A Whole Lot of Work for a Bad Night's Sleep - aka Camping

I am a self-proclaimed "indoor" girl.    I know - who admits that?   Well, I do!   I go for a walk every morning and I do love being outside with family, etc., but I love sleeping in my bed, putting clean kids to bed in clean beds, etc.   So, not surprisingly, I don't do much camping.

But!  This summer, my brother Rich found a reservation available at Heber Valley Girl's Camp in Heber, Utah for one night, so we decided to go!   It was really, really fun - but oh my, so much work!  The Church owns and runs the camp, so it is very clean and well kept.   There were great cabins to sleep in, a pavilion with tables, refrigerators, electricity, etc.  So, not roughing it, but about my style of camping.   Our problem is though that because we had to bring sleeping pads/gear for 8 people - we were absolutely packed in the Suburban.  It was more full then it was a month previous when we drove to CA for a week!

But - it was really great!   We got there about 2:00 and had reservations on the lake first.  We had some rain storms hit on and off that afternoon, but it really helped keep the temperature cool and the bugs away.  Here are the awesome canoers!

 (for the record...I really do think Jack will hate all the faces that he makes in every picture - maybe not soon, but some day).

 

 Here's Jon trying to get us kicked off the lake...

 

 

After being in the canoe's, we had reservation for a "challenge course."  We put on all the gear/helmets/etc. and each took a turn.  Hailey & Sophia were too little to climb, but they still let them be strapped on and do some swinging.

 

 Sophia absolutely loved it!

 

Once we got back to camp, my parents had arrived.  We played games and visited.  Jon and I were in charge of dinner, so we had brought up a roast to cook in the crockpot for French dip sandwiches, fruit, chips and green beans.     The kids had fun watching for squirrels.  Hailey & Sophia found their own fun with plastic cups and tissues.  Becky Cowden & Richard Olsen got there around dinner time and it was so fun to have them there too!

 

 Trying to start a fire with wet firewood proved to be tricky - but they did it. 

 

 This lady thought she needed a coat  & hat!

 

 I love this picture - Kate, Sophia, Becky & Hannah

 

The kids all slept amazing!  The cabin even got a little hot - we should have opened windows before going to bed.  But, we all slept until 8. 

Sophia had some impressive bed-head.

 

Misty & Rich made us a delicious breakfast - bacons, eggs, pancakes, juice & milk.  Yum!

After breakfast, we spent awhile getting the campsite cleaned.  The couples there describe Heber Valley as a "self-cleaning camp."   Which basically meant - deep spring cleaning after only a one night stay. 

It was a wonderful time and great memories!  Thank you to Misty & Rich for planning and organizing it!

Kate's new glasses and pony rides

At the end of the school year, Kate started to complain that she couldn't see the board at school.   So, we made an eye appointment and the eye doctor said that she's right on the edge of needing glasses, so of course, Kate jumped at the chance to get them.   She will wear them when she's at school or reading, but doesn't need to wear them all the time. 

I think she looks pretty cute!

A day or two after getting her glasses, we attempted to go to the Museum of Natural Curiosity again in Lehi.  We showed up an hour after it opened and I bet there was at least an hour's wait just to get in.  So, we decided to go to the little farm there instead.  The kids liked the pony rides and feeding the goats.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Today is this beautiful girl's 6th birthday!  I can't believe it!  I don't think I'm ready to send this little spit-fire to school all day!   Hannah has the most beautiful, freckled, sweet face and I love her so much!   She is a high-spirited, fun-loving, bundle of joy and we are so blessed to have her in our family!

Happy Birthday Hannah Rebecca Bowen!

Santa Cruz - Thursday (Tide Pools, Beach & Downtown Santa Cruz)

 Our last day in Santa Cruz was another great day!

In the morning, most of our group went to find tide pools and had a great time!  I decided to stay home and catch up on laundry, start packing for our 12 hour drive home the next day and start cleaning the house.  Emily, Hailey, Diane & Rebecca stayed too.

Those that went had a great time and loved it!  (Thank you to Kirsten for ALL of these pictures).

When the group got back, we had lunch and then headed to the beach for several hours.  Thankfully, it was a beautiful day.  We saw a few dolphins swimming out in the distance and just like the other days, a sea otter would swim by every once in awhile.

 

Ammon rented a paddle board and was kind enough to let anyone that wanted to, try it.

This is Ethan - he had us cracking up all the time.   Here is the pretending to be dead after being hit by a wave.

 



The Rasmussen's brought several boogie boards that were the perfect size for the kids, so the kids spent a ton of time playing with them.

 



 

 

 

This sweet baby was covered, I mean covered, in sand, but still managed to drift off to sleep.

 



After the beach on Thursday, we got everyone ready again and then headed to Betty's Burgers for dinner.  The food was pretty good - but lots of cartoonish big-boobed ladies hung on the wall.   Afterwards, we drove to downtown Santa Cruz and paid $0.25 each to ride the cute trolley around.  We pretty much had the trolley to ourselves and it was fun!

After the trolley, we went into a shop and then got cookies at Pacific Cookie Company.

 



Kirsten & I - one of the most amazing people I've ever met and truly my hero!  I am so blessed to have such a great best friend!

 

Wow!  What a great time we had!  The days flew by, the kids all made the trip so much fun by getting along perfectly.   The meals were delicious.  The company was incredible.  We laughed & cried and created wonderful memories. 

We are so, so blessed to have had the experience we did in Ohio.  We made friendships that are just as close as family relationships.  My hope is that some day our children will have a chance to develop these kinds of friendships.

Thank you so much to the Johnstons & Rasmussens for such a great trip!  We hope it's the first of many, many trips in the years to come!