June's first camping trip!

This past weekend we went camping in the mantti la sal national forest! It was a first time for us to go south for camping that wasn't Zion and it was so fun! We were planning to go camping just us, but then Samantha told us her family was already up there so we decided to join them! It was a 2 hour drive that I was pretty hesitant about with June, but it was so worth it!

We hurried and packed everything we would need for tent camping, got some gas, and left. Everything was taking longer than I wanted it to and at one point I said, "Let's just forget it and go home." Haha I was so annoyed because we were going to get there and it was going to be dark already and June was going to be ready for bed. But in the end, the drive was just fine and she was pretty happy staring at the fire when we got there.

Camping with Sam's family is always so much fun! Sarah and Rachel make the best food and their kids are crazy and fun. Especially Gigi! Last October when we went camping with them, she was SO scared of Jake. Every time she looked at him, she would cry. And then this trip she was obsessed with him, it was the cutest thing! It started when she woke up and he was grabbing me some diapers out of the diaper bag. He was sitting on the floor and she got out of bed, still sleepy, and thought he was Cam. She gave him a side hug and said, "good morning daddy!" It was so sweet to watch, and she didn't even freak out when we told her that it was Jake, she just laughed. The rest of the time she was moving her camp chair to be next to his, she was holding his hand, showing him all her cool moves and things she was making in the sand. She kept asking him to lay in the hammock with her. At one point Cam said, "So this is what it's like for your daughter to get taken away from you." It was the sweetest to watch, I can't wait for June to be like that!

That night, after making s'mores and hanging with Wic and Sam, we were lucky enough to sleep in Cam and Rachel's trailer! It's probably a full sized bed that we all snuggled up in (they offered to have Jake sleep right across the way in another bed so we could have more room but of course we all wanted to try to sleep on the bed together). It was pretty cold that night so it worked out pretty well, other than when I realized June was asleep . . . I had to pee SO BAD. I risked it and got up to use the bathroom and then got back in bed. Jake and I may not have slept very well that night, but June barely made a peep! I was so relieved she didn't wake up Rachel's kids. June's a trooper... in reality, as long as she's snuggled up, she's good to go.

Sunday morning we woke up and Adam and Sarah made breakfast burritos. We had brought some of our eggs and then Adam brought sage flavored sausage and it was amazing! We are so grateful they are willing to share with us, because all we contributed was a dozen eggs and some pineapple.

During the day on Sunday, we went to the Dinosaur Quarry which was about an hour away. It was on Jake's Utah Bucket List and I'm so glad we got that out of the way... because honestly, it was LAME! You have to pay to do one of the hikes and you're literally walking in a hot, flat desert with no view. It's still an active excavation site but you don't really know what you're looking at if you do find something that looks like a fossil. I would've rather sweat my butt off doing a killer hike with a nice view, but at least June and I got some sun! Trying to make sure she gets enough Vitamin D!

That night for dinner, we had the best dutch oven lasagna and bread that Sarah made. Seriously, they don't mess around with camp food! We all sat by the fire and enjoyed chatting with everyone. I fed June and then I could tell she was getting tired again so we needed to make a run for it. We said bye to everyone and headed back. That drive was rough -- I think June had just been in the car too much that day and she wanted to be snuggled. When we got home, we all showered and there was literally dirt running off our legs. We were all so sick! So we got clean and then slept soooo soundly. Our bed felt like it was straight from heaven, and June even slept in her rock n play.

We are so proud of June for sticking it out with us (she has no choice but...) She didn't seem bothered at all by the cold, the smoke from the fire, sleeping in a full sized bed with both her parents, or even the hot sun. We love this girl and hope she always stays that tough!

Laughing at the fire

Rookie Mom Move... I underestimated how cold it was going to be and didn't bring her a jacket, hat, or socks. So we had her wrapped all weekend when it was chilly out. Luckily she didn't mind too much!