To camp, or not to camp...

Several weeks ago when the sign up sheet for the ward campout ended up in my lap, I somehow found myself writing "Bigelow".  This was somewhat odd, since I never before have felt compelled to do so.  I figured we would go up for the evening, and come home to sleep.  Then I found myself thinking that Todd and the girls would camp, and Ty and I would come home.  Then I thought, well maybe I'll have Ty sleep at his grandparents house and I'll camp too.  Well, all 5 of us ended up spending the night.  And aside from not really getting any sleep because Ty is incapable of sleeping anywhere but his crib, we had an amazing first camping experience!

What I loved about camping:

1.  Being away from real life, with nothing to do but enjoy nature and my family.

2.  Waking up to the misty, mountain air.

3.  Hiking, walking, listening to the crickets and birds.

4.  Playing my guitar and singing around the campfire

5.  The girls were so well behaved.  They followed all the rules, got along, played with friends, and slept!

What I learned:

1.  Just because a website says the campsite has a bathroom doesn't mean there is an actual bathroom.  (Apparently permanent porta-potties qualify as bathrooms.)

2.  Bottomless toilets are quite scary to children.

3.  Pack a pair of shoes for every hour you will spend away from home.

4.  A one year old is actually not that hard to camp with during the day.  Night is a whole other story...

5.  A ward campout is the way to go since I was not required to do any real meal preparation.

What I will do differently in the future: 

1.  Invest in a BIG tent.  5 people do not fit in a 4 person tent, even if one of those people is tiny.

2.  Go to a campsite with an actual bathroom.

3.   Socialize more.  We went to bed way too early, and had to lay there listening to everyone still out talking and having fun.

4.  Leave the one year old with grandma!  :)

5.  Really, the main thing is the bathroom!