Camping we will go....

So, we thought it would be fun to go on our first family camping trip! We were supposed to go with some friends and their kids, but their little boy got sick, so things didn't work out. Strange how family vacations seem to bring on these situations.....
We did all the wonderful family camping things, like struggling to get a fire lit with damp wood, and me (almost) single-handedly wrestling the tent up, and not getting the kids fed until way after their normal time, but we had a ton of fun doing it. We spent some time at the campgrounds playground, and we walked throughout the area, just enjoying spending time as a family. After putting the boys to bed, Dave and I just sat in awe of the beauty of the stars, and the peace of the night.
All was going well until about 2:30 in the morning, when a little voice pipes up,"Mommy, my ear hurts!" After encouraging Carson to go back to sleep, we tried to do the same. This happened twice more in the next half hour, and at 3 AM, Dave and I decided we had to call the trip on account of ear infection. Soooo, we pulled up the tent, packed everything in the van, (all in the pitch dark!) and headed home. AT 6:45 we arrived home, and the only ones who were tired were Dave and I! We got Carson to the Dr. and come to find out, his ear was hugely infected, and actually ruptured while we were waiting for antibiotics at the pharmacy. So much for a relaxing vacation! Oh, well, that's life as a parent!

Here is Carson about to help roast marshmallows for his first s'mores. Why do all men get excited about playing with fire?






Oh, the joy of s'mores in the summer!





This is one of my favorite pictures-there is something about your kids eating s'mores while camping that just screams, "SUMMER!"


Here is David and Carson, after we had walked around most of the campground. We didn't see any wildlife (probably b/c with 2 little boys we WERE the wildlife!), but we had fun being out in the "country" as Carson liked to call it.




And finally, the final photo of our camping trip...Carson curled up in the recliner after seeing the Dr. that morning. What a fun end to our first camping trip!