Jeremy and I wanted to have one last hurrah before welcoming baby boy, so in an effort to relax and put our feet up, we decided to go camping with an energetic 20-month-old. All right, we didn't really have any grand delusions that the trip would be relaxing, but it was fun--and certainly memorable. I'll admit that we were somewhat surprised at how much effort it took to keep Clara happy and safe in the wilderness, and we didn't even bother trying to keep her clean (obviously). But she seemed to really enjoy camping, so all of the effort (and two days of increased heart palpitations for poor pregnant Momma) was totally worth it.
Since the threat of preterm delivery is always looming over us, we didn't venture too far from home. But since we more or less live in the mountains, we had lots of options. We ended up at Heyburn State Park, which is essentially on the opposite side of Lake Coeur d'Alene from where we live. The campsite was great, and we had the good fortune of not having anyone camp next to us the whole time we were there! We think babies make strong camp neighbor-repellants, so I think we may always travel with booster seats and small articles of clothing, even when we don't have any babies left.
Jeremy spent most of his time entertaining Clara and taking her to the playground and on walks while I tended the base camp and tried to keep my palpitations at bay. We also took full advantage of our camp stove, and we even hauled charcoal and our Dutch oven along before we realized we forgot to bring tongs to move the coals around. (We also forgot Jeremy's tennis shoes, a hammer, and our pillows, all of which I have since added to my comprehensive camping master list.) But we couldn't have been more pleased with the beautiful weather and the pleasure of sleeping with a breathtaking view of tall white pines and a full moon. I'm already looking forward to next summer's outings!
And now, without further ado, please enjoy this video that illustrates how much Clara likes being in a tent. (A word on our gigantic tent: I bought it, much to Jeremy's skepticism, right after we got married, so for six-plus years he's had to camp with just me in a 10x14 tent. But I had an eye on the future! Who's skeptical now?)
On one final note: I am a huge admirer of beautifully photographed food blogs, so I thought I'd try my hand here. These are the "smores" we made with roasted marshmallows and Albertson's unbelievably soft and delicious new brownie cookies. You know you want one. And then, if you're like me, you'll want to detox for three days to come down from the sugary deliciousness of it all.
14 comments:
Oh my goodness. I could watch the last three seconds of that video over and over! I'm sure glad you guys had a great time!
I remember when you bought that tent! We still talk about how funny you two were arguing over that purchase...I'm glad your instincts won out, Rachel. We thought of you when we had to upgrade to the 2-room Costco tent this year.
okay, so I see it!! I see your cute belly! Now, I don't feel so bad! And I noticed the grunting that took place in the beginning of the video as you moved around! That made me feel better too, because I too grunt, especially when I am moving around on the floor. And Clara is soooo cute! She has such a funny, cute personality, I am sure she makes you laugh a heck of a lot!!
Clara is so cute! I love the big tent, too. Camping with kids is such a tough thing, but definitely worth it to see their reaction!
We forgot our pillows too!! Luckily, we were able to borrow some from Tim's grandparents in Idaho Falls. I love the video. Clara is precious. I'm glad you guys had such a wonderful time. (did you have to get up a bunch to use the bathroom?) I sure did.
she is *stoked*! i love it. the running back and forth saying whatever it is she's saying (tent? dad?) is hilarious.
That was the most adorable video ever! Thanks for sharing! Good luck with baby!!
Looks like fun! We haven't been camping in forever and Ben has been begging me to go this summer. I love the pictures of the smores. They look delicious!
Clara is adorable in the hat. You guys make me want to go camping although I think it would be much more fun with you there cooking me breakfast.
Such a fun camping trip! I feel the need to leave a memory about you. I remember "dropping by" your house and peeking through your fridge to find out what you eat. You laughed at me because I thought you had secrets in there. Then you made Michael and I PB&J's for lunch. I'm glad I intruded on your lovely afternoon that day. It's a fun memory for me.
We love camping too! Looks like you had a really fun trip! Clara is such a cutie! I wish we could get Amy to wear a hat like her!
oh my goodness, clara is so adorably cute!! i could watch that a nmillion times! we have been quite busy over here so i normally just hurry and read blogs and then go on to the next thing, nbut i had to comment on her cuteness! we need that tent! miss you clara!
I LOVE that video - serioulsy, it made my day - just do darn cute! Don't you just love that two-year-old excitement about something as simple as a tent? Her giggling and running around and general silliness reminds me so much of Josephine. Man, I have GOT to figure out how to get videos on my blog!
That little Clara is just too cute. I loved the video. What a treasure it will be!
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