Camping over Memorial Day

Terry and I had been talking about wanting to go camping recently when we realized we had to go...now or (a) it would be too hot (b) I would be too pregnant or (c) we would have a newborn.  We threw the idea out to my brother and sister and they were all on board.  Hopefully this can be an annual tradition now - we had a blast!

We camped at Jordan Lake in Durham so the kids got to swim in the lake Sunday night and again Monday morning. Emerson is a fish and loves the water so I hope we can keep her around the water more this summer. It makes it extra fun when you have a dad like Terry who can endlessly and tirelessly twirl you around in the water.

One of the highlights of the trip for Emerson came in the lake when she was swimming with Terry and told him she needed to go to the bathroom. He told her she could pee in the water - because let's be honest, that is actually completely disgusting...but we all do it.  She couldn't believe she was allowed to do this and you could tell as she finally started to go because she started smiling then giggling and then ended up in the deepest belly laugh. She says it was one of her favorite parts of the trip 'when (she) pee-peed on the fish,' and later told me, "I hope that fish took a shower!"
It was so fun to watch Em and Caleb run around the campsite together, eating packet meals, roasting s'mores and shining their little flashlights around the woods. Neither one of them batted an eyelash at the darkness, sleeping in a tent, or being outside. 

Caleb and I were the first ones up out of our tents Monday morning and I took him to 'water the plants' as he said. Here was another highlight of the trip for the kids - yes, again about peeing. As Caleb started to pee a cricket hopped out from under him and he almost fell over laughing that he had peed on a cricket.  He and Em laughed about it all morning and Emerson is still talking about it!  Here are the bedheads counting out their morning breakfast loot -

Here's to next year's trip with a new family member for us, and though we had an airbed in our tent, we might try to make it even fancier next year - think along these lines.  But I am still sticking with packet meals for dinner - how can meat and potatoes taste so good when you camp anyway??