Camping - the easy way

Last weekend we went "Camping". No we did not sleep in tents in the woods or even stray too far from civilization, but it was great fun. We went with other families with children from China to a local YMCA camp. Paige kept referring to our accommodations as the "hotel". It was actually a dormitory style building with shared bathrooms and a big common room. We took our meals in the large mess hall a short walk away. We arrived Friday night, got our beds made, and went exploring a little. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of a calm lake and a very colorful hot air balloon just over the trees. After a few crafts, get to know you games, and a review of camp rules we turned in for the night. At 5:30 am the next morning a little voice asks "Mom is it time to get up yet?". Some one was very excited about camp. When I finally answered that it was time to get up (6:45am), we got showered and dressed and headed for breakfast. After a wonderful meal we headed for the Zip line. I'll be honest and say both Scott and I were a bit disappointed. It was a great setup, but it was over too quick. We did get to go twice however.

Next we returned to main camp to do tie dye shirts. Paige did one for her and a onsie for Mei Mei. I did the rubber bands and Paige did the dipping. You can see our results below. After removing our gloves we had a quick lunch before participating in a kiddie carnival with water balloon toss, face painting, obstacle course, and pony rides. Paige did not want to ride the pony, but did all the other games.

After playing around we were ready to go change into our swimsuits and head for he beach. After a quick dip we took a canoe out on the lake. This was Paige's first Canoe trip and she loved it! She did a good job sitting still int he bottom of the boat while Scott and I paddled. Hopefully I can take her out again soon. Our boat ride was cut short as rain moved in. We were supposed to have a campfire after dinner, but it got rained out. Instead they built a fire in the fire place and we sang songs and roasted marshmallows that way. We danced off the S'mores doing various group line dances. Paige had a great time even though she missed most of the steps.

After our experience maybe next summer we'll try to rent a cabin for a few nights and go a bit more rustic with our camping. I don't think you'll ever get us to tent camp so we'll just have to enjoy our nature by day and a comfy bed by night.

Amy

Our room

Lake view with hot air balloon
Tie dye
Scott on the zip line
Amy on the zip line