First family camping trip

We reached a milestone in our marriage this year and took our first family camping trip! Sure we've been camping dozens of times with MY family but never on our own yet. Man...there was a lot of things to pack! We used every inch of our van but we got it all in!

I was itching to get out and determined to make a camping trip happen no matter how hard it would be with 4 kids six and under. I needed this trip for my sanity.

And we're off to Payson Lakes! Both a little nervous about how we were going to pull this trip off. 

 We arrived at a great time and found a great spot right away. Despite it being Pioneer Day weekend. The kids were so excited for a camp fire and to sleep in a tent.

 Rylee did amazing! In fact she slept through the night for the first time ever while we were camping. It rained a bit the first night but then was perfect weather after that.

 We headed to the lake on Thursday and it was perfect weather and there weren't a ton of people there yet. We spent hours laying on the beach and digging in the sand.

 Brielle loves being outside and I think she got in the water more than anyone else. It was pretty cold water and one dip was enough for me!

 Carter dug out this little pool and filled it with water. He worked so dilligently and dad coached him along telling him how to build up the edges and where to level.

 It was such a nice peaceful day and the lake was beautiful! There's a path that goes all around the lake and we rode bikes on it several times and sucked in as much mountain air as we could.

 Back at camp, Brielle kept us all busy and entertained as she discovered the outdoors.

 Friday morning we hiked Grotto Falls. A simple little hike perfect for kids. Brielle had the best spot!

 And there it is...the  kids werent so impressed.

 Cute kids at the trail head.

 Brielle was very fun to watch because she was so excited about everything. She loved to dig in the dirt and most days i let her. You can imagine how dirty she was. I had the wonderful idea to strip her down and put warm water in a bowl and let her play. It worked great until the water was gone and she tipped backwards into the dirt!

 But we got that girl clean after all!

 Carter and Mollie spent most of their time riding bikes and skipping rocks. We camped in a loop so they had lots of space to ride.

He is growing up so fast and I love his love for life. He also was excited about everything. 

 Mollie did an awesome job helping with Brielle and keeping up on the hikes, bike rides and everything else. When she would get tired she would sit down to do a craft but not long would pass and she would be back on her bike flying down the hill as fast as those training wheels would let her. She is fearless on her bike. Training wheels will be coming off soon!

 She is very creative and she found this stick that looks like a big number 5! Perfect for her upcoming 5th birthday.

 All in all it was a success. We had a wonderful relaxing time. I spent a lot of time reading and soaking up the sun and doing a few bike rides too. And eating plenty of good food! We've already decided that we will be back next year. We loved it so much.

I'm positive there were angels helping us to make this trip a success. We were worried 3 days would be too long but we all left feeling like it wasnt long enough! The kids all behaved so well and I know we were protected. Here's to next summer and more camping trips!!

Our new slogan is this :Go camping, it's cheaper than therapy.