Camping: Timpanogos

Who knew one night of camping would be such an ordeal with a family of six?!  By the time we got the car packed it looked as if we were camping for a week!  

Ryan raced Saturday morning, so we didn't get up to the campground until late afternoon.  We only have to drive about 20 minutes up the mountain to get there...which is pretty nice!  The last time we camped at this campground Haley was our only child and she was about 18 months old...same age as Rory.  Crazy.

Once there, we got everything set up and dinner going while the kids ran around...getting dirty of course.  

And then after an hour or two of being there Piper ended up falling backwards in her camp chair hitting her head on the asphalt and splitting it open.  Of course...that's just our luck.  So after freaking out a bit and perhaps mumbling a few obscenities under my breath we decide Ryan should take her back down the mountain to our pediatrician's after hours care to get it stitched up.

While he's gone with Piper I finish dinner, we eat, cleanup and then I tried my best to get a fire lit...with no success.  Some people camping close by sensed my frustration and came over to help.  Did I look that pathetic?!  But whatever, they got a HUGE fire going for us...so for that I'm thankful...the girls were able to get their s'mores after all!  Now, let me just say what we already know....s'mores + Haley, Morgan, and Rory + dirt = one big sticky mess!!  There was sticky marshmallow EVERYWHERE plus the dirt all over I felt like we had been tarred and feathered.  But they had blast, which is the goal, right?  

Ryan got back around 10 and then we all promptly went to bed for the world's worst sleep.  Everyone did great and slept like angles...except for Rory.  We were those campers that everyone can't stand...I mean, honestly, a crying baby in otherwise silent forest isn't ideal.  The only thing that got her quiet was a water bottle.  After drinking a few sips she dozed off but I still could not pull that water bottle out of her hands...she would start to wake up as soon as I tried.  So I let her keep it and squeezed her in my sleeping bag, water bottle and all.  And let me just say...sharing a mummy bag with a baby is not fun!  Bottom line I didn't sleep much and when I did wake up in morning not only was I stiff and sore, but I was also soaking wet from a leaky water bottle.  Good times.

The good news is that everyone stayed asleep until after 7!

When we went to sleeping in a row...by morning, Morgan was at the foot of the tent...weird.

The next day was much better!  We had a great breakfast, hung out, packed a picnic, cleaned up and then went for a hike to Stewart Falls.

My little Piper...good as new after getting three stitches the night before.

Stewart Falls.

Morgan carried the lunch bag pack pretty much the whole hike with no complaining (it was not light!)...very impressive!

Piper, however, need some work in the hiking department...I piggybacked her for nearly the entire hike.

Our dirty camp hands.

Now, my laundry room smells like a camp fire and I have a mountain of wash to do!  But it's all worth it...stitches and all!  The kids had a ball and that's what it's all about!

I have such an appreciation for my parents and all the camp trips we did growing up!  I KNOW how much work went into those trips.  But the memories are priceless and that's what I want for my kids!