We got to Colorado last Tuesday afternoon where Poppa, Mimi, Auntie Jess, Uncle Greg, and Lucy were waiting for us! It was like a Christmas reunion. The little cozy coup truck Marmee got Kip when he was one years old is still coming in as THE beloved toy at the house.
Wednesday morning we packed-up the cars to head into the mountains to take the kids on their first ever camping experience! My dad and mom had gotten a trailer back in 2020 and my dad still uses it frequently on camping trips. Since we had a group of eight, we also borrowed a tent. The camp site was not too far into the mountains so the drive wasn't hard on the kids and a truly beautiful spot. The kids got to exploring right away and we set-up camp.
Auntie Jess wasn't feeling well so she didn't get to join us on the little mini "hike" we did but it was fun for the kids to take turns walking Lucy and collecting kindling wood. Poppa had his saw to cut some larger wood for a campfire and we spotted signs of beaver!
Mandy got the kids little mini lanterns that had a small storage compartment for treasures so they liked walking around and collecting little things like pebbles and pine cones. I also had Mandy get some kinetic sand toys and painting stuff for some entertainment. Boy, those came in handy later! The kids also had fun building with rocks they found around the campsite. They entertained themselves quite well.
Around 4 pm it started raining so we all got inside the trailer to wait it out, expecting it to be a quick afternoon storm. Fortunately, I grabbed the kids kindles on the way out of town so they thoroughly enjoyed playing games while we waited. They also did their painting books and we played cards.
Well, the rain never let up and we ended up in the trailer the whole night. Thank goodness for that at least we were dry! Poppa prepared dinner in there, we ate together, played a little and chatted. By 8 pm the rain was still going and it was clear there was nothing else to do but go to bed. The guys were all in the tent with Lucy. Mandy, Jess, Ivy, and I all got to be princesses in the warm and dry trailer. It stopped raining around 8:30 pm and then picked-up again in the very early morning.
By 6:00 AM the guys were up and Dan reported that the only person that slept was Kip's stuffed bear - Black Bolt! HA! The girls didn't sleep much better but we couldn't complain. At least we got to make a campfire after all and roasted s'mores for breakfast!
The sun never came out all morning and so we all decided to pack-up and head back early. I tried to get as many cutie camper shots as I could while we packed-up.
It started raining again as we pulled out of camp, so that confirmed our plans. It was a bummer the camping didn't workout quite the way we had planned but we at least got one day out of it. Kip got to experience a tent, the kids saw the mountains, we had a campfire, and we all had fun. Good memories all together.
Back down in Denver we spent the rest of our trip playing at the house and taking the kids to cool playgrounds. We also took them to Target to pick out a toy since that was Marmee's special thing she always let them do and I'll hold that tradition for them in her memory.
The day before we left, we all went to a really awesome climbing park that Mandy found and the kids LOVED the challenge of it. Even Poppa got up in there and went down the tube slide!
We all had a really wonderful time together.
