camping(Verb)
1. Live for a time in a tent or camper, sans bathroom or electricity, when on vacation.
2. Take part in "real" camping activities, including hiking, fishing, and canoeing. Taylor's Dictionary
camping(Verb)
1. Live for a time in a tent or camper, with bathrooms (complete with flush toilets and showers) and electric, when on vacation.
2. Explore the nearest tourist attractions, including shopping, restaurants, and the occasional historic landmark.As you can see, our definitions differ quite a bit. Casey likes to be manly, dirty, and active; and I like to be clean and only moderately active.
No bother, we still LOVE to camp. And so will our kids. When I say our kids will abide by my definition, I mean, we will always be in an RV park or campground with facilities and (usually) electricity. I do NOT pee behind a bush. I have done so one other time in my life, when I was a Girl Scout, nonetheless, and that was not my proudest moment.
Anywho...Call us cheap vacationers, call us outdoorsy. This past weekend was one of the best, most relaxing weekends we've had in a long, long while. We didn't venture far from home, just 45 minutes east of Fountain Thrills, to Payson. Yet we managed to encounter several hiccups right off the bat. Soon our $20 vacation blossomed into a $200 vacation...
Hiccup #1: We no sooner began setting up camp, when we realized our tent was missing some vital pieces...the support frames. A quick trip to Wal-Mart, and we had a new tent, air mattress, stakes, flash light and beef jerky.
Hiccup #2: We bought this wonderfully large and luxurious air mattress, under the impression that it came with an air pump and battery, only to find out that the battery was sold separately. A quick trip to the Dollar Tree and we had an inflated air mattress.
All jokes aside, we had a great time. We were able to unwind and escape the run-around that is our home life. We slept in, we cuddled, we acted silly and spent time as a family. And it gave me a chance to appreciate the Phoenix climate for once (yes, the girl that hates Arizona), when I had to breastfeed Goosey Girl in a hoodie sweatshirt.
So how was it camping with a 6 month old? Pretty damn easy. We used disposables (and had a blowout...), because Momma Goose didn't wash the diapers in time. We packed for the worst - hot/cold, blowouts, drooling, etc. We didn't bother bringing the stroller, and I wore Lulu whenever we ventured out. And she entertained herself, briefly, while we set up the tent.
Maybe it's because we were only gone the one night, but it was really no harder than being home. I look forward to the first time we have to give Goosey a bath or feed her something other than boobs while "roughing it".
I cannot wait to go camping again - we're hoping to start going every other weekend or so! Here are some pictures from our glorious weekend...
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| Happy Goose, all bundled up! |
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| Co-sleeping while camping, no exceptions! |
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| Tonto National Forest |
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| Tonto Fish Hatchery |
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| Wearing my Goosey Girl! |
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| Getting in touch with my inner Pocahontas, breastfeeding under a Weeping Willow Tree |
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| Walking around with Daddy |
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| Piggy back from Daddy in the park |
