Our camping trip to Bastrop

Desperate to have something to look forward to after Carlton's return, we started planning a camping trip earlier this fall. We'd never gone camping just the four of us but thought it sounded like the perfect way to spend a few December days and it couldn't have gone any better. Carlton's parents were generous enough to lend us their camper, which the girls love, and were already very familiar with since they've gone camping with their Grandma and Grandpa and cousins on several occassions.

We spent three nights at Bastrop State Park, home of the famous "Lost Pines." Temperatures were very mild the first couple of nights and then a strong cold front blew in and allowed us to bundle up and be very grateful for heat at the flip of a switch. (Those poor tent campers down the way from us!)

We kept commenting about how nice it was to be relaxed and enjoying family time the weekend before Christmas, a time that is typically busy and stressful. We know that Carlton's unusual schedule allowed us to do this and while we'll probably never get to go camping again right before Christmas, we'll certainly never forget the wonderful memories we made! Here are a few of the highlights:

- Sarah gaining confidence riding her bike
- staring up at the stars and tall pine trees
- smores, hot chocolate, hot dogs, breakfast tacos (everything tastes better when you're camping!)
- the centerpiece Sarah created for our picnic table
- playing indoor putt-putt golf ... Sarah loved it and after some bribery Julia came around to liking the black-light panther that originally scared her to death
- Julia securing food for the deer she just knew we were going to see on one of our hikes (a handful of leaves and a stick)
- Julia and Sarah reluctantly hanging out together while we packed up the camper, but ending up having the best laughing fit I've ever heard them have!