catch & release)
(her husband could only stay part of the trip,
so she set-up and took-down camp by herself with 4 little kiddos)
Sweet Maggie and Aunt Jenn...
(she was such a good girl, even though a nearby site had dogs that barked tons)
Aunt Jenn was good too :)
Aunt Jenn was good too :)
The path down to the water...
Anne-Marie's boat...
The Annual Talent Show...
(with oh-SO-much-talent)
Mind-reading skills...
We definitely need to make sure Lydi gets more attention...
(But Laura was honestly so helpful when it came to keeping track of her little sister)
The difference between boys and girls...
(the flower my friend's daughter brought her)
The flower our daughter gave my friend...
The "flower" our son found for me...
The laundry pile...
(but--so worth it!)
Camping List Suggestions:
(Let me just say upfront that I am not a minimalist when it comes to camping. We don't bring everything on this list, but we do end up bringing most of it...)
Easy Food Ideas:
(we do bring a cooler and block ice works best for keeping it cool)
cheese (pre-sliced)
crackers
beef stick
fruit (pre-cut makes it super easy)
pre-cut veggies
hummus
ziplock bags of cherries or peanuts in shells (I love handing these out in a place where it's okay to drop the shells/pits)
chips
trailmix
yogurt (freeze it ahead of time and it'll help keep things cold)
Trader Joes Frozen Carrot Cake
hot dogs
buns
condiments
Mountain House Freeze Dried Meals (believe it or not, these are actually really good)
left-over cold pizza
pre-made burritos (can be warmed in foil over the fire or on the stove)
nacho supplies (can be warmed/melted in foil over the fire)
pasta salad (made ahead of time)
cut up fruit salad (made ahead of time)
muffins/bagels
cream cheese
dried fruit
napkinsplastic silverware
plates
cups
cups for hot drinks
drinks
water jug (just a heads up--last year someone bumped the spout to the water jug and we filled up the bottom of our van with 2.5 gallons of water that slowly leaked out)
water bottles
hot chocolate
tea
graham crackers
marshmallows
chocolate bars
licorice
beef jerky
popcorn (in those containers that come with a handle)
milk (for camping we buy the boxed kind that doesn't need to be refrigerated)
oatmeal
coffee (we take single serve "tea" bag coffee)
cream sugar
insulated coffee cups
pans
no stick foil (this stuff is amazing--you won't need Pam or butter if you use this)
spoons
spatula
knife
Ziploc bags
trash bags
marshmallow/hot dog sticks
kettle
french press (if you like to use real coffee...we usually bring both)
infant related items (this was the first year in a long time that we haven't brought bottles & baby food).
Other camping suggestions:
camp chairs
walker or portable high chair (especially if you have a little one crawling/not walking yet)
tarp for playing on
tent
tent poles
tent
tent poles (I usually keep this on the list twice because once I forgot the poles and brought the tent and once I forgot the tent and the poles. Let me just say...it makes camping tricky :)
battery operated air pump
air mattresses
self-inflating mattresses (we use these for the kiddos)
kid sleeping bags
Dad & mom's sleeping bags
stove
cord for clothes line
backpack for the beach/day trips
bikes
helmets
kayaks/inflatable rafts
directions
propane
lantern
towels
sunscreen
bug spray
antibacterial wipes
medicine kit (epi-pen, Tylenol, thermometer, burn gel, bandaids)
bee sting pen (3 years ago, our son got out of the van when we arrived and within 30 seconds had managed to jump on a bee hive, getting stung in multiple places)
Benadryl (thanks for the reminder Amy :)
pillows (if you use them)
flashlights
tarp for under tent
Clothing/Personal related items:
(I usually make a list for each of the kids to pack for themselves and have them cross items off when they actually place them in their trash bag--we pack clothes in large, heavy duty yard trash bags--I'm not sure why, but it works for us).
jeans
long pants
shortsshirts (short and long sleeve)
sweatshirts
underwear (I hope that was on your list too :)
jackets
diapers
lots of wipes
swim suits
Swimpers (for little ones)
hats
gloves
socks
water shoes
tennis shoes
flip flops
bathroom bags (we camp where they do have bathrooms and I usually pack one bag for the boys and one for the girls because we go in groups).
In the bathroom bags:
hand soap (most bathrooms don't have soap)
paper towel roll
wipes
toothbrushes
brush
hair bands
toothpaste
contact solution
contacts cases
glasses in cases
Random other items:
portable crib
BB gun and targets
sand bucket with shovel
tiny alarm clock
cell phone
extra keys (one year my husband lost his when on a jog and we were so thankful I brought my set along)
extra garbage bags for laundry
firewood (if you have room to bring it, much cheaper than buying it at the camp site)
games
cards
camera
broom (for sweeping out tent)
shoe mat for in front of tent (will help keep out a lot of mud/dirt)
hammer
money
Bible/books/magazines
potty chair (if you are mid-potty-training...you'll want to bring this along...really helps!)
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that is part of camping too...
Let me know if you can think of anything we should include next round...
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