Comfort Camping

Camping trip number three is in the books!  We had a last minute reality check looking at the weather as temperatures were set to be in the low 40's all day Friday (for set up) and cold all night long.  However, Saturday was slated to be gorgeous with highs in the 60's.

I have a few dealbreakers when it comes to camping:
1.  Over 60% chance of rain for the entire duration of the trip. - OUT
2.  100% rain during set up.  (HOW do you set up a tent in the pouring rain??  I don't know how to do that...) - OUT
3.  Temperatures in the 30's at any point. - OUT
4.  Temperatures in the 50's or below with a burn ban in place. - OUT
5.  Electric site required for temperatures below 45 and above 75 (heaters and fans need electricity!)

I'm not really a "glamper" but clearly I'm a comfort camper.

Since it was misty/drizzling and basically gross weather on Friday when we were packing up to leave, Todd and I had a little pow wow on if we wanted to do it or not.  It is wet, it is cold, are we just going to be miserable?  After ensuring the burn ban has been lifted, we opted to go for it.  Rain was set to stop that afternoon and we had an electric site so we knew there would be more options.  I went to the store that morning and got hand warmer packets and two electric blankets.  We packed up all our winter gear and had our fingers crossed for a good time.

When we arrived, thankfully it wasn't raining or misting anymore so we were able to get the tent set up and ready.  It gets dark so dang early now that by the time we got the tent up, a fire started and dinner done, it was pitch black.  Setting up the inside of a tent with lanterns and flashlights is tough, but we made it.

As it turns out, that first night was really fun.  Fun to be with just the 5 of us and get to fully utilize all our camping gear.  :)  We talked around the fire, sang silly songs and had s'mores.  After the kids were in bed, Todd and I got to hang out and chat on our own which was great as well.  We both determined that even though it was super cold, we were so glad we went for it.

Having xmas lights is another thing I love about electric sites!

Electric blankets for the WIN!  My goodness it was amazing having those!!!  Warm and snuggly ALL NIGHT LONG even when the weather was in the low 40's.  It was AWESOME.

Lia is in that red sleeping bag... I swear...  lol

The morning was a little tough.  It was VERY cold.  Kids got bundled up in their winter gear and Todd fed them hot chocolate.  After that, they were good to go!  It warmed up quickly and ended up being a completely gorgeous day.

that toothless grin gets me everytime!

Ashley, Justin and Burklee joined us in the morning and set up to stay the night.  The kids were delighted to have another friend join in and they were quickly off doing their own kid-tastic things.

This park was brand new and just opened in June.  They really did a nice job on the camping sites and the whole park was beautiful.

It was awesome for the kids' scooters and had lots of space to have a tent up on level, non rocky ground.

We took a walk to the playground (which was really, really interesting and fun for the kids) and the area was right on the lakeshore.  So pretty!

Camping is just a total blast - kids are in pjs all day getting muddy and having the best time, adults are able to hang out and relax, you can look like a hot mess and no one cares, and going with friends is the absolute icing on the cake.  We've refined our gear and now the process is much easier than the first time we went with the kids.  It is always so much fun.

Until next time!!  

(three more trips to go!)  (can't wait)  (love it all)