June was packed with two birthdays and a camping trip! I started this post weeks ago and now I’ve finally got all the camping photos in, so I’m going to stop there and post about the boys’ birthdays later. Oh my goodness, I just can’t keep up!

Lesson 1 of our first camping trip: We could really use a minivan.

Lesson 2: If Google says your drive will take 4 and a half hours, make that 9 hours if you have kids in the car and one of them is newly potty trained and the other is in diapers.

It was a long, hot, cramped drive with our car packed to the gills, including my foot space, which got more packed the more grocery stops we made.

So we arrived pretty late in the evening and got set up. Our site was beautiful and private, right on the river, with lots of space! I got a group site to share with A’s brother and his wife. It was the Beaver Creek Group Camp in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. As we drove in, it seemed like we passed a lot of other private group sites, but this was the only one I’d found online. Once we were at the site, we couldn’t see or hear anyone else! (Except for people driving on the fast road next to us.) There were two tent pads (and signs of another one that had apparently fallen into the river), two picnic tables, lots of space, and a vault toilet.

Tents are a snap these days! Ours is a 3-person tent we’d only used once previously, on a trip with our previous dog. We all squeezed in but we’ll probably have to upgrade in the near future.

We enjoyed a campfire until much later into the night than I’d anticipated staying awake! Probably until like 11. I’m so old! But Ari was up way later than normal.

Ari enjoyed roasting marshmallows but wasn’t a fan of the s’mores. Maybe they were too hot.

After a chilly night with both little boys wanting to be in my sleeping bag with me, A. got up with Sam so Ari and I could get a little more sleep. When I woke up, I found them trying to keep warm by the fire and visiting with A.’s brother. Then we had coffee and some breakfast (bagels and lox, I think).

Andrew was supposed to be on a leash, but since no one was around, we let him run and chase sticks, and he had a blast. The site was just perfect for camping with a reactive dog. He didn’t make a peep at the campsite the whole time!

Sam and his fleece pajamas got soooo dirty.

He did NOT stay on his blanket or his tarp!

I didn’t get much reading done myself, but I did spend a few minutes in this great hammock.

Ari’s aunt and uncle brought him several gifts that they dispensed to him throughout the weekend. This flying, spinning thing was a lot of fun!

After a busy morning staying warm and fed, it was time for naps:

When Sam woke up, I had a little photo shoot with him:

I also took these photos of what apparently used to be another tent pad:

Ari joined me in the hammock:

In the afternoon, we did the Big Four Ice Caves hike, which was a nice, relatively flat and short loop. Ari was able to walk for about 2/3 of it, then I think he rode on A.’s shoulders the rest of the way.

I didn’t realize that we were walking in the area we weren’t supposed to be in these photos. Lots of other people were there around us and I thought we were in a field of snow with the caves off to the side somewhere… Then I noticed a warning sign when we left. Apparently we were on top of the caves.

Sam had a snack in his go-pod, which was the perfect thing for camping with a mobile baby!

Ari’s uncle read to him:

And Ari started our campfire! After setting it up, A. gave him a lit match and told him where to put it, and Ari did it perfectly.

Another photo shoot:

Berry cobbler! In the evening, as this dessert was being prepared, I suffered from food poisoning or something so badly A. thought he’d need to call an emergency vehicle. But I got better in time to eat some of this deliciousness, fortunately. Quite an adventure!

The next morning, it was the day before Sam’s first birthday so we had a little cupcake party.

I made a comment about not letting him burn his fingers the way Ari did at his first birthday party, and I was holding him away from the candle. But then I think A. moved it closer to him or something, and Sam is QUICK. So he got burned and he cried… But he recovered!

On our way home, we stopped at this fantastic park hidden away really close to Sea-Tac airport, called Angle Lake Park. We drove by the entrance at least twice before we found it, even with the phone directing us. It was the perfect place to have a snack and stretch our legs!

I’ll stop there, since it’s midnight and I have to leave for work in six hours! Next up, I’ll share photos and stories from the boys’ birthdays.