I'm so fortunate to have a husband that works so hard to support our husband. It can also be unfortunate to have a husband that works so hard to support out family. Luckily, Paul was able to take some time off of work while I was on fall break to spend time with Evan and me.
We were able to run a bunch of errands around town and spend some quality time together as a family. Since it has been rather warm here and we've been wanting to take a little family trip together, we decided to head up to Payson for a night and go camping. Paul, Evan, Layne (our dog), and I were ready to take on an adventure.
Evan did really well on the two hour drive up. He slept for half of it, which was great! Layne also did fairly well after he settled down and realized that he wasn't getting out of the car for a while.
We arrived in Payson around 12:30, picked up some lunch and headed to our campsite to set up. Once we found out site, we took some time to stretch out our legs and walked around the grounds. Evan had a blast looking at the tall pine trees and stepping on pine cones. He tried to pick the up but they kept pricking him. Afterwords, we ate our lunch and I set up the tent.
Like my method of holding on to my child?
It's a good thing that our tent was up because it was rather warm out. We were able to get Evan inside for some shade and undress him to his diaper. I tried to get him down for a nap around 3, but was unsuccessful. We spent our afternoon exploring (including the creek that was drying up just behind our campsite), collecting firewood, and setting up camp. Paul made us some delicious turkey sausages and black beans for dinner. Evan also had some corn and pasta shells.
At 5:30, I tried to get Evan down for bed. Unfortunately, the tent was not dark like his bedroom is for bedtime. The attempt for sleep was unsuccessful. We started our fire (after several attempts) and made some smores. Once the sun had gone down, I was able to get Evan to sleep around 7:15. He looked adorable so bundled up for bed. Not only did he have his footie pajamas, but socks on underneath, but sweatpants and a fleece jacket on top.
Paul and I stayed up for a bit enjoying some Heineken and spending some time together but the fading fire. Around 8:00, Evan woke up crying and I headed in to nurse him. At that point, Paul and Layne came to bed too.
It was starting to get chilly outside, but the real cold weather didn't set in for a few more hours.
Evan was up every hour or so. At least that's what it seemed like. I would cuddle him up nice and close, but his hands were so cold! I felt terrible that I hadn't purchased him some gloves with which to sleep. We survived the night, but my hips were killing me! It was as though I was pregnant again!
Evan woke up at 5:30am (no surprise there) and was quite unhappy about where he was. Paul and I started packing up and we left Payson by 7:30 am. The drive home was ok too. We had to stop and get some air in the tires, played the Backyardigan's theme song several times for Evan, and had some breakfast. Evan napped for just under an hour in the car.
When we arrived home at 9:30, Paul unpacked a few things from the car and we all laid down in bed. To our surprise, all of us woke up at 11:50! YIKES! Talk about being thrown off schedule! Oh well.
The weekend was a blast. I'm so grateful that we were able to take our first family "vacation" and it turned out so well. Here are some of my favorite moments:
1. Evan taking tumbles in the woods. Paul was watching him while I took some things out of the car. As I look back to where they are, I see Evan trip face first over a long "log" about 6" in diameter. Another is when Evan fell off of the drive way to the ground backwards (it's a couple of inches in height difference).
2. Evan walking Layne. While we were camping, Evan wanted to hold Layne's leash and take him on walks. At one point, I was tying my shoes, Paul was lighting the bbq, and Evan...well, when I looked over at him, he was walking Layne...down a hill! EEK!
3. Smores. I love smores. I love smores with marshmallows that have been cooked over a fire. Yum.
4. Sitting with my hubby drinking a beer while we watched the stars.
5. Although it's not a nice or fun moment, it makes the list - peeing in the woods. It beats using the toilets that were provided. Picture it...a toilet that is open to the sewage below. When you enter the bathroom, flies come out. When you open the toilet seat lid, flies come out. I'll take the woods, thank you.
6. Cuddling with Paul and Evan to keep warm, although it didn't help much.
7. Seeing Evan in mounds of clothes to keep his warm. Poor guy couldn't put his arms down.
8. Seeing Evan play with pine cones. He had a little bucket that he put one into along with some pine needles.
9. Eating inside the tent with my family to avoid the bees/hornets that wanted our food.
10. Making memories with my family!
Now that I'm in to cooking, I thought about how great it would be to have a garden. Paul has mentioned the same thing over the course of knowing him. Having moved to an area that isn't across from a refinery, we figured the air (and soil) might be better for doing so.
Once we were home, Paul did an amazing job getting the space ready. E had fun heelping his Daddy, too.
We planted cauliflower, broccoli, basil, carrots, sweet banana peppers, and serrano peppers. Just a week later, there are some broccoli seedling sprouting! Hoorah!
