Timothy Lake 2014

When we were invited by our good friends to go on a camping trip with them, we jumped at the opportunity to go! Sammy and I love to camp, but we hadn't been camping in 6 years....since Anthony was 12 months old. Life just gets busy. So not only was this camping trip our first in 6 years, it was our first with all 3 kids. It could either go really well, or it could go really bad!

Luckily, the trip was amazing. :)

We met up with our camping buddies Kurt and Tracie, and their daughter Nikki and son in law Guy, at Mt Hood Brewing Company in Government Camp, OR for lunch. Mmmmm, lunch was delicious!

We got to our camp spot in the Pine Point Campgrounds by Timothy Lake in the Mt Hood National Forest in Oregon at about 3:00pm. Camp set us was fun and the kids had a great time helping. At first our plan was to have Anthony and Molly set up their sleeping area in the car while Timothy slept in the tent with us, but Kurt and Tracie brought an extra tent so Anthony and Molly had their very own tent to sleep in! You should have seen their happy, excited faces! Just priceless.

After camp set up, we all raced down to the lake! The water wasn't all that cold and everyone had fun getting a little wet and cooling off. I think the lake was the kids' favorite part of our camping trip. It was hard to pull them out of it. They found a sand shovel and a little fish net and they were good to go for hours! 

Our camp area was so awesome! Tracie sure did pick a good spot, the best out of the whole camp ground. Tons of space and not right next to another spot so it felt private and we weren't bothered by anyone, just the occasional person walking by on the trail that ran along the lake. Our camp spot was so large, we were all able to put our tents far off to one end so they weren't all cramped up next to the picnic tables and fire pit area. It was nice to spread out and have space. 

Camp eating is of course a favorite of mine! There is nothing better than sitting around the picnic table or camp fire eating camp food. For dinner that night we had hot dogs and chips. Having a few smores at the end of the night is just the perfect end to an awesome day. The kids really enjoyed the smore making process and the adults really enjoyed the quiet relax time. 

As it got dark, we broke out the glow sticks and the kids ran around playing. Naturally, there was talk of Bigfoot, haha, so we had to whip out the Bigfoot book and field guide and discuss the chances of an encounter. ;) 

When it was bed time, the kids happily went to their tent....but who wants to sleep when you are having so much fun camping in your own tent?! I'm pretty sure the rest of us fell asleep before Anthony and Molly did. 

Day two! My morning started out with a quick, very early morning, cold dip in the lake with Sam to wash off and waken up while everyone else was still asleep. That was spontaneous, and totally out of my character....but boy was it fun! Standing in the sun afterwards to warm up while watching the sunlight glisten on the lake was a beautiful sight. 

Once the kiddos were up and dressed, sausage and eggs were on the breakfast menu, along with fresh fruit, coffee, and orange juice. After eating breakfast, we took the kids on a hike. There were a couple short docks and a boat launch further down in the day use area of the campgrounds, so we strolled on over there to check it all out. 

After returning from our walk, it was of course time to hop in the lake again! The kids enjoyed splashing around, the guys made a "bar" out of a tree trunk and large rocks and enjoyed a few drinks, and the girls enjoyed a little sunbathing and relaxation.  Afterwards it was lunch and nap time. We had sandwiches, fruit, and broccoli with ranch dip then layed Timothy down for a nap and everyone enjoyed some quiet time.  

For dinner that night Sammy and I kept it simple and had hot dogs again while the kids had grilled cheese sandwiches on Kurt's hobo pie maker. YUM! While waiting to eat, the kids played go-fish with Nikkie and Guy, it was so sweet.

After our dinner, we took the kids on a long walk. We walked a distance around part of Timothy Lake to check out another campground, stopping multiple times along the way to skip rocks or take a few photos. It was the most wonderful walk with my family and my heart felt so full and happy!

When we returned from our long walk, it was smore time again! Oh my, I think I ate three smores and Timothy ate double that in marshmallows, haha. I loved seeing the kids having so much fun.

Day three! Again I woke up early to take a cold dip in the lake while everyone else slept. It was so quiet and peaceful. Just the most lovely moment. When I got back, Anthony was awake so he got up and together we made breakfast while everyone else slowly stirred and got out of bed. Sausage and eggs with a few ham and cheese sandwiches on the hobo pie maker, along with some fresh fruit, orange juice, and coffee and our breakfast was set. Well....almost set. I couldn't resist having just one more smore.....you know, since we had a morning fire going and all! 

After eating we all decided it was a good time to pack up and get that over and done with so then we could just enjoy our last few hours before hitting the road. The packing up was definitely not as fun as setting up camp! The kids were getting sad as we packed up the tents and all our other gear. Wow, is it a lot of work to pack everything back up! The kids were good helpers though. Anthony helped wash our camp dishes while Molly helped carry things to the car. 

After packing up, Nikkie and Guy had to get back on the road. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out how to set my new camera to timer before they left! So I wasn't able to get a group photo that included them, but I was able to get one with Kurt and Tracie. :) 

We all decided we would head out for a morning walk before meeting back up at our spot for one more dip in the lake. We took the kids back to the docks and boat ramp, this time with Timothy not in the hiking back pack so he could enjoy taking a stroll himself! 

I was surprised with how hot it had already gotten that morning, so our walk was a short one as the kids were more excited about one more splash around in the lake than anything else. I'd say we spent about an hour in the lake before calling it good and getting all dried, changed, and packing up what was left to pack. 

The kids were sad as we drove away, but with the promise of another camping trip in the future, they all settled themselves into a nice post camping nap in the car. 

Oh my gosh, we just had so much fun! The kids were very well behaved and I am just so thankful our friends extended the camping invite to us and we were able to take this trip! It truly was an amazing time and we can't wait to go again. After not making the time for 6 long years, taking this camping trip with the kids was awesome and we hope to do much more camping with them in the future. I hope they will remember this trip for years to come and add our future camping trips into their happy childhood memories. It made my heart so happy to spend this time with the family and our friends and see everyone's smiling faces. So, so fun! 

With love,
Mama Hauck