COVID-19 has cancelled all of our summer plans. Luckily, Grandpa and Grandma Christensen bought us a giant tent for Christmas, and we had the basic supplies for camping from wedding gifts...10 years ago! We decided that if we were going to vacation this summer, which we promised we would always do, we needed to come up with some idea. Camping was it! The problem is...we didn't know if we could camp with 6 kids under the age of 8. Haha!
So...we decided to do a trial run. Two nights of camping on the family's property in Nephi Canyon! We planned and somehow fit everything in our van, and we headed there!
It's a miracle we all fit in the van with our stuff! In fact, we had all the kids smile and say, "We need a new van"!
When we got to the property, we had to get everything set up, entertain kids, eat lunch...and thankfully, there was a tire swing and sandbox with trucks to keep the kids entertained!
The kids got restless, and we still had some things to set up...so Scott took all the kids on a walk. They explored the pond and Scott taught them all how to roll down the hill.
We had hot dogs for dinner! We got a fire started to roast them on!
We roasted ice cream cones with marshmallows, chocolate chips and reeses pieces on the inside! The kids put their own cones together.
After our dessert, I walked with the kids to the bathroom where we scrubbed hands and feet, brushed our teeth and put on our pajamas!
We got Harper to sleep! She was the one I was worried most about staying warm through this whole process. It was supposed to dip below 40 degrees that first night. SO I had the sweet girl bundled! She slept really well in her pack-n-play, though!
We pulled out glow sticks and everyone got their own flashlights. We played with them for a while and then announced it was time for bed!
Lucy: We did camping! We go to grandma's house?
Scott: No, we are going to sleep...in the tent!
Lucy: *sad face
We had to tiptoe into the tent, and everyone crawled into their sleeping bags (because Harper was sleeping)! Scott and I made the rounds, putting the kids to sleep, giving them kisses. I also bought "Hot Hands" to toss in the bottom of their sleeping bags to keep their toes warm at night, so I tossed one of those in there then!
By the time we got to Lucy, she had her sleeping bag pulled over her face. We pulled it down to find this--she had already fallen asleep...with a glow stick in her mouth!
The first night was ROUGH! You have to remember that I still had headaches and neck pain from my sinus infection. Sleeping on an air mattress in the cold did not help! Then kids started to wake up, needing to use the bathroom. Cooper was the only one who would pee by the tent. I had to walk Macey and Jemma 1/2 mile down the road to the bathroom--both at different times. (The night sky was really beautiful, though!) Lucy woke up in the middle of this because she was cold. I threw her into bed with Scott and I. (She proceeded to push Scott off the mattress and spread out!) Harper woke up to eat. So I sat on the cold tent floor to feed her and put her back in her pack-n-play. Macey woke me up again to tell me she was cold. I spread more blankets on top of her. Harper woke up again to eat...and then everyone was awake at 6 AM. My fit bit says I slept 2 hours that night! Haha!
This kid. I couldn't hug him hard enough in the morning! He was the only kid to sleep all. night. long! (He was the only one the second night too!) Quinn is an amazing camper!
We made Scott leave the warm tent first to go build us a fire. It was cold...really cold! We all huddled around the camp fire, and I warmed up some milk to make hot chocolate (how fun are these disposable hot chocolate cups I found at Dollar Tree?!).
Once it warmed up, and after we cleaned up breakfast, we decided to walk around for our first project! We collected cool leaves on the ground that we could use in crayon rubbing art! We got to explore the property...it's beautiful!
Each kid had 2 pairs of shoes--flip flops and sandals. When you can't find a solid pair, you just wear one of each.
Keeping it classy, Quinn!
Lucy loves Harper...a little too much!
We had beads and candy out to make our own necklaces and bracelets during the day!
We decided to take a quick detour to get away, and we drove up to Devil's Kitchen for a small hike! We got up there only to realize...Lucy didn't have any shoes. So we carried her and then put her down for pictures!
We came back to the campsite and decided it was time to play in the creek! I wish we had more time to play because the kids had SO much fun!
Our last activity for the day was an ode to our Great Grandma and Grandpa Robertson! Everyone got a can of A & W root beer and a canvas. They had to paint something they had seen since coming camping. Grandpa loved A & W root beer and Grandma was an amazing painter.
The second night went a lot better than the first. Before bedtime, the following conversation ensued.
Lucy: We did camping. We sleep at Grandma's house?
Scott: Nope...we are sleeping in the tent again!
Lucy:...Oh...
We slept a lot easier the second night. It was warmer. Harper woke up twice, and Lucy ended up in bed with us again. It was a crazy morning trying to get everything packed up and back in the van again! By the time we got in and packed, it was almost lunch time...so we picked up some McDonalds Happy Meals on the way home. The kids proclaimed it the best trip of their lives!
