our first family camping trip!

on friday we went camping for the first time ever as a family

i can't believe we waited so long

we kind of decided to go on a whim

so we hadn't reserved a spot 

and despite it being labor day weekend, we found a spot right away at our first try

we went to gray back gulch

 we loved this little tree trunk chair

 the kids were such great helpers with everything

 henry tried to get into as much trouble as possible

but that's pretty normal for him 

 we were so happy that fires were permitted in the pits 

 the girls thought it was so fun to roll around on all the bedding in the tent

 the trees all around were so pretty

 hazel and michael went and got us water from the well

 we roasted hot dogs for dinner

 they were delicious

 noah had so much fun exploring around our camp site

 we roasted marshmallows

 s'mores!

 we got super sticky but they were super good

 as a little bedtime snack we made some popcorn with the whirley pop on the camping stove

  hanging out at the fire

 olive loved the lantern

 me and my boys

 sleeping went about as well as expected

michael took henry to the car to fall asleep in his car seat

then brought him in and we all slept pretty well

until henry woke up around 5:30am

not terrible for a baby

after everyone got up we made pancakes and hot chocolate for breakfast

 henry was so happy to have his own hot chocolate

 funny story..

i bought michael this tent and sleeping bags

for his birthday like 4 years ago when we lived in pullman 

and other than a few backyard camp outs and father son camping trips

this was our first time to use it

happy late birthday, michael ;)

 i used to be so anti-camping

but the memories we made in this one little trip are irreplaceable

we'll have to go again soon

when the weather is warmer

we were pretty cold when we woke up

 we left the camp site around 8:30 am because we were so cold

and drove through idaho city because we were close by

it's such a cute little ghost town

we'll have to explore it some time

i thought this was a cute sight

all in all it was a great trip

and i'm so glad we went

and so grateful we got a spot so easily and the kids did so well

they were great!