Fall Break going on here, Tyler out of school - need to find fun ways to keep him occupied. Perfect time to hit a pumpkin patch with his BFF Jordan. Best part is that we stayed there for a while and only spent a few bucks on tickets for a carnival game where they won these big inflated dinosaurs and tractor rides.
Fall Fun day with Tyler. Love to get there super early before it gets crowded. We got FastPasses for Radiator Racers first thing, only to find out an 1hr and a half later (when it was our time to go) that the ride was down. Darnit.
After CA Adventure we headed over to Disneyland to ride Tyler's favorite: Matterhorn! Space Mountain was next and it was Halloween themed Ghost Galaxy. Completely freaked me out it was so scary with the ghost images popping out everywhere. Had to keep my eyes closed almost all the time. Didn't blame Tyler for hiding completely in my lap.
Indiana Jones too!
No Disneyland trip is complete for Tyler without chowing down on a massive Turkey leg, his favorite.
Missed Kumon that afternoon since Tyler was knocked out asleep (bonus for him). He needed the energy for his soccer practice later that afternoon at 6pm.
Wednesday was movie day! Watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 with his BFF Jordan.
Hit the park later that afternoon with the soon-to-be-camping crew to discuss last minute details for the trip. Who knew so much planning was needed for just a short camping weekend?
Video of KK on the climber at the park:
Then dinner over at my inlaws.
Thursday the kids got a quick playdate in at Jordan's house - they're so excited about camping that they were pretending to be camping with their flashlights!
Friday morning. Ready for camping! Crazy morning as I prepared dinner for that night - blanched the carrots and green beans, and cut up onions, potatoes and sausages to be cooked in tin foil that night. Wait, what's this? Crazy wind advisory in effect that day. It was CRAZY windy here in Irvine. Got multiple calls from our camping crew discussing whether we should go or not. I was gung-ho about going, and then slowly started getting worn down by the others. We decided to just go and see how it was that day. We packed most of our stuff but it didn't seem like we were going to be really spending the night, so I forgot the most important thing: Alcohol!
The campsite - Caspers Wilderness Park, was just about 30 minutes south from us. An incorrect Google Maps location detoured us but we got to the campsite first. It was PERFECT with no wind at all! Amazing! I had done my research and booked two adjoining campsites that the ranger said would be ideal for a group our size. The two sites were super close to each other and almost felt like one big campsite! Set up tent quick and got everything situated. The kids started getting dirty FAST.
Friday night crew.
Kid dinner is served! Because of the wind advisory, no campfires were allowed. We were stuck cooking everything on our portable cookers. Good thing we brought two of them.
Getting dark, time to put on those head lamps.
Video of the kids' camping cheer:
Took most of the kids to a nearby park to play, get some of their energy out. They loved it.
Look how close the campsites are. The leftmost tent is the potty tent. There was another tent to the left of it for the Weis. The one behind the tree is ours. And then the next one is the Namgoong's on the next site! On the other side was another potty tent and then the Tran's tent. All super close.
Walking back from the park, it got dark. No worries since we all had our headlights.
What's camping without smores? We ghetto'd it and cooked them over the portable burner. Still tasted yummy, but not really the same.
Then the kids headed to a play tent while the rest of us chilled and hung out. Good thing others brought wine, but I was kicking myself that I didn't have my sweet tea.
Enjoying our drinks after a crazy day!
Katelyn was quite a handful that day with her mood swings. She complained of being tired so we put her down to bed first in the tent. Sounded like it would be easy but she kept poking her head out. That night I was so HOT in the tent for whatever reason. And BOY it was windy!! We made it through!
Day 2 Good morning! It's nice waking up with the kids.
After breakfast we lost half our crew. Gil/Will/Jeren took Nevan/Tyler/Jordan back to Irvine for their soccer game. Bonnie had left super early that morning to get back to her little baby back at home. That left Susy/I with Noemi/Katelyn/Kendall. The Trans were all there as well but they were starting to pack up since they decided to not spend the second night there. Susy and I took the girls to the park again. Fun! With Katelyn outbursts and meltdowns here and there (argh).
Meanwhile, back in Irvine, the boys were playing a good soccer game. I'm most jealous that they got In'n'out afterward AND a shower. I was really starting to need a shower. At least they were able to come back with much needed items that we had forgotten (i.e. alcohol!).
Susy and I fed the girls at the risk of getting stung by crazy wasps. It was really crazy how aggressive those wasps were.
Later that afternoon, the Pak's joined us! Worked out perfectly. I had booked the site across from us for them for just Saturday night (they had plans Friday) and with the Trans leaving I cancelled the extra booking and they took the extra spot. BOY the Paks are expert campers!
I have no idea what possessed me to go on a hike with Bonnie and the kids. It was hot. And steep. The boys liked it though. And Kendall and Noemi too! Katelyn was back at the campsite taking a much needed nap. It didn't really help her mood though.
Round two! With Sweet tea!
Saturday night was fun night! We busted out the glow in the dark sand that I had bought last year on clearance and had been hoarding just for an occasion like this. The kids LOVED it.
After they got tired with the sand, Uncle Harry busted out some glow sticks attached to long rubber bands. Mini raving.
That night the rangers had a star gazing event and a night insect show. The kids were excited to see the insects. Harry chatted with the ranger and they were nice enough to make a campfire at the nature center so the kids could enjoy some freshly made smores. How nice of them huh!
Another special treat - the ranger took the kids in for a very special behind the scenes tour of the nature center! It was late at night and already closed, and the kids were so excited. They even got to touch a couple of snakes! Ranger Mike also gave the kids some goodies at the end of the night. What a special treat!
Back at the camp the kids hung out for a while longer - way past bedtime. We sent Katelyn to bed early too, she was driving me up the wall with her drama!
Saturday night was FREEZING. Quite a difference from the night before. Sunday morning was busy with packing up everything. I hadn't showered since Friday and amazingly my hair had developed a helmet of its own through grime and water from when I rinsed off Katelyn the day before. Gosh I was so dirty.
Headed home by noon, everyone showered, and then everyone SLEPT. I didn't even unpack the filthy car we were so exhausted. After naps we all headed over to my in laws for a delicious beef noodle soup dinner. Thank goodness we didn't have to scavenge dinner that night!
Whew, camping was exhausting. It'll probably be a good year until I'm ready for it again. The actual camping wasn't all that bad, but Katelyn's mood swings completely drove me nuts. Hopefully she'll be more mature the next time we try it!
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