Doing the Dunes

The rain finally stopped this morning at daybreak, and we knew we needed to take advantage of whatever good weather we had since the forecast isn't great for the rest of the weekend.

So after breakfast at a Michigan City diner, we packed up the campsite and headed for the Indiana Dunes.

I wasn't familiar with this, but Liz has been to the Dunes, when she was younger. We pitched a picnic site and had a sand-seasoned lunch.

The water was too rough for swimming. We waded along the surf instead. The boys liked fleeing from the waves.

Then the lifeguards told us we couldn't even wade at the edge because of the riptide threat.

Good thing we got our fun in early.

And then there was the Devil's Slide. The boys loved walking up the sand hill and running down. Even Jonah, with a little help.

In this photo, if you zoom in, you can see the Chicago skyline on the far horizon.

We're on our way to Sandusky, Ohio, driving in the rain again. The boys, who are asleep in the back seat, said after leaving the Dunes that it's definitely someplace we should go back to. Maybe next time we'll snag a campsite right at the state park.

We're wet, but we made it

Good night, from Michigan City Campground.

On the road again

It's raining and we spent about an hour going 5 mph around Chicago. But no matter. Vacation!

We plan to camp the next three nights on the way to Grandma Barb's house.

Night One: Michigan City. 

The campground was all I could find, would have preferred camping at Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan, but that was booked. Only one goal tonight: to test out our new tent, which I'm proud to say we bought at a very deep discount because it's a discontinued Coleman model. So when you look at our site and say, "How can they stand being seen camping in last year's model?" just know that we bring no pretension on Paulsen Family Trips®.

Jonah B is 2!

Henry is 4!!!!

Labor Day Weekend

We have been trying to go camping all summer, but something - the weather or bad behavior from the boys - has kept us from it. And at the start of this long weekend, we weren't sure we'd get it in. Dave had reserved a camp site at Lenwood Lake near West Bend. It's a campground on a small lake that offers a large playground and beach for the kids.

We were planning on going up there Friday when I got off of work, but Jonah was running a fever. And then Sam got sick. And then Henry got sick. Saturday was the worse, with fevers around 103. Thankfully, Sunday arrived. The sickness left as quickly as it arrived.

After church we loaded up the van and headed north. It was just a 45-minute drive - close enough to easily come home if needed.

The weather was good - hot and sunny. We went swimming and canoeing. We ate s'mores around the campfire and managed to get some sleep. I was in one tent with Jonah and Dave was with Sam and Henry in another. Jonah is a bed hog, and I made Dave switch tents with me half way through the night. (Dave, Sam and Henry had an air mattress, too. Jonah and I did not.) 

I was able to take Sam and Henry out for a short canoe ride this morning before the rain came, and it appears that Jonah isn't feeling 100 percent, so we came home.

But I'd say this first camping trip as a family of five was a success! (We had taken Sam and Henry camping in Connecticut the summer of 2012. I was pregnant with Jonah at the time, so technically, I guess we have camped before as a family of five....)

Enjoy the photos: Labor Day Weekend 2014