It was hot...in the high 80's-low 90's the whole time we were there. Good thing we had the lake! ;) I'm pretty sure we lived in it the whole time we were there, only getting out to eat, sleep, and take the concessional walk, bike ride, or fishing trip. We all had such a blast taking turns in the kayak's my friend brought, as well as all the inner-tubes and the "explorer 300."
We didn't have the best camp spot, it was full sun all day and it was a dust bowl for sure. It was the only large group one available when I booked, so we had to make it work. Besides being close to the water, it seriously was the worst spot in the whole campground, haha. I'll just remember for next time NOT to get that one. Oh well.....the kids had fun getting dirty and there was no shortage of jokes referring to "walking through the Sahara dessert" or "crossing through the dust bowl." lol
Day 1...
Sam and my dad headed up with Molly and Tim and got to our spot at 2 to set up. Anthony and I stayed behind and waited for his 3 friends, whom we invited to go along with us, to get back home from summer camp. Just as they were getting out of their car, they were loading up in mine and we headed out! By the time we reached the camp spot, it was 7pm. We ate a delicious dinner of walking tacos (sour cream, salsa, cheese, and taco meat inside a small crushed up bag of doritos), skipped rocks in the lake, then hit the hay.
Day 2....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANTHONY! For breakfast we had breakfast burritos we had pre-made at home and then wrapped in tin foil, and fruit.
When Anthony and his friend woke up, we ate and then it was fishing time! The boys couldn't wait to go fishing. Sam got his fishing license for that weekend, so the kids were able to all go fishing since they were under 14 years old. Timothy didn't have much interest in it. He hung out for a few minutes and helped his Papa hold the fishing rod, and then he was off going on walks with Grandpa and picking me wildflowers. As for the other boys, I think they liked the idea of fishing more than the actual act of fishing, haha! Or maybe it's just that it's hard for kids to be patient. ;) Molly seemed to understand....sit and wait. Eventually, there was a bite on Anthony's line and the birthday boy caught a fish! That was definitely exciting for him....and it would be the only fish caught that weekend. Though it wouldn't be the only thing caught....one of our rods slipped and found it's way to the bottom of Timothy Lake. How Sam managed to fish that thing out of the water is beyond me! Skill.
After the boys had their fill of fishing, it was time to take our first dip into the lake. The water felt wonderful! We decided to take a break from the lake and have lunch when more of our friends showed up! The Johnson's and The Cook's. They got all set up, we ate, Anthony opened up his birthday presents and then it was back down to the lake for the remainder of the day. Anthony and his friends took turns in the inner tubes and raft while Timothy was a rock stacking fool! Seriously.....all he did was stack rocks, haha, his pile was huge!
For dinner that night we had hot dogs and grilled sandwiches. And, of course, birthday smores. ;)
Day 3.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOLLY! Molly's birthday breakfast consisted of sausage, eggs, yogurt, and fresh fruit. We decided to do her birthday presents right away that morning before heading down to the dock for a bit more fishing. And then....you guessed it....to the lake!
While we were busy playing, our friends the Fahlenkamp's arrived. Molly was soooo excited, her friend Joss was finally here!! And they brought kayaks! I must say, that was the highlight of the lake. We couldn't get enough of paddling around in the kayaks. All the adults took turns and even the kids got brave enough to get in! I'm thinking we'll have to get a few of those ourselves!
It was so fun watching all the kids have fun in the lake, though it was a lot of work! 8 kids to keep your eyes on.....we were continuously taking head counts to make sure we hadn't lost a kiddo, haha! My children in particular made me sooo proud! Anthony, who likes water but has some fear, worked up the courage to get in the kayak all by himself and paddle around! Molly, with the help of her life vest, swam all around with the biggest shit eating grin on her face! And Timothy, every once in a while, would take a break from throwing and stacking his rocks to go out a little ways with me in the inner tube! Good fun.
Having only taken a break from the water long enough to eat some grilled sandwiches for lunch, by the time 5 rolled around, we were pretty much water logged. We headed back to camp and made hot dogs and english muffin pizzas for dinner. Anthony and Molly opened up a few more gifts our friends brought, we sang happy birthday to Molly, we all enjoyed some more delicious birthday smores, and the remainder of the night was spent going for walks, bike rides, and being silly playing around our camp.
Day 4......
More walks, more bike rides, more water play! The kids cold have lived in the water, and Sam could have lived on that bike! So fun pulling the little ones around! Sausage, eggs, poptarts, cereal, and fruit for breakfast. Thank goodness the Fahlenkamps brought hot chocolate....I added it to my gross instant coffee and it made all the difference! ;) Mac and cheese with hot dogs for lunch, marinated chicken and the Fahlenkamp's delicious burritos for dinner. And of course....smores, smores, smores!
Day 5.....
Our last day camping. Pretty mellow....I pattied out some sausage while Grandpa made up some eggs. The kids decided that last morning was a good morning to sleep in. That was awesome. By the time they all got up, the adults had eaten most of the eggs and sausage! That's alright... they were more than happy to eat fruit and cereal. After we all spent a good chunk of time cleaning and packing everything up, we all went down to the lake for one last dunk before leaving.
THANK YOU to everyone who made it to Anthony and Molly's birthday camping trip. We love you all and greatly appreciate you all taking time off from work to make it out!
What a wonderful time we had!! Despite the heat, despite the dust bowl of a camp spot, I can say it was the most fun I've had camping in a long, long time! I hope Anthony, Molly, and all their friends enjoyed it too!
With love,
Mama Hauck
So wonderful to see and read all about the "Birthday camping trip" I think Grandpa Chris and I are not going to be able to compete with our camping!! What fun you all had. Loved all the pics Becca everyone looks wonderful!! 5 days!! And it looks like your dad enjoyed every bit of it!! I've looked for similar camps here but your Timothy lake can't be beat...must be in the name....
ReplyDeleteLove you all