Camping...... trip....?

REAL camping was kind of taken for granted when Lisa and I lived in Utah. There is nothing like hiking up into the canyon with your gear, setting up your tent by one of the mountain streams to keep your drinks cold (and the water is ice cold and not luke-warm), and building your own fire. Then waking up the next morning with the sun slowly coming up over the rim of the mountains never fails to inspire. Every camping trip I have taken the boys on since moving from Utah has certainly failed to live up to expectations.

Not that we haven't seen some scenic areas along the way. Or that we didn't have fun. It's just lacking a little in grandeur. (Camping on an island off the coast of Florida was pretty awesome and something I would like to do with the boys some day.)

This last father and son camp out in May took us to a member's acreage from the Stake out past Copperas Cove. We were only allowed to have one group fire, and they had all kinds of rules and restrictions that took all the fun out of having a fire. (Plus a fire isn't really fun when it is intentionally kept small and you have 30+ people trying to gather around it.) The boys and I set up our tent that we've had since Liam was a 1 year old. It was a gift from Jaime the year we had the family reunion in Bryce Canyon. We also set up the picnic tent we bought for our trip to Corpus Cristi. Liam helped me cook hot days and we had chips and drinks and muddy buddies to go along with it. The boys had brought toys and when the sun started going down, Liam was intent on getting into pajamas and climbing into the tent. He and Ian played using the light of the flash light, much like they do while at home. It was actually kind of amusing to see them wanting to follow the same routine we follow at home.

I had forgotten how mobile Ian is in his sleep and it was only compounded by the fact that when we were packing the boys forgot their warm blankets and sleeping gear in the living room. That meant they were both sharing my stuff. Ian rotated like a compass in a geometry lesson. By the time morning came, he had turned 360 degrees in his sleep, kicking and flailing as he did so the entire night. Liam was good as gold. He slept heavily and didn't move at all. He also produced lots of body heat.

The next morning we had breakfast. Liam was just as anxious as I to pack things up and head home. He helped me take everything down while Ian ran around kicking a soccer ball with a gaggle of kids about his age. We were all ready to get home and look forward to doing some real camping next year.


 Here is a recent picture of the backyard. With the trees and shrubs starting to fill out, our yard is becoming a nice place to sit/relax/play in. Of course, this is just in time for us moving next year!