Summer Kickoff

I really wanted to do something fun for Caleb's last day of school and as a kickoff to summer. I think that family traditions make times more memorable, fun and anticipated. So, Jake and I decided about a month ago that it was long overdue (nearly eight years of marriage in fact) that we went camping as a family. And when better to go than right after Caleb's last day of school? It could be a Jerdon family tradition to have a little camp out right after school gets out. (we'll see if we can keep it going since this is the first time)

To start the kickoff, I thought it would be cool to welcome Caleb back from his last day of school with a bang, so we got a couple cans of silly string and ambushed him at the front door. At first, he didn't know what was going on - I don't think he'd ever seen silly string before - but then he caught on and wanted a turn spraying everybody. It was a blast. We also got some little kid cones and the boys had ice cream cones on the spot as a "welcome to summer" treat. Then, it was off to pack for our camp out the following day.

We chose a campground that was adjoined to a beach, Beachside State Park, which was about a two hour drive. The boys are always talking about how much they enjoy the beach, and we don't go nearly enough, so this seemed like a prime opportunity. Plus, since we were going on a Thursday night, it wasn't busy or anything. I hate crowds.

Check in wasn't until 4pm, so once we arrived, we picked up some firewood, set up camp and then made a beeline for the beach so that the boys could enjoy dipping their toes in and digging in the sand before dinner. The water was absolutely frigid. As Jake put it, "it gives you a brain freeze from your toes on up!" But, it didn't seem to even phase the boys and they squealed and ran in the water until they were both pretty much soaked. Then it was off to cook our campfire dinners. Jake busted out his ol' boy scouting skills and built us a fire lickety-split. I had forgotten how much I love the smell of a campfire. It took me back to the fun of YW Girls' Camp all those summers as a youth and camping out with my family growing up. It's the best smell. The boys enjoyed their hot dogs, while Jake and I did ourselves up right with some classic foil dinners. I have to say, they turned out dang good. Good thinkin', Jake! Then, it was s'more time! The best time, right? As Homer Simpson would put it, "S'mores. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh...(gurgling noise)".

Later on, the boys watched Scooby-Doo cartoons in the tent while Jake and I enjoyed the sunset. Then the next day was busied with a traditional pancake breakfast on the ol' campin' stove and a fun walk on the beach. We found tons of crab shells, legs and claws. Apparently at high tide the previous night, the seagulls were doing themselves up right. We also found some interesting little crustaceans that were about the size of ping pong balls that burrow in the sand. They were all over the beach stuck on their backs, so we went around flipping them over and watching them scurry into the sand.

Honestly, it ended up being one of the most enjoyable times I think that we've ever had as a family. Being the boys' first offical campout, we kept it to one night as a feeler to see how they'd like it and they LOVED it! The entire time they kept saying how much they loved it and wanted to stay "for ten more weeks". The tent and sleeping bags were such a novelty, too, that they played inside for most of the evening. It wasn't until the morning that they got out and started playing Star Wars with the large branches lying around. Apparently, they make wonderful bounty hunter blasters.