Going CAMPING!

So even though I was big & pregnant this Summer, I REALLY wanted to go camping with the kids at least once...  It just seemed like they were all old enough to sleep through the night well & we didn't have a newborn baby or an infant that would be crawling around in the dirt, so I'd hoped that my pregnant body would cooperate enough to allow me to survive sleeping through the night in a tent.  And although it was LOTS of fun, it was a LONG & TERRIBLE night with not much sleep for me.  But I don't know that sleeping in a tent has ever really been my talent in life!  :)

We made sure to get to the campground around 2:00, so the kids would have plenty of time to play & go exploring while we got the tent all set up.  Laron was able to find the PERFECT little spot that was right next to the river, complete with rocks, sticks, shells & every other exciting camping feature to a child!  I actually was AMAZED at how many little tiny shells the kids kept finding everywhere... Pretty cool!

 After we got camp all set up, Laron determined it was time to go on a little hike.  So we set off on some random trail near camp, with the kids leading the way!  They all had to keep finding & trading new walking sticks amongst themselves that they would find along the way, which kept things exciting I suppose. :)

And then we were off that night to meet my family at the "Martin Harris Pageant" in Clarkston (near Logan).  It was a really great pageant & gave us the perfect opportunity to be able to talk to our kids about some of these stories in our Church History.  It ended up being a pretty late night for us all, but we were glad we had a campground nearby, with a tent already set-up & ready to go!

The next morning we had a yummy breakfast, complete with fresh fruit & bacon & eggs.  There's something about going camping that always requires good food, isn't there?!  Well, this trip was NO exception!

We ended up roasting marshmallows that morning, since we had gotten back home too late to do it the night before.  But I'm pretty sure the kids would have been happy to roast marshmallows at ANY time of the day, so it really wasn't a big deal!  I DO have to say though that they were EXCELLENT stick gatherers for the fire, especially when they realized that this would help them be able to roast marshmallows sooner!

After a fun morning playing around by the river, we decided it was time for another walk.  Laron brought along a few snacks & we headed off this time in the opposite direction, so see what ELSE we could find on our exploration.

This time our trail didn't seem quite as shady & perfect as the one we'd found the day before, but Laron was determined to keep going, so we did.  FINALLY, just as we were ready to head back, the trail met up with another more frequently-used trail & became the shady & beautiful outing we were all hoping for.  But by this time, I was worried we had already gone too far away from camp to keep going forward, but Laron insisted that the kids would be fine.

After we happened to reach what's known as "Second Dam" in Logan Canyon, we knew we had hiked pretty far... But what worried me more was checking what TIME it was & realizing that we were supposed to be checked-out of our campsite in less than an hour!  (And it probably would have taken us an hour just walking back with all the kids!)  So Laron decided that HE would just hurry & walk back & pack up camp, while I hung out at "Second Dam" with the kiddos.  It proved to be a slightly LONG hour of waiting around with the kids for Daddy to arrive (especially since we didn't have cell-phone service to check on Dad & see how much longer it would be until he came to pick us up).  By the time Laron made it back, the kids were all STARVING for lunch, so we found a little picnic table & ate a yummy lunch before heading home.  All-in-all though, it was a fun little camping trip that I think the kids will remember for a LONG time!  :)

On our way home, we stopped by Jesse & Natalie's to see their new house.  SO happy for them!  But we stayed there WAY longer than we had time for, because I had a get-together that night with my friends from High School for our 10-year-Reunion!  I was kind-of hoping to have at least been able to take a shower before we went, so we didn't all smell like campfire, but at least we made it there & had a good time seeing friends from the past... It was interesting to see how much everyone had changed & yet not really changed at all either!  High School was fun, but I am sure glad that I'm in the stage I'm in NOW of creating & enjoying this little family of mine!