So we braved our first camping trip with all of the kids the weekend of July 24th. I was very excited to be up in the mountains and the kids were excited to have their first big sleepover in the tent away from our house. Let's just say that Kevin was mostly excited.
We left on Thursday afternoon and reached our campsite in the Spruces up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Our little campsite was just right for the boys - lots of trees, dirt, and a little stream that ran through the back part. I was actually very impressed that we only had one water casualty while we were there - Ryan tried to jump on a big rock and missed. After seeing how cold it was the other boys decided not to follow suit.
After we got the tent up, we went for a walk to find little sticks for the fire. We found where the bathrooms were and even took a tour inside. I had told Matthew and Ryan about my experiences camping there as a girl - i.e. one big hole in the ground to go in. They were surprised - and a little smug- that the site now had flush toilets.
After the stick gathering we headed back to camp for dinner. The boys watched the brave little chipmunks and squirrels race around the campground getting their little paws on every bit of food they could. Zachary was actually not a fan of the little critters and started saying "Shoo!" everytime he saw one.
After dinner we went for another walk to distract the boys because Matthew was impatiently wondering when the marshmallow roasting would start. We told him he had to wait until it was colder and a little darker, but try reasoning with an overly anxious 5-year-old. We went back to camp and I convinced the kids to have some fun by throwing rocks into the water. That finally got their attentiion! After lots of splashes we were finally ready to make our fire. Bring on the s'mores! Ryan wasn't impressed - he wanted the licorice instead. Zach and Matthew thought they were great. We had fun talking around the fire and making up stories about Star Wars and Cars.
After s'mores we started to get things put away. We started to get ready for bed after the first star came out. The boys were tired, but somehow got their second wind when we got inside the tent. It was a lot of bouncing and jumping and giggling, all fine and dandy for a few minutes but not so great when you are trying to get them to go to sleep. And on top of it all Zachary was not very fond of the tent or the graco he was sleeping in. So after splitting up the boys and singing some songs, we finally got the kids settled down and to bed, I'm guessing somewhere around 10:00. Zach was quiet but didn't fall asleep for a long time. The night wasn't exactly a restful one, but I was happy to be in the mountains nonetheless. I had finally dropped into a deep sleep when I start to hear the birds chirping outside. I knew that would be our wake-up call. Sure enough, Zachary started to rustle and let us all know about the birds. It was about 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning.
Well, since everyone was up, we thought we would get some breakfast going. Pancakes and eggs are always yummy. The kids had their breakfast and we started a small fire to keep them warm. After clean-up the kids informed us they wanted to go home now. Home? Really? You don't want to play outside in the dirt and rocks? We could go on a hike or go up to the ski resorts for a walk. Nope. They had done what they wanted: rocks, water, dirt, s'mores, tent, sleeping bags, and bugs. Zachary wasn't exactly a happy camper with his little amount of sleep and was even more irritated by his furry friends. So we packed up our stuff and headed out at 8:30 in the morning. I was sad that we left, but eveyone else was ready to go. Zach and Ryan fell asleep on the way home because they were so exhausted and Zachary took a four hour nap later that day. I guess camping was too much fun for them!
Overall I think the kids had a great time. We'll have to try again and use the things we learned so we can stay longer next time. If there were only a way we could get the birds to sleep in...
