Camping Trips!

So far we've only been camping twice this year. We've planned a couple more times but had to cancel due to sickness, crappy weather and the fact that Marc has to work every third week ends and be on call the whole following week.

We definitely love camping! The boys love the tent! If it wasn't for all the fun outdoor things we do, the boys would be hiding in the tent all day long.
Setting up camp usually takes us half an hour since we have a gazebo to set as well as the tent. We've had our tent for almost 10 years and it still looks fairly new. We always make sure it is completely dry before we ever pack it. We are pretty uptight when it comes to things like that HA HA.
Packing the van is quite easy too. We have 4 camping totes that are each labelled for different things which keeps everything quite organized and easy to find when needed. A tote for gears, one for wood and kindling, one for food, and one for clothing. And of course the cooler for keeping the food cold. Yup, we are pretty organized folks HA HA.
We even keep a digital copy of a check list of everything we need to pack for camping. When times come to go, we print it out and off we go going through the list and the totes making sure all is there. We find that sometimes we wish we brought this or that on our trips so when we come home we add it to the list and tadda we have an updated list of things we need. Crazy? I know, but we like it that way. It keeps us always checking the contents of our totes without ever assuming that everything is already in. It is a pain to realize you forgot to pack things once you get to your campsite. Trust me, been there so many times. So, we like doing things that way.

Castle River Bridge is Marc's favorite place to go to. I love the drive there!

Our first camping trip was interrupted by crazy rain which got us packing to go home Saturday afternoon instead of  Sunday morning like we originally planned.
We packed our van Thursday night, left Friday evening after Marc was off work, stopped in fort Macleod, and continue on to Beaver Mines. Once everything was set, we went to the river to throw rocks and play with the boys then headed back to camp for a late snack, and treat. We stayed up late, and had fun telling the boys about a few childhood stories, and they had some really impressive stories to tell us about bears attacks and ghost. We all had our glow sticks, and glow necklaces on because camping without these is just not fun :). The next day, we got up fairly early, papa made breakfast then we went playing at the river, and collecting things for our scavenger hunt. We went to get some more ice in Beaver Mines, played at the cute playground there, had lunch at the falls then off to the beach we went. We built sand castles, played in the water, and ate wild raspberries. After hours and hours being outside, we headed back to the campsite, got some supper cooked, and went for some more fun at the river. We never stay at our campsite too long. We are always gone somewhere. Our little trip to the river was cut short by the rain, so we went to our tent, waited for the rain to stop, packed everything back in the van, took the tent and gazebo down and dried them in our apartment once we got back.

Our second trip was all about discovering some of Alberta's history as mentioned here.

Once all our sight seeing/discovery, and lunch eaten, we headed to Beaver Mines beach for some water fun and more sand castle building. This time, Marc and I brought our chairs to watch the boys play, and play, and play some more. Yann went in the water to play for a bit while Marc kept building away, and making trenches on the beach to allow the water to get in. He called it his island. After a couple hours spent there, it was time to go back and have some delicious supper. We relaxed around the fire telling stories again, and decided to go for a walk by the river and while we were walking, the boys finished they scavenging hunt. We had a late night treat, brush our teeth, and read scriptures, and when we saw the kids were getting tired, we sent them in the tent, put a movie on, and they usually just fall asleep right away. Yes, you read that right. We put a movie on! We brought their little portable dvd with us which they only use when it is dark out and only before bed time.
Marc fell asleep on his chair by the fire so I sent him off with the boys while I stayed out, put away all the totes, and waited for the fire to dye down before calling it a night. I love tenting! It gets cold at night so I always pack a bunch of comforters along with all of our sleeping bags which makes it so cozy, and we have folding mattress that are very comfortable so we all sleep quite nicely. I cannot wait for the time the boys can sleep in the second tent we bought when my brother was here.
Sunday morning, we got up early again, ate breakfast, and packed everything up to go home. We stopped at Beauvais Lake just for kicks and bumped into the Fyfes who invited us for lunch, and tried the fish they had. It was really tasty especially with lemon pepper. The boys were happy to see their buddy Sean. After a quick lunch, and a visit, we came back home, unpacked, clean what needed cleaning, emptied the clothing and food totes, and put everything away for the next trip.

We had fun camping and hope to be able to squeeze some more of it before the cold arrives. My favorite part about camping is being away, and doing things with my family. I love being with my three men. I love being close to the water as well.  It reminds me of home, and all the time we spent at my grandma's place, on the beach. I love being among the trees! And being away from cities, and towns. I love the fresher air you breath and the beauty, and grandeur of God's creations.