We had so much fun camping at Pohick Bay with the Haley's. There was a lot planned for that Friday for us so we didn't arrive until just after 7pm but we were happy to be there.
It had started pouring rain in Arlington at about 5:45pm so were worried we would be washed out of our campsite, not able to start a fire and therefore not have a way to cook our s'mores and hot dogs.
Thankfully the storm just grazed the campsite with a little sprinkling of rain! We came prepared with rain boots and jackets but thankfully changed quickly out of them when we arrived. We were so lucky!
The Haley's are professional campers- knowing exactly what to do! They had started the fire and had the hot dogs by the time we arrived. Our campsites were one apart from each other but thankfully no one ever showed up for the middle spot. The kids had double the room to run around, find frogs and bugs, and play imaginary games. It was so fun to see them enjoying everything about the campsite.
Those headlamps were such a great purchase. The kids loved wearing them and exploring with them. I also found mini flashlights for the girls which helped them discover various bugs.
Carson was such a great baby! I don't think he cried once. It's not easy keeping a baby clean while camping but Lynne and Chris mastered it.
I love this shot of our family. Full on hot dogs (we just won't tell the girls that both Tyson and I accidentally dropped their hot dogs on the ground- whoops!) and S'mores!!!!!!
We brought kit kats, reese's peanut butter cups and almond joys for our "chocolate" and Lynne brought those jumbo marshmallows as big as my hand. Lynne is the expert marshmallow toaster! I had mine oozing out the sides so I wrapped it around a kit kat bar. So so good. But the classic Hershey's chocolate is always a good idea.
And did you know the calories you eat while camping don't count ;)
The next morning we had a simple breakfast of cereal and granola bars and headed for a small hike around the area. We made it to Pohick Bay and the girls couldn't help themselves and got all wet! I think it was a perfect refresher for them. Thankfully we had several changes of clothes for them so I didn't mind it at all (because we didn't bring their swim suits)
Now we want to go back and rent paddle boards or kayaks. This bay was so beautiful.
Our pop- up dome tent is a total winner. Tyson had taken it camping about a month ago and said it was a great purchase. It took a lot of research to find just the right one- and I'm super happy with it.
I think when the girls get a bit older, we will buy a 3 man tent for them to use. I think we will all sleep better in separate tents but still close enough to each other.
Speaking of sleeping- we didn't have much of it while camping. Taryn was scared to sleep without us so while Haddie went to sleep a few hours before, Taryn was wide awake with us by the fire. I don't blame her- I was a bit scared too. Throughout the night we seemed to be shifting endlessly, only half sleeping. It was a warm night which didn't help and then seeing the shadow of a raccoon (who apparently loved roaming around our site all night long) kept me on edge. That and worrying whether or not everyone was warm. The girls started to melt down quickly around lunch time the next day but thankfully crashed as soon as we got them fed and in the car.
Our Saturday didn't end there. We had a birthday party to attend, one in which I made a 2 year old mini cake for (I'll post that one later- It's my favorite smash cake thus far!) and Tyson had a work emergency. He woke up at 6am while camping to an email that required his immediate attention. But we were camping. I got upset knowing that Tyson wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the last leg of our camping trip because of work. It bugs me that his work sometimes carries into the weekend but I do have to say that he does a fantastic job at balancing family time and work time. He only works while our family is in "rest mode" from our Saturday activities and never works on Sunday.
So while we were off to a birthday party, Tyson was off to D.C. because his work computer was malfunctioning at home (frustrating!!!!)
We came home from the birthday celebration and Tyson came home from work and we needed to do yard work. Well, that lasted for about 10 minutes before the girls lost it completely so it was straight to bed. Tyson finished mowing the lawn and we decided that was going to have to do because the rain started pouring down.
On Sunday, we crashed! After church we made the girls all nap. Tyson had a meeting but I'm pretty sure he got to rest for about 30 minutes too. He's not a napper but I sure am!
All in all- it was a crazy busy weekend but camping was a welcomed respite. We would totally do it again and just be prepared that no one will sleep very well so the next day needs to be uneventful to provide lots of rest time :)
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