Lakeside Knitter: Camping

Charlotte took her first camping trip with us Thursday - Sunday in Silver Lake, MI. Not only did we go camping, but we stayed in a tent. We learned quickly the first night that Charlotte was far too excited about the tent to go to sleep on her own. After 1 1/2 hours of attempting "night night," we resorted to driving her in the car. That worked like a charm, night after night. However, expecting her to sleep through the night was impossible. She was either rolling off her mattress, thrashing on ours, or calling out for Elmo. Despite that, my favorite part of the day was waking up to her shining face in mine shouting "Hi Momma!" Then she would tickle Daddy's toes until he woke up too.
This was such a short trip that we had to pack it with activities. We played at the campground pool, Lake Michigan beach, putt putt golfing, children's museum in Ludington, shopping in Pentwater and more. I loved the children's museum in Ludington and fully intend to plan our next trip in that town as it is so much more family friendly than Silver Lake. I also fell in love with their local children's boutique, the Purple Monkey.
Despite the fact that this trip was hard work with little time for relaxation, I am very happy that we pushed ourselves to go. Camping played a role in most of my valuable childhood memories and I want the same memories with my children. Not to mention that Michigan is so beautiful, it's a shame to not explore this entire Adventureland!