Mirror Lake State Park

Our first camping trip of 2012 as a family!  I have to admit that leading up to the trip I was trying to think of ways to get out of it...the weather looked rainy and really hot, Joshua had been a cranky mess that week, among a few other things we had going on.  But I sucked it up (because that's what I tell the boys to do) and had a fabulous time!

We had the campsite reserved from Friday-Monday.  Since the weather was rainy anyways we decided to head up early Saturday morning.  We loaded the boys up and headed out on our way for an adventure at a park we had never been to.  Mirror Lake is within minutes from the Dells which was really nice.  We really like the park alot.  Our site was nice, bathrooms were great, trails were nice, and the beach was good for the stage our kids are at. 

When we got there the boys entertained themselves while we got the camper set up.  Of course they love to help.

I have to say I was amazed that Joshua just stayed on our site.  I thought for sure we would be chasing him around and trying to keep him out of the road.   I guess he just knew the boundries!

After lunch I put Joshua down for a nap and Matt took the boys into town to go miniture golfing.  I was told that Caleb got a hole in one on his first shot!  This kid is a natural athlete like his dad.

Of course Joshie didn't nap real long.  So we took a walk and explored the trails a bit.  The trail right by our site had beautiful views of the lake. 

When the boys got back it was time to heat up our zippacks on the fire.  Half way through cooking them it started to rain.  We hid under the awning for a bit. 

Then it was time to go in and color at the table (did I mention how I love our motel on wheels?)

 Dinner was yummy thanks to chef daddy.  The rain slowed down so we decided to take a walk and let the boys ride their bikes a bit.  We were at the top of the park so there was hardly any traffic. 

 When we got back Caleb couldn't wait to have marshmellows.  The funny thing is that our boys don't like them roasted.  So Matt and I enjoy smores and the kids munch on the marshmellows right out of the bag. 

 Everyone slept well and Joshua woke us up at 7:00.  We decided to get a hike in before it got too hot. We set out with a "we'll see how this goes" attitude.  The boys did great and we hiked for 3 miles!

 After our hike we got on our suits, packed a picnic lunch, and headed to the beach for the afternoon.  This was the most challenging part of our camping adventure.  Casey likes to go deep, Joshua needs someone by his side at all times, and Caleb wants to either play in the sand or be held in the water.  Hmm, I don't think I will be doing the beach solo with the kids this summer. 

 Monday morning came and it was time to head home. Matt took Casey and Caleb fishing while Joshua and I went for a long walk and started to clean up the site.  They caught a couple of small mouth bass and had a lot of fun.

We had to stop of Buffalo Phil's for lunch. A train delivers your food and drinks!

We wanted the boys to burn a little energy before our 2 hour ride home so we made a visit to Knuckleheads indoor amusement park for some fun.  Casey enjoyed the train roller coaster.  He was above the 48 inch mark so he was able to ride solo.

Caleb enjoyed jumping on a giant jumping pillow.

 Joshua enjoyed playing inside of the bus. 

 Our DVD player broke so there wasn't much entertainment for the car ride home.  Casey read to Caleb and Joshie enjoyed listening as well.

This was the first of many camping trips we have planned for the year.  It was a success and we are looking forward to the next one over Father's Day weekend with the Reed family!