Father & Sons Campout

I decided yesterday to take Jackson and Bradley on our Stake's Father and Sons Campout. I called around and found some other dads who were going and we carpooled up with them. We found a good campsite and started setting up camp. The wind was blowing hard, so setting up the tent was difficult. The boys helped get the tent set up and then we brought our bedding into the tent and got it ready.

Bradley in the tent sans teeth

The wind didn't quit blowing. All of the stake got together for singing and stories and the wind kept blowing. It was blowing so hard, we almost decided not to light our own fire when we got back to camp. But what would camping be without a fire and smores???

We roasted marshmallows and hotdogs, ate chips, and drank lots of drinks.

When it was time for bed, I took the boys to the the tent and we stayed up talking for a while. We shared testimonies and everyone had their turn to pray. They were a little freaked out because of how hard the wind was blowing, so they included that in their prayers. The tent did bend in the wind, but it didn't break. I now know I can take this tent anywhere and it will do fine.

When we got up in the morning, it was COLD. We packed up all of our stuff and I realized some things don't change. I STILL don't like stuffing my sleeping bag back into its stuffsack when my hands are cold! We got everything packed up except for taking down the tent. We decided to go eat breakfast and then come back and take down the tent.

Bradley with the semi-automatic BB-gun in front of the Hummer

Jackson with the semi-automatic BB-gun in front of the Hummer

The stake made pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was really good. I wish we could have enjoyed it a little longer, though. Before we got all of our food, it started snowing. I jokingly asked if this counts as the Klondike as well, but that was when it was only starting to snow. We quickly ate our breakfast and then headed back to camp to take down our tent and help the others with their stuff.

When we got to camp, the snow was just starting to accumulate on the tent. All of the kids were freezing, so we put them in the Expedition while we worked on camp. We managed to get everything packed up and headed home. We headed home a lot earlier than we were planning, but we had a great time.

This picture does NO justice to how cold it was! This is when the snow started. By the time I got the tent down and packed, it was covered in snow and mud.

When I got back home, I unpacked the tent to dry it out and clean the mud off of it. I unrolled the tent and there was a bunch of snow still in it.

Bradley in his FAVORITE seat in the Hummer...the 6th seat in the back!

We made it through our trial run of camping together. Now we are ready for our trip to Alaska and camping along the way. I told the boys our trip to AK would be a lot easier as we will be sleeping in the back of the Sienna instead of a tent covered in snow. But they will also be ready for camping in AK with all of the family. AK here we come!