The Great Outdoors

Lake Jennings Campground

Last weekend, we took advantage of Chris's four day holiday from work (thank you Mexico!) and went camping at Lake Jennings in Lakeside, CA. The park was only 35 miles from our home in Tijuana, but it felt like a whole other world.

Yes, Chris is wearing a union suit.

Being the planner that I am, I made the reservation a whole week before the trip using this criteria:

Are there toilets? This was mainly for my benefit as the boys prefer to go outdoors.

Does it have showers? Again, this one was for me. Next time, I will be more specific and stipulate that they also have hot water.

Marshmallow mania

Will it keep the kids busy/out of my hair? The campground had an amazing playground, and we snagged a campsite right next to it. The boys could wander over to play whenever they felt inclined.  There were also trails to explore and boulders to climb.

Can you have a campfire? Half the fun of camping is playing with fire, so I was shocked that some of the campgrounds I researched forbid them. Lake Jennings Campground sold firewood by the bundle, but did require that fires be out by 10 p.m. Unfortunately that didn't leave much time for fireside chats without the kiddos, but since they were up with the sun every morning, it was probably for the best.

Before the "incident"

Are there trees? The last thing I want on a camping trip is a slab of concrete surrounded by ginormous RVs. Our campsite was surrounded by trees, which meant we could only eavesdrop on our neighbors and not spy on them too.

Is it within 10 miles of an emergency room? You just never know. Chris burnt his finger, Andrew busted his lip, Jacob and I skint our elbows and Benjy fell on his face three times. Luckily, none of these injuries required the services of an emergency room.

Battle scars

We spent two nights in the great outdoors, which is about all of nature (or sleeping on an air mattress) that Chris and I can stand.  There's nothing like sleeping outside, chasing a crawling baby through the dirt, breathing in campfire smoke, or cleaning up puke to make you feel old.  I need a vacation.

Family photo

Just kidding.