A camping trip...

Way back in graduate school, the pre-baby days, Julian and I spent many weekends camping out under the stars. Yellowstone, Moab, the Rocky Mountains...we saw so many beautiful places. 

We've always hoped to share the experience with our kids, but up until this summer we weren't crazy brave enough to try it. 

This past weekend we finally embarked on our first family camping trip. 

The day before we left, on the 4th of July, I definitely had a moment where everything started to feel overwhelming...mostly it was the stuff, the many things to cram in the car.

So.much.stuff.

Other negative thoughts started to creep in my head too...

Pueblo is the desert, it's going to be too hot. 

We can't have a fire, how do you camp without a fire?

No s'mores. 

The boys won't sleep in the tent. 

This is going to be a disaster. 

I started to question if this was even a good plan. 

Would it be worth it? 

Thankfully, Julian kept loading the car while I contemplated, and by the time I had decided it was a good idea after all, we were well on our way to being ready to go. 

Our plan was to all meet at the camp site around 9am the next day, we rolled in at about 1pm, so basically we made good time considering the toddlers.

And all of those thoughts that had preoccupied me the day before...they were true. 

True, but not the whole story.

It was hot. 

Especially when we first arrived and were setting up the tents.

The guys had to wear work gloves so they didn't burn their hands on the tent poles. 

It cooled down to a comfortable temperature by evening though, and we slept in the tent with just a blanket, the boys never got cold. 

Also, it wasn't always hot, the Pueblo weather was moody...hot, rainy, overcast, beautiful...a little bit of everything. 

We sort of cheated on Saturday by letting the boys take a nap in the car with the AC running during the hottest part of the day...I guess you do what you have to do in these situations. 

 There was no fire, but surprisingly we didn't miss it. 

The sun sets so late that it was time to get the boys to bed at sunset anyway. 

We had a lot of fun with glow sticks, flashlights and lanterns...and ultimately they were safer light alternatives with 7 little boys running around the camp site. 

We may not have had s'mores made over the fire, but we brought along two pans of homemade s'more brownies, almost as yummy. 

We even got adventurous and roasted a marshmallow or two over the gas stove. 

The boys wouldn't sleep in the tent, at least, not at first. 

After a long day out in the sun and dirt they were both aching for bed and not ready to accept that this piece of polyester flapping in the wind was were they were actually supposed to sleep for the night. 

Also, Eli apparently hates air mattresses.

It took a couple of hours of rocking him to sleep, trying to lay him down, followed by him waking up and crying for us to figure that out.

But, we did eventually just lay him on the hard ground and he rolled over and went to sleep. 

Max gave in earlier, once he realized there was no other option...and it didn't hurt that we brought his favorite blanket. 

Once asleep, thankfully, they both slept through the entire night. 

The second night we got them to sleep much faster and with just a few tears. 

There were a few somewhat disastrous moments...again, setting up the tent in sweltering heat. 

Not a good time. 

The boys obsession with dirt, rocks, and all things messy...without a shower in sight. 

I am a bit of a neat freak so this was a struggle for me. 

But, was the whole trip a disaster? 

Not even close. 

That first morning, waking up together and seeing the excitement on their little faces, unzipping the tent to see the sun rising. 

It was breathtakingly sweet.

 Spending time out on the lake was refreshing and opened up a flood gate of childhood memories, summers spent in just the same way, out on a boat waiting for your turn to water ski. 

It was so full circle too, we laughed over the times my Mom would tell Darren if he mowed our lawn we would take him up to lake, he kept our grass nice and short. 

And now, 20 years later, my kids and I wait on the shore for our turn on his boat. 

A familiar ski rope is tossed in the water, the same one we used as kids, now frayed a bit with age but it still works. 

I so wanted to get back up on that darn water ski, but it was not to be this trip, the boys got to cheer for Daddy as he skied behind the boat though. 

Most of all it was a good time spent with friends and tons of playmates, we had seven little boys, including three 2-year-olds. 

It was an adventure for sure. 

I think video captures events in a way that even pictures can't, spend 30 seconds with us on our campsite here...

And, finally, I took way too many pictures on this trip. 

Here are a few more and happy little song. 

 To answer my own question, was it worth it? 

Absolutely. 

We hope to get out one more time before the summer is over.