If you have been reading along for a while you know that last year we bought an 1982 Volkswagen Westfalia.  In our efforts to stay in our small space with our growing family we realized we needed to get away often.  We knew plane trips are only possible 1-2 times per year so we went on the hunt for a way to travel more often and easily.  Buying a Westfalia as old as me, was most certainly a risk but one that we are really happy with how it's turned out for us. There is a small amount of guilt with keeping a toddler in a small condo without a backyard.  But when we make the time to go camping and let Theo run wild for a few days, we also get to slow down, get some fresh air, then the guilt is gone.

I am still an amateur camper but every time we go, we learn more of what we should or shouldn't bring. This time we forgot our stove (oops, luckily we were camping with friends who shared theirs) but remembered Theo's run bike, bubbles and bucket with shovels which all kept him entertained for hours at the beach. For this 2 night trip, we left the pack n play at home and Theo and I slept on the bottom bed and Trevor slept on the top bunk.  This worked out fine except trying to put him to bed at a normal bedtime was a bust.  Better to run him out and keep him up late so he would fall asleep quickly.

I have had big plans to fix up the interior of the Westfalia but life (full-time job, a toddler and being pregnant) has put these plans near the bottom of the list.  I did manage to add a few pillows and my wonderful Dad made us this Poplar console to hold our coffees, sunglasses and hide cords.

See some of our previous Westfalia adventures here , here and when we rented one here. I've also started saving these under the Category #FerdinandTheVan. Hope to have more adventures to share as a family of four soon!