Camping Day Trip

A few weeks ago we went on a Camping Day Trip!  Andrew and I have both been itching to go camping this summer and never were able to get it together- you know things like pregnancy getting in the way.  After Eli was born we thought it wouldn't be wise to have him sleep out in the cold this late in the season.  But we still needed NEEDED some outside time, some good prolonged nature time.  So we came up with this great idea of going camping and doing all the camping things....except sleeping there.  And voila, the invention of the Camping DAY Trip.

We got up early and drove to Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway, Utah, only about an hour away.  (PS. we identified Midway as a place we would love to settle down someday.  It's the perfect little small town that I've always dreamed of living in.) We got a campsite, set up a tent and everything.  We hiked in the fall leaves, followed secret pathways we stumbled upon, packed breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  My favorite part was sitting around our campfire with our hot dogs for dinner and smores for dessert.  We played games in the tent after it got dark and then when we all started getting tired we loaded up our gear, our three sleepy kids and went back home to our comfy cozy beds.  It was pretty much perfect.

I have one regret.  I took too many pictures.  I was too focused on that.  I wish I had just been in the moment more.  From nature comes rejuvenation for me and I wish I had taken advantage of that more.  Next time I will STOP and feel the peacefulness more.

But we did get some fun pictures out of it and a great memory for all of us.  Except Eli.  He probably won't remember when we tell him he went on his first "campout" when he was 3 months old.  Can't wait for real campouts in our future!

our campsite from afar

they would run to every shady spot, sit down to wait for us to pass, then get up and run again to the next spot

the fall colors were insane.  i thought this kind of fall was a thing of fiction!

our pretty little posers.  

we found a historical landmark called Huber Grove to walk around 

this was our lunch spot.  it was like a tree fort!  there was a brook on one side and on the other the branches of the tree hung so low they touched the ground.  we were surrounded and encased in nature!

great big swords?

or gigantic walking sticks?

or humongous magic wand?

at one point hannah trailed far behind us

then sat on a rock while we kept going

to contemplate life.  nature has that affect on people.  i guess even two year olds.  no matter how far ahead we got she wouldn't come till she was good and ready.  that's my hannah, always been who she is.  this picture is so adorable it cracks me up!

campfire dinner

we even changed into jammies 

exploring behind our tent.  there was a creek right next to it and some tiny paths to walk

playing in the tent

colorful leaf collection from the day.  specifically to take a picture to show grandma hanaike all the different colors!

no campout is complete without flashlights and shadows in the dark

hannah kept yelling, "SCARY SHADOW!  AND SCARY HAIR!"

cheek to cheek cuddling at home while daddy carried 2 fast asleep girls to bed

We don't get out much.  But when we do it we try to REALLY do it!