Fourth of July Weekend

This past weekend, we took our first camping trip to Lake Isabella as a family and it was so much fun!! I am not going to say that it was relaxing because you do have to work extra when you take a toddler, but it was so much fun! Julianna had a blast and that is all that matters. I was so paranoid of forgetting anything that I might need – given that we were going to be far from home – so Carl and I made sure to make a list so nothing was forgotten. Some things are tough to do with a toddler but that shouldn’t stop you. As a family, a little bit of more prepping goes a long way. Here are some pointers from our camping trip and some fun pictures.

Don’t expect it to be pretty – it will be messy so go with that in mind. The kids will get dirty and you will get dirty. We all spent a lot of time in the water and when you mix that with dirt…. it is not always the prettiest.
Let the kids explore. There was nothing better than seeing Julianna get dirty, play with water, soak in the sun, and run around. Yeah, she probably ate a bit of dirt, but trust me, just embrace it.
Don’t take a lot of clothes. Since we only stayed two days and one night, we didn’t have to take a lot. I took about 3 different outfits per person.
Try to research to see if the water is sandy or rocky and if it is rocky, do take water shoes! I made sure to buy water shoes for all of us. If you don’t want to spend tons, I bought mine and my husbands at Five Below. (The only bad thing is that they don’t carry toddler sizes.)
Take tons of sunscreen and extra wipes. Not putting on sunscreen is a big no-no and you will feel the burn on your skin for days after. We used wipes the whole weekend, not only for diaper changes but also for personal use.
Take warmer clothes at night. Even if it’s 100 degrees during the day, temperatures in the outdoors can drop very quickly. Make sure you take warm clothing for the evening and night.
Take toys! My aunt brought beach toys for the kids and they played with them a lot! Make sure you take something to entertain them.