Camping and a Surprise Visitor!

Two weekends ago we attempted our first camping trip with Alexis, Jack, and Faith. Our friends organized a group trip so we decided it would be a good time to try it out with our babes. Although most of the families stayed for two nights, we stayed only Saturday night so that we would have plenty of time to pack and be able to keep our babes on their normal schedule. We left Saturday morning at 9:45, which is about the time that our babes normally take their morning nap, and drove two hours to Fenton Lake in NM. The babes all napped for a portion of the ride. When we got to the campground we found a nice, shady spot for our tent and then fed the babes lunch. After playing for awhile (and doing our best to keep our babes from eating too much dirt), we put them down for their afternoon nap. Although it took a little time for them to fall asleep since they were in a tent and it was light outside, eventually they all fell asleep and slept for over two hours. After their nap we fed them dinner, played for a bit, and then put them down for the night. Again, it took a little time for all to fall asleep, but besides some nighttime waking due to being cold (it was hard to know how to dress everyone for sleeping), the night went smoothly. We left after breakfast on Sunday around 9:45 and drove the two hours home during their morning nap. Although it felt like a lot of effort (and laundry!) for a 26 hour trip, it was fun to spend time with friends and camp, and we feel confident that we could do it in the future as Alexis, Jack, and Faith did great!

We borrowed Micah's parent's tent and we set it up in our house the night before we left to make sure that all three pack n plays would fit okay. This tent is huge and we had plenty of space for the pack n plays, our sleeping pads, and extra room!

Top to Bottom: A, F, J exploring the tent in our house

F, A, J eating dinner outside while camping. We had to put their booster seats close together with stuff on either side to keep them from eating dirt and rocks instead of their meal.

Faith walking around the campsite with Daddy

Alexis playing a bean bag game

A and F playing in the morning after sleeping in the tent

Jack slept great in the tent even after the girls were awake and playing! This was the first time we put actual blankets on them and not just sleep sacks as they needed the extra warmth.

The girls pack n plays in the tent

Jack's pack n play on the other side of the tent. We slept in the middle.

Micah had a trip planned to Jamaica for a friend's wedding so this past weekend was going to be the first time I was alone more than one night with Alexis, Jack, and Faith. Although I knew I could do it, I wasn't really looking forward to four days and three nights alone with them since taking care of them is a very demanding job and I usually get a little break in the evenings and on the weekends since Micah is around to help. Sadly, all of my friends and family were unable to help (or so I thought) so I didn't have any option but to do it alone. To my surprise, when Micah came home from work on Wednesday he said there was someone outside that was here to see me. I had no idea what he was talking about and when he opened the door my friend Megan who lives in Utah was standing there! I have never been truly surprised like that in my life! Megan had been talking about coming for a visit and I had mentioned this weekend to her since I knew I'd be alone, but she told me she already had plans. Little did I know that she had already bought a plane ticket to fly out when I had asked her to come as Micah contacted her first knowing that I wouldn't want to be alone this whole time!

Megan and I met 10 years ago when we worked at a bank together in Boulder. Since then a lot has happened in both of our lives and we live in different states, but whenever we see each other it's as if no time has passed. Although Megan was only able to be here from Wednesday evening through early Saturday morning, we packed a lot of fun into the the time we had. We went to a birthday party, we went swimming, we went out to breakfast, we went to the aquarium, we went out for gelato, and we saw a few "Breaking Bad" landmarks that are close to our house. Megan was a great help with taking care of the babes and doing dishes, and we spent a lot of time catching up as we hadn't seen each other in almost two years.

Megan jumped right in with the babes! L to R: A, J, F

Alexis, Jack, and Faith's first kid birthday party for their friend Eland who turned 4 (okay, really we got in invited because Eland's mom and I are friends but we can pretend the babes have friends now too :) ). The party started at 8:30 which was perfect as it was pretty much done in time for their morning nap at 10:00!

Megan is a 2nd grade teacher and the babes loved to have her read to them since she really is a pro!

Swimming at the Y! Even though we haven't made it to the pool as consistently as we hoped so far this summer, the babes still love the pool every time we go! Jack is truly a fish and he loves to put his face in the water!

Breakfast at Flying Star. Always delicious and this time the babes enjoyed a scone (we fed them their real breakfast before we left).

Aquarium! We hadn't been since the babes were a few months old and this time Faith and Jack were really into it! L to R: J, A, F

Jack trying on the lobster hat in the aquarium gift shop

Here are some other pics from the last couple of weeks....

A, F, J holding hands during lunch. They think this is so funny!

A, J, F playing by the window in the family room

J, A, F with the exact same foot pose. It's crazy how often this kind of thing happens!

F, A, J waiting at the gate while I bring in the groceries

F and A playing at the toy kitchen. If only they could prepare their own meals!

Mommy the jungle gym. This happens every time I sit on the floor with them which is fun and dangerous as they don't understand that some things hurt and they bang into each other.

A, J, F brushing their teeth. We are trying to get into this habit but it's hard to remember!

Sometimes I don't feel like being crawled on (and scratched, etc) so I sit on the couch and they all come play. J, F, A