![\"2015-05-09](\"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/2015-05-09-09.44.58.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSaturday morning we packed up and drove down to Lake Keowee in South Carolina. We promised Koda she’d love it; poor pup hates the car.<\/em><\/p>\n Mema and Grandpa are in the process of moving that way and between the temperature (80 during the day and about 67 at night) and the location, conditions were ideal. The entire day was packed full of fun. Kaitlyn took her first dip in a swimming pool (LOVED it) and her first ride on a boat.<\/p>\n We debated about Kaitlyn, but decided she’d be best inside in a pack and play instead of in the tent for this first go at it. She still was able to soak up plenty of the outdoor fun, as did Koda.<\/p>\n Hailey didn’t budge when David, Koda and I all piled in the tent later that night. It was at 6:15, with the morning sun, when Hailey stirred and crawled right in between David and me for some snuggles, still excited from our ‘epic’ adventure of sleeping outside.<\/p>\n We headed home in the afternoon and ended the day with a sweet message<\/p>\n<\/a>Lake Keowee is unique because it’s in the foothills, making it a gorgeous place to cruise around and see the mountains. However, with kids 3 and under, we just made sure we had plenty of snacks and other boats to wave to, then crossed our fingers and waited to see how long they’d last.<\/p>\n<\/a>In the afternoon we took to setting up the tent and Hailey was giddy with excitement, wanting to help with every step along the way.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>The girls stuck their toes in the lake, went for nature walks and took some time to swing.<\/p>\n<\/a>We weren’t sure how we’d handle bed time and had intentions of letting Hailey hang out with the adults until later, but she was so excited about being in the tent that we set her up with books, a flashlight and a sleeping bag around 8:00 pm and she crawled right in. We kept checking on her throughout the evening and she stayed happy as a clam in the tent, eventually falling asleep around 9:30ish.<\/p>\n<\/a>With this set up, the adults got to enjoy a nice meal and conversation.<\/p>\n<\/a>I know what you’re thinking— you call this camping?! But yes, we slept in a tent, so yes, camping (winky face).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a>Kaitlyn was up not long after that and breakfast commenced, followed by another boat ride.<\/p>\n<\/a>Thanks to the help and hospitality of Mema and Grandma, it was a wonderful inaugural camping trip! Seeing how much Hailey loved the tent convinced me that we will soon be able to go into the wilderness for real, or at least to an approved camping spot in a state park. Perhaps this fall?<\/p>\n