Ava's First Camping Experience

So Ava and I went camping the weekend before last! Ava's first camping experience! Wahoo! It was so awesome! Saturday morning I helped out with a garage sale. Ava and I finished up around 11am and Ava took a nap so we didn't get to pack the car until 1:00. At 1:30 I started heading to the camp site. We went to David Lake in California near Loyal ton California and Frenchman Lake. I got to the campground and began looking for the campsite...I drove around for an entire hour (that means about 10 laps through the campsite) looking for the campsite. Lo and behold I was at the wrong campsite! I had to go another mile down the road and I drove through each campground and finally found the campsite where everyone was at. I was super lucky.

Ava and I went with the Marko's and the other Wozniak's. I was so fortunate to be camping with such awesome people. Everyone helped out so much! They helped me watch Ava so I could bring stuff from the car, they helped set up my tent and blow up my air mattress. I couldn't have had a better camping experience!
So after all my stuff was set up (my air mattress, Ava's pac'n'play, the food out, bottles made. I got to visit with everyone. Then Phil came on his dirt bike. He walked down to the lake with us, watched everyone swim then we went back to camp and prepared dinner.

Phil stayed for a hot dog and left. We had kabobs! Wonderful yummy deliciousness! Meat, and veggies and BBQ pineapple. We quickly learned that Ava is allergic to pineapple. She broke out in hives all over her face.
Ava went to sleep pretty quickly.
I stayed up and visited. Around 9 or 9:30 we all went to sleep. I felt bad leaving Ava so exposed so I brought her to my air mattress with me. I had two sleeping bags zipped together. I stuck her inside with me so that I could attempt to keep her a little warmer. I woke up two or three times. She had been having nightmares before we went camping and she must have had another one on the camping trip. She screamed bloody murder in the middle of the night. But soon after I said "shhhh" and rubbed her head she seemed to quiet down. A had another nightmare but didn't scream quite as loud and then she attempted to roll off the bed. So I didn't sleep too well but I did sleep.

In the morning, Ava woke up next to me and since we didn't put the rain cover on we could see the trees right above us, Ava pointed up and said "ooooo". We had a cute little conversation. She seemed to really like camping.

We got up, and went out. Beck was already awake. So we got up and gathered pine cones and pine needles to start the fire. When everyone woke up Uncle Steve made breakfast, which was super awesome French Toast! It was so good! Everyone (except me and Ava) went kayaking.

I took pictures and walked Ava along the water and in the sand. She enjoyed it for the most part. Then we packed up the tents and the camp site and went on our merry way.


It was one of the best camping experiences of my life! I had so much fun! I had great people to camp with and I had so much help with Ava it helped so much. I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for the awesome people that I have in my life!