A camping we will go, a camping we will go........

Erick and I had been promising the kids all summer that we would take them camping. Well, somehow the summer passed us by pretty quickly and all of the sudden we only had a couple weekends left to go camping before school started. Erick couldn't get work off either weekend, but I decided that I would be just fine with the kids until Erick got off of work each day. BAD IDEA! We got up to The Spruces Friday afternoon (after getting up at 6am and going up there to reserve a campsite) and the kids were so excited, except Caden who cried because he was in a different place and well, he just doesn't like new places. I was confident that I could get the tent set up without a problem. Not the case. I tried forever and then Kenzie and I tried forever and then Kenzie tried by herself forever and we had no luck. When we got the tent earlier this year, Erick set it up and promptly threw away the instructions because he said that it was so easy that he didn't need them anymore (thanks again honey!) I called Erick near tears and he was able to leave work a little bit early to come and rescue us and get the tent set up. But he got stuck in traffic and it took him an hour and a half to get there. Erick finally arrived around dinner time and got the tent set up in five minutes flat. So then we were finally able to unload the car and get dinner started. The rest of the evening went great. The kids had a blast feeding the chipmunks and watching them stand on their hind legs and eat. We roasted marshmallows and made smores and everyone went to sleep just fine. The next morning, Erick had to go into work again bright and early, so I was alone with the kids again. The morning went just fine. Everyone ate and got dressed and brushed teeth and so on. My Mom and sisters were planning on coming up and eating lunch with us and it was about mid morning that I realized that we had no shade, I mean zero shade by the eating area. So the kids and I hopped in the car and drove down the canyon to Target to buy a canopy. We found a great deal and headed back up to the campsite. I was again confident that I could put this thing together just fine. I had instructions this time, so it would be easy, right? Wrong yet again. Shortly after starting to set it up, a piece got lodged inside another piece and I spent the next 45 minutes trying to get it out with one of the marshmallow roasters. My persistence paid off when it finally came flying out and then quickly disappeared down the side of the mountain. The girls and I searched and searched, but never found the piece. I gave up and put all the pieces back in the bag and put it in my car. My family came up and we had a great time cooking and eating and talking. It was so nice to have them there to break up the day a little bit. It was about the time that they were leaving that I started to realize that I was in pain. I had gotten sunburned, badly. The kids and I spent the next three hours in the tent because I couldn't stand to be in the sun at all because my burn hurt so bad. I was a very grouchy Mom for a little while. I tried to get everyone to take a nap, but that didn't fly with anyone, especially Caden. When we finally had some shade, we all came out of the tent and spent the next little while feeding the chipmunks and getting things ready for dinner. We were planning to have canned chili. It was about the time that I got everything setup to cook that I realized I hadn't packed a can opener. I seriously wanted to cry. Thanks goodness that Erick got there just in time and figured out how to get them open with a screwdriver and pliers. The rest of the trip was uneventful. We made hot cocoa that night and sat around the fire and talked (except Caden who is terrified of fires, he sat in the van.) Actually Caden spent a good amount of time in the van. I think because it was the only familiar thing there, so he felt safe in it. We had planned to hike Donought Falls Sunday morning, but my sunburn hurt too bad, so we just came home instead. We had several other outings planned, but Caden has such major sensory issues and is so scared of EVERYTHING, that we weren't able to do them. I hope that by next summer he is able to enjoy himself more when we're camping. Today we are still putting things away and folding laundry and unpacking (the joys of trips.) I learned my lesson and will not be camping as a single parent, ever again. Camping with three kids is a two-parent job. But overall, we did have a great time and had some good family time and I'm so glad that we went, despite all of the hardships and I can't wait to go again next summer.

My three happy campers

Caden singing at the top of his lungs

Chippy the chipmunk eating chips of course!

Erick and Cierra starting a fire

This was when I held everyone hostage in the tent

My handsomest boy ever!