Summer Weekend Warriors 7/27: Camping Fun

Friday afternoon/evening was my company's summer picnic, at Minnehaha Falls Park. The temperatures were cool, and as I shivered in my short sleeves, I was thinking, "I really want to go camping!"

Truthfully, I had been thinking about camping the entire week, because my dad's side of the family was having their annual camping weekend in Lake View, IA. I really wanted to go, but the 4-hour drive in the context of some other trips coming up was not too enticing, and I did have the picnic on Friday. But these cool temperatures made sleeping in the tent sound so good! So instead, I made a last-minute reservation at the KOA campground near Jordan, MN, just a short drive from our house. Lucy was going on her first camping trip! 

It was just a Mommy/Daughter trip, as our tent is really only big enough for two, and we didn't want to pay to board Buddy, so Husband stayed home. I chose the KOA because it was pretty low-maintenance; a few things to keep the kid busy, not too expensive, and an enclosed pool so we could still swim even though it was cooler out. 

So we made the trip, and it was a great time! We went swimming shortly after we got set up, and then roasted some hot dogs over a campfire. I had a little trouble getting the fire started. Lucy "helped" by finding paper in my car, and I say "helped" because we narrowly missed burning my car registration! We ran out of paper and the sticks were in short supply, and the wood was just not taking off. I must have been generating a lot of smoke because one of the neighbors came over and offered me his lighter fluid. Worked like a charm!

She was less than thrilled at having to sit still. Note the absence of flames.

I could barely get Lucy to sit still long enough to eat a hot dog, because the playground was about 30 yards from our campsite, across a big lawn. It was actually kind of convenient, because it kept her entertained, and I could still sit by the fire and keep an eye on her. She tried her first s'more, and was not all that impressed until she found the chocolate...and we discovered she'd probably just prefer to eat that plain!

The first bite, before she deconstructed it.

The playground called...

I really would have loved for her to sit on my lap and snuggle by the fire, but it was not to be. She played with her new friends at the playground until the sun went down, and even a bit of flashlight play after the day was done. In between meeting new kids she was greeting people who walked by and asking anyone with a dog if she could pet it. When she finally settled down, she was ready to go to bed. The firewood was gone, so I was ready, too. From 10:00 PM until about 9AM she slept like a rock! I slept well, but woke up often to make sure she was covered up, because it was gloriously cool - barely 50 degrees overnight!

We finally got to wear the "Laabs University" sweatshirt
passed down from our Laabs cousins!

Sunday we got up and there was more play while I packed up. Before heading home, we made a stop at Minnesota's Largest Candy store. I just love that place...full of nostalgia.

Now Lucy has camping under her belt, and my hair still smells like campfire. It was a really great way to spend part of our weekend!

We crossed something off the SUMMER! list: camping