Molly thought it would be fun to take her niece and nephew (Lola and Max) camping, as a birthday present. They're both great kids and we were looking forward to hiking and fishing and s'mores! Molly booked a site a Pocahontas State Park (near Richmond). We hit the road on Friday afternoon and planned to have the kids delivered to us, on site, later that evening. We had tent-camped there a few years ago, so we already had a sticker. But that's OK, there's still enough room on the cooler for duplicates!
Kids are tough. It isn't like camping with April (who came with us, by the way). It isn't really appropriate to put kids on a leash and tie them to the picnic table in order to go to the bathroom for five minutes. We had them for less than 48 hours.... I can't imagine how parents do it 24/7.
In all seriousness, though, we had a wonderful time (and I think Lola and Max did, too!).
Molly and I arrived at the park around 4pm on Friday afternoon. We were unpacked and set up by 4:30 (we're actually getting pretty good at that part!). Weather was clear but cold. Molly started prepping for dinner (hot dogs, veggie packs, and mac'n'cheese) and I got the fire going.
Lola arrived first. It was the first time she had seen Roxy and I think she was impressed. She also had fun with April. Laura and Josh brought their camper too (and Spencer), for one night... just in case Lola freaked out at bedtime. Luckily, the meltdown was avoided, and she had no trouble falling asleep. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
Max (and Dana) were running a little late, so we had dinner without them. It wasn't Molly's most extravagant camping dinner, but it was kid friendly. We ate in Roxy (it was too cold, and the wind was blowing smoke everywhere) and there was *just* enough room for everyone. Spencer had fun with April's bowl and ketchup packets — don't ask.
It was pretty dark when Max arrived — just in time for s'mores. Neither Lola nor Max were impressed with my Marshmallow Toasting technique (I belong to the "burn it" school of thought), but they definitely enjoyed the chocolate! By 9pm we were ready for bed.
Roxy has two queen beds — one for Molly and me, and the other for April. The sofa folds out to a third bed (for Max) and the kitchen table drops to another bed (for Lola). We cranked up the heat and went to bed.
We awoke early — before 7am — but not nearly early enough to see Laura and Josh leave. (Personally, I think they were excited to have the day to themselves and couldn't wait to start it as soon as possible!) Molly made bacon and eggs, but the kids preferred cold cereal. April preferred eating the Fruit Loops as the dropped to the floor.
The first activity of the day was a hike through the park. Normally, when Molly and I hike, we try to keep a good pace and turn it into exercise. We usually only stop when April wants to sniff something. Lola and Max, on the other hand, are very inquisitive. They pointed out every fallen tree, upturned stump, odd-shaped rock, and colorful leaf. It took us 35 minutes to travel 15 yards (but we did seem some really gross mushrooms and walk on two dead logs!).
We got back to the camp site in time for lunch — chicken in armor. I was ready for a nap, but Molly had promised to take the kids fishing. We drove to the lake where there were two nice fishing piers. The fish weren't biting, but nobody seemed to mind. April wasn't keen on walking on to the pier, so I stayed on shore with her. Molly showed Lola how to cast like a pro, and Max impressed everyone with his bread-baiting skills. There were no lost poles and only one *minor* hook-in-skin incident. I'll count it as a successful outing.
We told stories in bed and were asleep before 10pm. It was another uneventful night, as both kids sleep soundly.
Morning came, and it was time to start packing up. Truth be told, Molly and I were looking forward to heading home. We love Max and Lola, but having kids is tough work! We're used to mostly sitting and drinking when we camp. 
Everyone was fed and packed when their parental units arrived. Everyone *said* they had a great time, so we'll just go with that!
A quick trip to the dump station (I don't think the kids fully understood that Roxy has a limited holding-tank capacity) and it was off to I-95 for the drive home.