San Mateo camping

 We decided to take a little family camping trip to San Mateo Campground in San Clemente.  Since it was so close, we packed up both cars (ridiculous, I know).  Quick stop for ice and then we were off.

B helped set up the tent

All set-up

Coleman's first camping trip.

We had fun playing in the tent, digging in the dirt, riding bikes and skateboards, drawing with chalk, and eating lots of yummy snacks.

Playtime in the tent

Dinnertime!

Smores...best part about camping!

Despite Coleman's great sleeping abilities, he was NOT excited about sleeping in his pack-n-play in the tent.  He did, however feel fine about sleeping in the back of our car.  I "took one for the team" and slept sitting in the passenger seat all night.  Although, I didn't have to deal with two crazy kids way too early in the morning, so I think I chose wisely in my sleeping location. :)

Good morning, Sunshine!

Despite the pictures below, our camping trip didn't go exactly as we had hoped.
Lots of whining, lots of dirt, and lots of poop. Not a great combination. 

"Happy kid" #1

"Happy kid" #2

"Happy kid" #3

That afternoon, while we had successfully managed to get our children settled down for "naps" & we were reading books, we made the decision to head home early.  We figured our trip was kind of like reading Moby Dick.  Not finishing it kind of seems like failure, but really, you aren't enjoying much of any of it.  So why waste your time?  Just quit.  Its not worth it just to say you finished.

So, we stayed through an early dinner, campfire, and s'mores. We tore down camp, got the kids in jammies in their car seats, and tried to head home.  Only to realize that in our haste, I packed the keys somewhere in the car.  After a long search, they were found.  But...the battery was dead.  Really?!?  Luckily we drove 2 cars and always keep jumper cables in the truck.  Ugh!  What a trip.  Needless to say, it felt wonderful to be home.

Still smiling though!