For Spring Break we rented a trailer in Florida and enjoyed a week of camping! We really enjoyed our time together. As a kid I would go camping every weekend in the summer at Bear Lake Utah, but camping is a lot different as an adult (aka work). I was a bit nervous about the experience, but it was so amazing!
This weekend I was able to practice living the moment, being present, and time didn't matter- we could eat when we wanted, go to sleep and wake up whenever. We enjoyed the little moments together of hearing the birds in the morning chirp, the giggle from the kids, and even our dirty clothes and faces. There were so many sweet moments that I will treasure. The kids got a long so well, used their imaginations, the conversations while we were hiking were fun....
Derek and I have been studying and trying to practice mindfulness for the pass several months and I felt like I was 90% mindful. That was a huge win for me.
Here is the trailer we rented. It had a bunkhouse for the kids and a small living space. It was perfect for what we needed this week.
Our first full day there, it was this hunk's birthday! We are truly blessed to have him in our lives. Thank you for everyone telling me what you love and admire about Derek. Derek was truly touched by everyone's kind words. As I was making the signs with the kids, I was full of gratitude for who Derek is and how lucky I am to have him as my best friend and create a wonderful life together.
We love you Derek!
Madison FL is an 11 1/2 hour drive so we stopped in Pensacola to stay the night. We went stopped for lunch/dinner at a seafood restaurant along the shore. We loved watching the boats and being by the ocean. The restaurant had a great outdoor area with bean bag toss, volleyball, and sand! After our meal we spend about an hour just playing out there.
So beautiful
Our rental had a park right across the street.
Game night: Penguine breaks the ice.
Fun backyard
WE FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!
(Derek took this picture)
They loved the boucehouse and tramp.
It was so funny to watch Emmett just speed along in full speed. This was his happy place.
Ashlyn and Brinley loved playing checkers
Rock painting
Having fun is exhausting!
Brinley and Claire are having fun at our neighbors place making new friends.
We went for a walk around the campground and there was a guy making artwork with his saw to the tree truck. It was amazing!
One event that was fun is they had a parade of homes with the RVs.
It was fun to see how everyone set up their living quarters and see inside different kinds of RVs.
Family See-Saw
They had fun activities during the week for the kids. They were split into ages. The kids really enjoyed being with other kids and having fun activities.
A highlight for the kids was playing miniature golf.
Movie Time and Dinner prep- oh how much I love the Instapot!
Frisbee
One of the evenings they had a Mom's night. It was fun to talk with other women and hear the places that they been to. Derek and I love experiences as a family and we dream to travel and explore one day!
(It is weird taking selfies in a campground because your neighbors are right there...ha ha)
We went hiking at a State Park and we forgot to bring cash with us. We were lucky enough to have money in coins in our car, but we had a hard time having it fit the pay station. ha ha.
We love hiking as a family!
We returned to this hike a couple of times because we love being in nature and exploring together.
This was my favorite spot of the whole trip. It had a beautiful view of the river, this amazing swing, and the sounds of nature. It was so awesome!
Brinley created a new way to drink. She made a hole at the bottom of the bottle.
There were a few nights where they had potlucks and sadly on Derek's birthday we had a potluck that was just salads and Derek saved all his calories for dinner because we thought we were going to have a delicious meal. A few nights later, we out to eat at a Mexican restaurant to celebrate! We love our birthday man!
I could tell that this sweet girl of mine needed a little one on one time. We went on a walk around the campground and it was beautiful! I love talking to Ashlyn. She is so easy to talk with and entertaining. I am so impressed with her maturity.
Bunco Time
There were so many nice people at the campground that would give us a tour of their RV. This is one of our neighbors that is the one that we want. It is a Momentum Grand Design toyhauler. In the back it has 2 queen size beds for the kids, with their own bathroom. It was very roomy and like a home. We can't wait to explore more floor plans so we can further our journey of finding the right one for our family. Winner Winner!!!
I love these moments when the girls are laughing and playing together. I had to capture the moment!
We love our hikes!
I will be honest that there were many moments along the hike where I thought of alligators...ugh.
The littles did an BEAR HUNT activity. They made vests, maps, and read the book Going on a Bear Hunt.
Ashlyn and Brinley did an activity where they did a STEM activity and build their own campgrounds.
One of the tree stumps the art/saw guy did. Isn't it so cool!
I went to a yoga class.
More hiking
They had a kid's marketplace where the kids at the campground could sell something. It was fun to see the creativity with all the kids. I gave each girl $1... so many choices.
Our last day there, it was warm enough to open the waterpark. They had a fun waterslide, lazy river, and sand. I was very nervous about the water because it came from the pond and looked gross, but to a kid- water is water! We had a lot of fun!
She cut her leg on the waterslide.
We saw the movie ONWARD!
This camping trip is down in the books for one of my favorite vacations. I think it is in our future to have many more camping trips and we are all beyond excited!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment