Family Camping Trip

This past weekend was our first family camping trip. And it was definitely quite the adventure! We went to Tyler State Park with my parents and my sister's family. The weather was perfect and we had a fantastic time.



 

We arrived late Friday evening because of car issues, so Ryan and my dad had to put up the tent in the dark.

 

 Ty and his cousin Tayshaun hanging out

 

 All five grandchildren!

 

 My mom made breakfast in the morning. You can bet that my boy was first in line :)

 

 We learned a lot about our babies this weekend. Like that Leah loves searching for and holding roly-polys!

 

 Oh, this boy loves his momma! And I'm pretty fond of him too!

 

Poppy and Ty

 

 On Saturday we went for a swim in the lake and then rented a paddle boat. Ryan got a great workout paddling us around!

 

 

 We found a spot on the bank and let the kids get out and swim. Unlike her mother, Leah loved swimming around in the lake!

 

I am so in love with this man! God blessed me with the perfect partner for this crazy life!

 

  On Saturday evening, my brother came out to join in on the fun. The kids loved playing with Uncle Brian!

 

Leah loved her first s'more

 

Ty was pretty happy about them too :)

 

 Saturday night we were all sitting around talking and laughing by the fire when Leah climbed up in my lap. She started itching her face, but we didn't think anything of it because she has dry skin around her mouth that gets itchy from time to time. But then she started itching her arms, legs, ears, face, etc... We shined a flashlight on her and saw hives ALL over her body. We took her into my parents shelter to get a better look and that's when we got a little nervous. The hives were getting worse and her face was starting to swell quickly. We decided it was one of those "better safe than sorry" moments, so we made the drive to the nearest hospital. By the time we got to the ER parking lot, some of her swelling had started to go down. Ryan did a thorough check (perks of being married to a paramedic) and decided we would be okay not going in to the ER. We turned around and went back to camp. Leah slept well and woke up with no hives, but a still a little swelling on her face. We finally found a spot on her ankle/leg Sunday night where we think she got bitten. Everything is fine now, but the poor girl had a rough time that night.

This was taken in the car on the way to the hospital. Her eyes, lips, and cheeks were swollen :( These pictures barely give it justice.

 

 

Sunday morning we took the kids out for their first fishing trip. They stayed interested for about 15 minutes, and then they were done. They were more excited about throwing hot dogs into the lake!

 

 Everyone but us left on Sunday afternoon. Ryan and I decided to stay one more night just the four of us. So, we packed up the car and moved to the other side of the park. Leah found a comfy spot to rest while Daddy took down the tent.

 

 Our new site was right on the lake! It was so beautiful and peaceful.

 

 

We took a long walk around the entire lake and along the way we stopped at the playground. The kids had a great time!

 

 We had a wonderful evening walking, playing, eating hot dogs, and roasting marshmallows. Then we all got ready for bed and zipped the tent up for the night. Ryan and I had looked at the radar on our phones and knew there was a very good chance of rain headed our way. We decided to tough it out and we all went to sleep. Well, around midnight we woke up to water puddling inside the tent, Ryan's cot and sleeping bag soaked, and the kid's bed getting wet too. It had rained so much, and was still raining, and our tent just couldn't take it. It was leaking on all sides! We made the decision to retreat to the closest hotel. So we each grabbed a kid and made a run for it in the pouring rain! We found a La Quinta nearby and stayed there for the night. We went back to the campsite in the morning and packed up the tent, in the rain, and headed home.

 

Ty wasn't the least bit sad that we had to stay in a hotel

 

Leah and Ryan enjoying sleeping in a dry bed :)

 

We had such a great time and definitely made some memories we won't soon forget. Camping is such a great way to get away from the craziness of the city and be reminded of God's creation and beauty. We look forward to many more camping trips in our family's future!