This past weekend we went to Garner State Park for our annual camping trip at our favorite Texas state park. One of these years, I am going to get lucky enough to get a cabin at Garner, but this year was not the year!
We have bene going to Garner for years. If you ask my kids, this is the only place they beg to go back to year after year. Quite honestly, Paul and I feel the same way. 🙂
As I am writing this post up, I don’t have anything crazy to post like previous trips, where we had rabid squirrels, or I traveled by myself, or Paul lost all our money or I had just had a sick baby or I almost froze to death or we got rained on and had to leave early.
Pretty much for the Ivanovsky’s it was an uneventful trip. Except that it was just COMPLETELY AWESOME!
To get a camp site at Garner you have to make your reservation 11 months ahead of time. And I do. I sit there at midnight waiting to get our spots! I am a little crazy about this place like that.
Then all the family decides they are going to come as well and we make it a mini family reunion.
Pretty much we eat all day when we are at the campsite. This lunch we were having Tacos in a bag (recipe HERE) and chase away the kids from the treats so we can make them last.
We let Paul make chorizo and eggs for breakfast tacos in the morning.
We get the kids ready for the day with sunscreen and gear. We steer clear of 3 years olds with blankies and Chihuahua’s who just woke up, it is not a pretty sight!
If you are a Mom and don’t like camping…. I kinda feel like it is one of those things that you just do for the kids. I know that we do that all day every day anyway, but my kids don’t talk about Six Flags, Disneyland or Splash Town. They talk about all the camping trips we have been on and want to go back.
They want to play in the dirt, and sleep in a tent, and play with bugs. I hate to be sweaty and sleep in a tent, but I LOVE to camp overall.
After breakfast we try to get an early start. It usually doesn’t happen and that is the beauty of camping we really are not on a schedule.
The little one above crashed everyday in a camp chair for a nap.
We get some breakfast, add some ice to the coolers, pack a little food and some water and head out for the day to hang out on the Frio river.
That is my husband. ^^^ It is usually every summer that I decide we don’t have enough life insurance. 🙂 It just happens to coincide with my husband jumping out of trees and off rocks on the river… See below as well 🙂
Later in the day when we come back from the river the kids hang out and do what kids do.
I just want to point out my rock star sister in law, Mother to 5 children, in the first photo jumping off a tree! Doesn’t get cooler then that! My son in the middle flying off a rope swing and my niece making it look pretty as she hits the water!
Then we always stop for a while to let the little kids have a turn!
The best part comes at night, after we have showered and had some dinner, we get dressed up for the dance.
Garner was built in 1941 by the CCC and they have a BEAUTIFUL stone dancing area where from 8:30 – 11pm there is a old time dane with jukebox and all the campers hang out.
THE KIDS LOVE IT!!
My kids get all dressed up and have so much fun asking other kids to dance and dancing with Paul and I.
My 5 year old asked this little girl to dance. He though her bow was “pretty.” It was the first girl he asked that was not a family member, she cried and ended up not dancing with him but he did dance with her big sisters!
It was so good to “unplug” and spend some uninterrupted time with my family. Camping may not be glamorous, and can really be hard on the parents and esp. the Mom at our house, but it is SOOO worth it!