A tale of two camping trips, part 2

 A peek into the world of mountain camping with 4 small children...

If they are anything, the mountains are COLD at night by Labor Day weekend.  We were prepared, but maybe not prepared enough.  But did we ever snuggle, and what a complete feeling as a momma to have all your little chicks & big papa bear all right there beside you!

We did decide that this awesome coffee pot was worth every penny!  Neither of us are a fan of the campfire coffee, so this was a great product & worked just as promised.

Spoiler alert:  We never saw a bear.
I say this because it's rare in these parts to be there & not see one, but we breathed a big sigh of relief when we left that we never did!
However, a funny side note...the first night both the hubby & I woke to the sound of sniffing & were very intrigued, maybe a little nervous.  It went away & we didn't think anything of it until the next morning when Macy tells us emphatically that she was awakened in the night by a bear pawing her head! (She was sleeping on the outside edge of the tent)  Guess we'll never know, but we did all sleep together from then on!

This picture was taken in the morning-I think it was about 5:30 mountain time when we finally got out of the tent.  So wish the kids had an internal switch like my iPhone when we cross time zones.

My Eagle Scout knows how to make a fire!

Our campsite was right along the creek...which provided lots of entertainment for the kids.  And, oh how glorious to listen to at night when you are falling asleep.

This camping trip was good for our family, especially the kids.  We had to do necessary chores that we don't have at home, like gather firewood for warmth, and we had to live without so many things they take for granted (anyone hear a *flush*?? Heehee!!).  My kitchen fit in a small tub & I was able to make meals for 6.  We lived on 1 gallon of milk for Pete's sake people!  We got to talk a lot about how fortunate we are and to talk about how glorious God's creation is being so close to it without the normal distractions.  It took them a little while to settle in, get out of the constantly entertained rut, but they did and they liked it!

We hiked...a lot.  Not long distances, but we did do the walking.  On the other side of our campsite was a trail head, so we frequented that quiet trail on several occasions.  It was difficult enough to satisfy the kids but not so hard they couldn't do it.

It's always amazing to hear the silence of the trees, for it to be so completely still...you feel at peace in your soul.

And then...back to reality.  Why were we worried about bears???  IF there were any, they ran with their little fuzzy tails tucked between their legs as fast as they could when they heard our completely noisy clan coming!!

There were noises coming from this mouth.

There were fits and dramatics and hysterics coming from this mouth.

Lily was so cute...she would fill her front pocket with rocks for momma and then try & carry even more, but they would drop & she'd ask one of the boys to carry them for her-she had to get every one back to the campsite for me.

Much squawking coming from this mouth...and Ava too. Heehee!

Lots of unsolicited instructions for younger siblings coming from this mouth.

We would wait for the heat of the day and venture down to the widest part of the creek and the kids would play...for a long time.  And, they would get along and laugh and not complain about being bored...and we thought to ourselves: "Ah, this is why we come here!"

It's so good for kids to get beyond bored...they become creative again & such good conversationalist.

If you think you can't take a baby camping...this is what you do with them.  She loved playing under the shady trees in her pack-n-play.  It was security for her but let her see the new world she was in!

We did have to make a couple trips to the small town we love so much for various reasons, this being the primary one.

Macy was reunited with her love...Daisy.  And all was right in an 8 year old's world.  The rest of us enjoyed a picnic while our cowgirl went for a saunter in the woods on the back of a horse.

We learned some things on this trip:

1. sleeping bags should have stayed on the essentials list.

2. tents can withstand gale-force winds at night.

3. just because you have gale-force winds at night, you shouldn't assume the next morning will be miserable.

4. Jack can make socks multiply even in the mountains.

5. having a campsite near both the potty & elk hunters is a good thing.

6. you can never have enough s'mores.

7. packing toys is a waste of time-sticks are way more fun.

8. our kids can go 5 1/2 hours in the car if you are willing to consider beef jerky and laffy taffy a sufficient lunch!  Hey, it covers the major food groups, right?