Camping (again!)

So we found a good deal on sleeping bags and air beds and decided that since the first camping trip went ok we would be trying it again many times and may as well purchase some of our own. But silly us, instead of saving everything to give to ourselves for Christmas I let Sam convince me that we needed to get some use out of them this year. So this past weekend we were once again off to the moutains.


And since I am well aware that I tend to over-narrate things, I will try to let the photos speak for themselves. Well, mostly... :)

Friday night: set up camp at Moosehorn Lake, roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Katy loves the fact that she can roast marshmallows on her own. And thinks she does a better job at it than me so is always offering to make me one. Ty likes to burn them then try to get us to eat them while eating only "raw" ones himself.

Saturday: woke up early after a sleepless night for everyone except Kaitlyn who revels in the whole tent/sleeping bag thing. Fishing. Caught 2 fish, kept one. Got lots of bites from others and considered it a success. Katy loves the fish, loves touching it, etc etc. Ty thinks it's interesting but doesn't want to get too near it. Both kids love exploring and playing in the dirt, rocks, and water.

This rock was right by the fire pit in our campsite. The kids loved it for climbing on, running their "monster trucks" (Ty's latest obsession - ask him what he is and he'll tell you a MONSTER TRUCK!) up and down.

We attempted to make rootbeer. Left the dry ice go too long before starting it though so we didn't get enough bubbles. Oh well, the kids still loved it and drank glass after glass.

Dinner: chili cooked in the can for the kids. Kaitlyn thought that was so cool. Sam and I ate off sticks again - yummy kebabs this time. Then we did marshmallows/smores again. I think in this shot Sam was trying to catch the marshmallow (ok marshmallowS - there were 2!) I caught on fire. Kaitlyn thought it was funny and again offered to make one for me...then promptly caught hers on fire and that was the end of that!
I have to say - thank goodness for marshmallows! Before this point everyone was getting a bit cranky. In fact Sam and I were seriously considering packing up to go home after Ty had his 2nd potty accident in 5 minutes and a whole series of crying spells. But the sugar made everyone happier and we had a great time the rest of the night.

Saturday night: again interrupted sleep even though Ty was sleeping in my bag with me and not as cold, thus not as restless. Heard an elk at least 3-4 times. Got rained on a bit. Looking forward to sleeping in own bed!
Sunday morning: packed up camp. Stopped at Provo Falls on the way home.

Kaitlyn started Kindergarten!

It's here! Kaitlyn's long-awaited first day of school. We've all been so excited for her.
First day of school was Wed (Aug 26th). We started it off with blueberry pancakes in ABC shapes, topped with whipped cream from a can (is that a special treat for anyone else? because we love that silly stuff around here but rarely buy it).

Here's our little sweetie all set for her first day of school.

And there's her faithful little brother, trying to be just like her. (he pretty much insists on wearing his backpack every morning when we walk her to the bus stop)

Kaitlyn had decided that she wanted to ride the bus to school (I think that was #1 on the things she was looking forward to). So Ty and I drove out to the bus stop and watched her get on the bus.

Then we drove up to the school and watched her get off the bus because she wanted me to walk her into her class the first day.

I'm so proud of my little girl! She's so excited to learn and start growing up, and totally unafraid of all the new things coming her way.
I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself too - no tears! Just a twinge when I think of how fast she's growing up. I did think it was a bit amusing standing around outside the playground on the first day, among all the parents who so obviously had separation anxiety watching their children, who were very obviously unaffected by the whole thing. Ahh, school.

So, her first day was a big success. Kaitlyn bounced off the bus full stories and happiness, exited at the thought of going again the next day. And today, as she has completed her 3rd day of school, I am being entertained with stories of her new friend in the red shirt (Kate is notorious for not bothering to learn/remember her friends names) and songs about the color red, and who she sat by on the bus...

Scooter races

Another great family fun photo op. Look Katy's wearing the same dress as at the park - she loves that dress. Anyway...
Last Sunday Sam decided to finally fix Katy's scooter, then got talked into racing with the kids up and down the road in front of our house. And I had lots of fun with my new zoom lens because I can catch the action waaaaay down the road from the comfort of our front lawn :)

Playing at the Park

Got a new camera, had to try it out. Photos taked 2-3 weeks ago at one of the parks in town.

Camping

This weekend was our first camping trip with the kids. We started our Saturday with swimming lessons and encountered our first hitch in the day. The teacher for Ty's parent and child class didn't show up. Kaitlyn's class was finished by the time the replacement got there. But the kids always have fun in the water and it was ok.

A quick stop for last minute supplies, home to finish packing up, then it was off to the mountain. I guess Sam and I have different ideas about "casual camping." I was picturing somewhere a bit off the road, by some water preferably, with a picnic table and outhouses waiting for us. But not knowing the area very well I let Sam pick our camping spot. After a long, nerve wracking drive (for myself and the kids - Sam thought it was fun) we made it to what I will admit was a very pretty spot by Pyramid Lake.

We set up everything then went fishing. Didn't catch anything but enjoyed the time outdoors. And the kids had a great time exploring. At one point, one of the other people there found a worm and brought it over to us to offer to let us fish with it. Kaitlyn immediatly claimed the worm and started hunting for something to put it in to take it home, while we tried to convince her it would be better off to let it go or try to fish with it. In frustration she told us "This is the way my life is! I like bugs...and worms." Sam and I had a hard time not laughing at that one. But she finally did give up on finding a suitable container and let Sam put "Wormy" on a hook.

Once everyone tired of fishing (no fish caught) we went back to the campsite to light the fire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. And Kaitlyn was able to fulfull her wish of "sitting on a log by the fire" (not sure why that was stuck in her head, but all week she had been talking about sitting on a log by the fire). She was also brave enough to try roasting marshmallows on her own and did a perfect job. And Tyler, well he loved helping roast things but was (once again) content to leave the hot dog on his plate and eat chips for dinner, along with eating only deconstructed smores (especially the chocolate!).

We didn't leave technology totally behind. When Sam and I had had enough of supervising the kids and needed a break we sent them into the tent with the portable DVD player to watch a movie until bedtime.

I think the only one that slept well that night was Kaitlyn. She lists "sleeping in a sleeping bag" as her favorite thing from the trip. But the rest of us had a restless night, including Ty who ended up spending the last of it in my sleeping bag. He did, however, make up for it by sleeping in a lot the next morning. The rest of us ate breakfast and Kaitlyn and Sam headed back to the lake for fishing while Tyler slept away most of the morning.

Katy and Sam returned to camp fish-less. So we packed up, survived the drive down the mountain, and stopped to do a little fishing at the Fun Fishing place by the fish hatchery. Sam was determined that the kids would see what happens when you actually catch a fish. And in less than 15 minutes we had 2 good sized ones in our bucket. Kaitlyn thought it was great and even helped reel one in. Tyler liked looking at them in the pond but once we plopped them into the bucket and they started flopping around he ran away squealing. Too cute. :)

Then we headed home to hose off all the bug spray and dirt.