2nd annual family camping trip!

In an effort to enjoy every last bit of summer we decided to plan another camping trip.  Last year was the 1st trip for the kids and although it wasn't awful, it wasn't amazing either.  They had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep in the tent and we were all a bit grumpy by the middle of the night.

Well, this year fully redeemed any bad memory from last year!  We all had such a fun time and can't wait to book a longer trip next summer!

We started the morning by finding a state park near our campsite to go for a hike. The kids love hiking and we love how they can just be free to roam and explore.  Any chance I can tell Carter "yes" instead of "no" is great. And being outside means he's usually free to touch almost everything and run until he's exhausted. Sadly our research of Isabella State Park wasn't exactly what we expected.  We had read about some winding loops through the forest that led to a beach and instead saw a private fishing dock with a nearby grassy field full of bales of hay.  We made the best of it anyway and spent about 1.5 hours exploring, running and eating lunch.

 We aren't really country type folk but there is still such beauty in this.

 Lucy got tired about 3 minutes into the walk.  Lucky for her she got a piggy back ride. Unlucky for me, I left my Ergo carrier in the car.

 After a short winding loop we discovered the middle of the field, complete with hay for climbing and jumping.

We had a quick bite to eat and then drove a little further to Potlatch State Park.  When we checked in the park ranger said we got the very last campsite in the far back of the park, furthest from everything. While usually that would be annoying it was just perfect for us!  Kids could play away from the busy street, there weren't any other campers next to us and at night we weren't bugging anyone and no one was bugging us! Plus, it was a huge site, more than double most of the other sites.

 The kids' favorite activity: jumping on the mattress in the tent!

 It was nice to just be away from all the business of life and sit and relax.

 Then we headed down to the beach.  The tide was in pretty far so the kids couldn't play too long but of course managed to get completely wet and dirty.

 Later that night we ate hot dogs, started a campfire and roasted marshmallows!

 Lots of silly time too!

 I never did count how many marshmallows each of the kids snuck while I was roasting mine but the bag became empty pretty quick!

 We had a pretty good night sleep considering I shared a mattress with both kids who slept on top of me instead of in/on their own sleeping bag and Matt with a tiny mattress next to us. Normally we are pretty early risers but we all slept until 7:15 which I consider a huge success!

 Matt made some breakfast and built another fire in the morning before tearing down the whole campsite and heading to the beach one more time.

 She found the last of the cookies in the car and decided to help herself!

Loved, loved, loved this special family time and can't wait until next year!