The Davis' planned a camping trip over Easter weekend. Everyone had Good Friday off so we decided to camp for the first half of Easter weekend. We got to Eisenhower around dinner time Thursday and set up camp. The girls were so happy to be outside exploring around. The Davis' and the Towery's met us there as well. We mostly just hung out and set everything up that night. We talked around the campfire for awhile but had to go to bed early because we woke Paige up while putting Harper to bed. It was late anyways so we all went to sleep. Both girls slept really well while we were there. They slept till 7am both mornings and Paige even slept all of her naps really well. I was super impressed. The next morning, we all woke up because we forgot to turn off the school alarm. It might have been our biggest mistake of the whole weekend because everyone was still sleeping. But we got up and headed outside but stopped short. It was super cold! It had gotten down to 35 or 40 degrees that night and everyone had frozen in their tents. We stayed in the camper for an extra little bit to stay warm by the heater. Chris and Christa got the fire going again and started making breakfast. We had pancakes and bacon and it was really good. It started to warm up so the girls played at the swings across the street. They also loved playing in Ana's red wagon - in, out, in out. Harper loved having Ana there to play with as well. She helped her all weekend long. She was constantly looking out for her and being a good friend. It was awesome. Paige had a good time but it was a little harder for her because she wasn't as good at walking on the uneven ground. She fell alot, cried alot, and wasn't as happy as she normally is. She also wanted to do everything big sister was doing, but wasn't able to.
Friday morning we went for a walk but everything was wet and muddy from the rain Wednesday. Then, midmorning we went to the swimming area and climbed the cliffs. It was awesome. They have been redoing the swimming area since it washed away in the floods last spring. Whitney and Marcus had never been and they loved getting to see it all. It was beautiful to sit and see creation in it's beauty. After that we headed back to camp to have lunch. Paige was exhausted and it was all she could do to eat a sandwich. We just enjoyed an easy lunch of sandwiches, chips, and cookies and then put the littles to naptime. Harper got a little bored but played pretty well. I had brought her broken tent from home and Cody rigged it up for her. The adults sat and talked for most of the time, including some "What's the worst thing you've ever done". It was an enjoyable few hours. We all rested and thankfully it was much warmer Friday than Thursday. Cody grilled chicken legs and brats and it was seriously good. The girls played and swang at the park some more. After dinner, we got the fire going for another night of smores and talking. The girls went to be relatively easy and we played "Would you rather?" for a few hours.
Saturday morning, we had eggs and sausage and it wasn't as cold as the day before. Harper and I made resurrection rolls which turned out pretty cool. She was so much more excited about eating a crescent roll than talking about Jesus but it was still a good thing to discuss since it was Easter weekend. Whitney and Marcus had to leave early to meet a contractor so after breakfast we all started packing up. After they left, we swang at the park and took another walk. We packed up the camper and headed home just in time for a late midmorning nap.
We had a great time camping and loved spending the weekend with friends. Being there and being outside and away from the TV and my phone just makes life slow down and allows me to rest more. It was such a necessary weekend for us to spend time together as a family. Can't wait to go back over Memorial Day!
