We had our first family camping trip ever as a family of 4 over the weekend. Our kids aren't known to sleep well outside their own beds. However, Jack has been doing better at it this last year, and we haven't tested Alice for a long time (we didn't travel really at all last summer--it was the year of moving). We decided that this summer might be the time to try dipping our toes back into camping by way of renting a camper for the very first time. I have never slept in a camper/RV, and I'm pretty sure Jared hasn't either. I grew up camping, but Jared doesn't love sleeping in a tent. We figured since our house happens to have an RV garage, we may as well try out RV camping and see if an RV/camper could be a 10-year dream for us.
Unfortunately, the night before we were supposed to pick up our camper rental, the owner called Jared to make sure our car was all set up for towing. Turns out we overlooked needing 7-pin trailer wiring and brake adapters. Luckily the guy was willing to reschedule our rental for later in the summer, so we can have time to either get our car fully set up to tow a camper, or borrow a family member's truck. We decided that since the campsite was booked and family was coming, we would still do the camping trip in a tent. It was a good time to leave town and let our freshly poured patio cure and mellow in color for a few days. I was stressed for a few days there since the patio was a bright oompa-loompa red-orange color for its first few days. It's supposed to be a subtler earthy brick color once it's fully dried in a few more weeks. Back to the camping trip though.
Preparing and packing to camp was a lot. We made poor choices driving there and back during Alice's sleep windows, thinking she may take some good car naps. Our kids don't do car naps though for some reason, and so she basically was tired and grumpy and whiny for both 2.5-hr drives. Oops. We camped at Fish Lake--a place we had never been before. It was beautiful and we made some good memories. If I were to go back again someday, I would definitely go in the fall to see all the Aspen trees in their golden glory. Otherwise, it was nice nature by a nice lake, which is something we can find closer to home next time.
Highlights of our weekend included watching the kids kayak on their kid kayaks with cousins, s'mores around the campfire, and even though it was cold and Savvy dog tried to bust out of the tent a few times, I even liked sleeping in the tent as a family of 4. I know my people well so I packed our best camping mattresses, fitted sheets and cozy blankets for all of them, and our warmest sleeping bags. If it weren't for the restless nearby cows and Savvy, I think it would have been a great sleep. Alice woke up once wanting me to move closer to her, which meant a thinner pad for me, but she stared me straight in the eyes and said, "I wuv lou mom" (that's how she says I love you). Melted my exhausted lil heart.
It's getting late so I'm going to jump to pictures:
It's Parade season! We're talking summer city parades (Jared took the kids to one last weekend) and also Parade of Homes. With young kids and scheduling, it can be tough for Jared and I to get out on regular dates. We love the Parade of Homes because it's 2-3 weeks of prioritizing time together doing something we both love. We aren't able to make it to all of them in this season of life, but we pick the ones that look most interesting, schedule out some babysitting, and then tour the rest online. On Saturday we did a babysitting swap with my brother where we each took turns babysitting each other's kids and touring some homes. We saw a 25,000 sq ft mansion in Provo that was unlike anything we've seen before, and we've seen a lot of Parade homes over the years. As an added bonus they were giving away free cookies, drinks, candies, and nachos at the end so we got a bonus dinner date out of it. This is our adult version of Disneyland--it isn't "real life," but to me that's kind of the point and what makes it fun.
We also spent a lot of time in the sun this week--pool days, beach days at a nearby lake, park days, and more. We met several of our neighbors at the pool one morning and were excited to realize just how many kids there are around here. Unfortunately for Jack, most of the kids are under the age of 5, but Alice is going to have lots of kids her age to play with. I'm sure as the neighborhood grows we'll get more kids Jack's age too.
And now for some pictures from our week:
I had a burst of inspiration this week. On Monday we broke in our new community pool by inviting my siblings and nieces/nephews to come swim on Memorial Day. One brother brought pizza and the kids had the best two hours together. It was such a classic summer kick-off and I felt so light and happy for the rest of the day. The next two days were normal at-home days with the kids. I'm sure we left for little outings at some point, but mostly they were typical days at home with kids, and it was kind of miserable. My kids can be really sweet together, but Jack is mourning the loss of seeing his school friends every day, and homeboy copes with sadness by raging at loved ones to try and bring them down to his level of sadness🫠 So it was lots of bickering and crying--just not very fun.
On Wednesday evening I was like, THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE, and it's only week one of summer break. I thought back on how fun our Monday at the pool with family was, and decided that I was going to sink my teeth into to having us a *fun summer* this year. The last half of the week was filled with pools and splash pads, rolling around in the grass (oops, allergies) and playing Wild Jack/Alice in Grandma and Grandpa's new backyard (Jared's parents haven't moved in yet but have given us permission to play at their Utah house anytime while they are still packing up their life in Washington). And that half of the week went much better! The kids were happier. I was happier. I think the sunshine is doing us good. So even though historically I've been the type of parent who likes to lay low at home and only leave the house for a once-a-day park visit or similar, this summer I am all in. It helps that Alice is older this year and can really understand what's going on and stay safe/happy with less involvement from me.
So I think I'm going to tiptoe into fun-mom land this summer, which isn't my usual wheelhouse, and fill our days with sunshine and two adventures a day, and all the sunshine and popsicles. It's fun to realize that this isn't just for the kids--I feel like I am back in the magic of childhood enjoying a fun summer myself, too! I keep coming back to how my new goal is to have a HAGS summer--like when we all used to write "Have a Great Summer" in each other's yearbooks as kids, and the dream was pools and popsicles and lots of time outside with family and friends. I even spent my weekend coordinating an upcoming camping trip with my parents and some siblings, which is very unlike me. I'm excited that my children are old enough now for that to be likely enjoyable instead of miserable. Summers are looking up! And now for some pictures:
