Camping - Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

This last weekend we had a great family camping trip!!

We all love camping, and we finally got to go during the fall in Texas which proved to be much better than camping during the summer here in Texas.

The weather here has been awesome lately. So we decided to pack up the camping gear and get in a camping trip before kiddo #3 arrives.

We had awesome weather with no clouds until the day that we were leaving. We did have a couple of bumps though. We were so excited to get there, that on the way driving there we had a little encounter with the local lawman. Something about a red light. (cloud) We arrived safely and we got an awesome camp spot. (silver lining) It was completely secluded in the trees with a great spot for the tent.

The kids said that their favorite part was playing and sleeping in the tent.

The air pump that we brought to pump up the air mattress needed more power than our electric converter could handle. (cloud) So I got to prove that I could sleep on the ground 8 months pregnant and be fine. (silver lining). I have to admit that after two nights on the hard ground, I was ready for a soft bed.

We had a yummy breakfast and then set off for our morning hike. Everyone was so excited to go on a hiking adventure through the woods to the lake.
On the way we got to see some of Texas swamp land. I wouldn't let the kids stand too close. I'm still a little wary about crocodiles or alligators jumping out of places like this since our last camping trip.
The kids enjoyed finding animal tracks and trying to guess what animal made the track.
We made it to the lake. The trail was narrow so the kids got stickers in their socks and shoes. They also got wet because of the dew. Needless to say the kids' clouds came and Hannah's clouds happened to be thunder clouds. We picked all the stickers out of them. Jacob was convinced to walk back with a little creative dinosaur hunting imagination. Hannah couldn't be convinced though. Paul had to carry her clear back to camp. (cloud) We made it to our destination, and Paul got in a little extra workout. (silver lining)
We got back to our camp for lunch. Bees decided to make our entire campsite their own personal beehive (cloud). I had never seen so many bees just flying around and all over everything. Paul got to be the tough guy hero he is and clear the campsite of all the bees (silver lining), while the kids and I were entertained from safely inside the tent. He put away all the colorful things that seemed to be attracting them. Then he started a fire to make smoke to encourage them to leave.

We decided to go back to the lake and let the kids play there. This time we drove and the kids had fun playing football and frisbee. Then they had fun throwing rocks into the lake and wading in the water.

We were able to rent a canoe and go on a fun canoe ride on the lake.
We were out on the lake for quite a while. The kids had a lot of fun. But as you can see the late night, exciting morning, and relaxing ride on the water overcame Jacob. He spent the last little part of the canoe ride stretched out in the bottom of the canoe catching a nap.
Hannah loves to climb up on everything these days. Trees are one of her favorite things. Just when I go to discourage her from some of the places she climbs on, I remember when I was a kid and loving to climb up in every high place that I could get too. I loved climbing up into high places. I guess she has the same love. One day when she goes too high she'll also experience the feeling of "how do I get down now?"
Jacob likes to be right behind Hannah doing everything she does. He is tall and strong, so he helps Hannah when she needs a boost or a push on her bike. It is really sweet to watch him help her move things or carry things for her. Hannah still has a year and a half of coordination experience on him though. So I'm a little more nervous when he is trying climb the things she is climbing.
We had a great 2 days and 2 nights camping. The kids wanted to stay longer and longer, but we had to get back to the real world. We are already looking forward to the next time we go camping.