Our story, as it picks up now: Happy Campers!

Russell and I haven't been camping since Catherine was born. It's something we used to enjoy a couple of times a year, but just figured it would be more work than it's worth to attempt it with babies. Well, as Caroline regularly informs me, we no longer have a baby in the house, so we figured it was time to introduce the girls to the great outdoors! With a great forecast of highs in the mid 70's and lows in the upper 40's and no chance of rain, we thought it was prime time to give it a shot!

They were really excited about the prospect of sleeping outside for the night. In honor of the occasion, each girl got a super girly new camp chair, a hot pink sleeping bag, and a princess flashlight. That alone is enough to up the enthusiasm to an uncontrollable level. They just love being outside, eating picnics, taking hikes, so I thought that the day-time part of camping would be a huge success. I wasn't wrong! We arrived at our campsite right before lunchtime Saturday. Daddy pitched the tent and we played with bubbles, balls, and those camp chairs while he worked hard. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and then set out to do some exploring. We were at Desoto State Park and thankfully there were plenty of pretty short hiking trails that lead to waterfalls. Russell and I have to adjust our expectations for what we call "hiking." Usually after lunch, both girls go down for naps or quiet rest time. So to take off hiking when they are used to resting was probably setting ourselves up for failure. When I consider that, it really didn't go too badly. Caroline rode in a baby carrier on my back and even nodded off a little while we walked. Catherine really wanted to ride on Daddy's shoulders and he obliged for a lot of the hike. We brought some trail mix that was, undoubtedly, the girls' favorite part of the hiking experience. I'm not sure when impressive natural formation will trump a good snack, but I don't think we are there yet. For Caroline, eating trail mix means picking out the M&M's, in case you were wondering.

After hiking, we headed back to our campsite to get the inside of our tent ready for bedtime (mattresses, pack n play, blankets, pillows, etc.) and to begin cooking dinner. Daddy built a fantastic campfire (What a Boy Scout!). We had hot dogs cooked on the fire, macaroni and cheese I had brought and reheated on the camp stove, and fruit salad. Catherine helped Daddy with the hot dogs; I think she was excited by the novelty of not just eating outside, but cooking outside too! After dinner, we sat by the campfire and enjoyed s'mores and roasted marshmallows. The girls played some more in the woods and then it was time to get ready for bed.

Every activity of daily life takes much longer with toddlers. Trying to accomplish daily activities outdoors in a less convenient environment means that they take . . . well, all day. Getting ready for bed took a solid hour. The hike to the bath house, the teeth brushing, face washing, potty going . . . followed by just the task of locating and changing into pajamas in our tent . . . gracious, it was like herding cats. They were so excited about the tent, they were bouncing off the walls (and off the air mattresses!). Yes, we brought air mattresses. We would have done most anything to improve our chances of getting a good night's sleep. Call us wusses if you must, but we were gonna be comfortable wusses.

Anyway, after glowsticks and flashlights and mattress bouncing, eventually, I wrangled them into listening to a few bedtime stories and some quiet music. Daddy and I loaded their respective bedtime songs onto our phones, trying to keep the experience as familiar as possible. With a minimal amount of fussing, each girl settled into her respective sleeping quarters and was sawing logs. We have this snazzy new 8 person tent and it included canvas partitions that separated the larger tent into three "rooms." I think this visual separation helped the girls because they couldn't see each other. Daddy and Mommy enjoyed playing cards and talking next to the campfire for a couple of hours before retiring for the night. It was so peaceful and quiet. It made the flurry of the work of making it all happen seem so far away.

The girls woke up with the sun the next morning, which we expected, of course. I was able to persuade them to stay quiet in their beds (and then in our bed) for a few minutes, but before long, they were up and ready to go! We enjoyed some muffins, fruit, and much-needed coffee for breakfast (yeah, the kids may have slept great, but Mama sure didn't!). We took a walk and helped Daddy start to load up. By 10:30, we had our campsite just about disassembled and packed back into the car. A quick stop at the playground to let off some energy, and we were headed home.

So there you go. All that for about 24 hours of camping. It was worth it though and we can't wait to do it again!