First Family Campout!

This past weekend we took our first ever family camping trip! We have been camping several times with other family members; parents, grandparents, etc. but this was the first time we had gone by ourselves. We packed up our camping trailer and headed out Friday afternoon. We arrived at the Ponderosa campground in the Uinta National Forest and set up our camp! We stayed in the campsite where Ben's family used to camp every Memorial Day (until the family got too big!) so there are lots of fun memories for us there!
Our good friends Ben and Darci Cook and their son Riley came up for dinner Friday night. We had some delicious dutch oven chicken followed by peach cobbler for dessert. Evan and Riley had a good time coloring with chalk, taking turns (with some gentle encouragement from parents) riding Evan's trike, and putting sticks in the fire. Evan particularly liked roasting marshmallows. But if you took it off the coals too soon he would quickly correct you and say, "But it's not ready, it's not black yet!"



Both boys slept very well, even Dillon in his laundry basket crib! The palypen was just too big to fit in the camper with everything else. The basket fit perfectly on the bench next to the table, and he fit just right in the basket! Besides, I think he slept better in the basket than he does in his crib at home!!


Evan loved being close to the water (Salt Creek runs right by the campsite) and would frequently ask us to go throw rocks in the water with him. Rocky (our dog) also had a great time, and we discovered his name fits him even better than we thought. . .he actually eats rocks! We had to keep a close eye on him after we found that out!Kerry and Debbie (Ben's parents) joined us for dinner on Saturday. The boys loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and Ben and I enjoyed having a break from throwing rocks in the river. Grandma gladly took over that job!


The weather was perfect while we were there! The days sunny and warm, but not too hot, the evenings crisp and cool, but not too cold. There was always a gentle breeze blowing and we even got a slight sprinkle of rain Sunday morning. Just enough to bring that fresh rain smell, but not get anything really soaked.
After breakfast on Sunday morning we drove a little further up the canyon to a place called "Devil's Kitchen." They call it a mini Bryce Canyon. The rock formations are very similar in shape and color. It was really amazing! After that, we drove back to the campsite to pack everything up and get ready to come home. It is always sad packing up camp. But we had such a good time that I think we will make it a yearly tradition! So, though I am sad to be back home in the rush and routine of "regular" life, I now have next year to look forward to!