Bayly Campout: Episode One

This past weekend the Bayly's decided to try for a new camping spot and headed up to Lodgepole, above Heber. Lot's of really tall pine trees for shade, good temperatures, and clear skies; you couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend. With Rory being more mobile than in years past, we decided we better have plenty of activities on hand to keep her occupied. We packed the stroller, and she would sucker anyone she could into taking her for a turn around the campground. We also brought Play-doh and bubbles, two of our kid staples.

Rory liked my bunny eating a carrot. Dany and her cousin Avery were especially happy about the Play-doh and constantly asked when they could play with it again.

Treg and Carolyn also brought a lot of good kid-crafts like molding clay and sun-catchers. The kids had a blast with them. We also took advantage of nearby Strawberry Reservoir for a little fishing action. My kids have never been fishing, and we own zero equipment, so at first they played around near the lake.

Then some of their cousins decided to help them learn the ins and outs of the sport. Turns out Maisie has quite a good cast!

Even Rory got a turn, though you'd think it was mud-fishing watching her technique.

When no one seemed to be having any luck with actual fish, they spent some timing fishing for a couple of these guys instead.

Gross. Our nephew Kolby celebrated his birthday that weekend, and one night we had cake and homemade ice cream to mark the occasion. This is Rory's attempt to help churn said ice cream by pumping the bucket handle up and down.

Thankfully her cousin Jordan is very patient :). That kid always manages to be at the heart of whatever is going on.

And of course there were campfires and s'mores. Dany and all her little friends managed to squeeze themselves together on our little kid bench.

The only major problem we experienced were the bugs. They were EVERYWHERE! And there were these nasty biting flies that seemed to love my kids, and would bite them half a dozen times around their neck and ears before anyone even realized what was going on. We're set to head back to the same place later this summer, and I seriously hope the bugs have died down by then. And speaking of bugs, check out these unrelated pics:

This is a moth Teag spotted on the outside of our garage the other day. And yes, that's a quarter! Check out the size of that thing! I've never seen such a big moth. the kids were fascinated with it, but I have to say, it gives me the heebs. It's a little too Hitchcockian for my taste. Anyone heard of any moth's attacking humans? ;)

Dear Tooth Fairy...

Super Spectacular 4th!

This past 4th was one of the best ones we've had in awhile. It was a day jam-packed full of fun, and we heard the girls say more than once that this was the best day ever. Be prepared for a post full of pics!

We started the day off with the annual neighborhood kiddie parade and pancake breakfast. The girls bounced out of bed the second we walked in their bedroom door, giddy excited to begin the day. We'd decorated bikes and scooters the night before, and met up with all the neighborhood cousins at the library.

Things went much smoother on the trail this year, now that Dany has a more suitable bike.

After we ate breakfast, the kids spent time over at the park, and Rory was treated to her own special ride courtesy of Grandpa and Uncle Kevy.

Gotta love the hair. Originally the temperature was forecast to be topping out at 3 digits, but we woke up to overcast skies and significantly lower temps. We'd promised the girls a little water fun, and despite being cooler than planned, we decided to go ahead with it and invite some friends and neighbors to join us.

Maisie taking the plunge

Basking in a brief glimpse of sun

Hanging out in the pool

Maisie and Caitlyn drying off

Rory and "Future Husband" Ethan Kiser. These two really hit it off.

Dangerous water sports

Owen trying to drink out of the hose

Rory getting warmed up with Dad, who hoped to get rid of her purple lips; she spent nearly two full hours in the pool

And cute little Lucy Kiser, who is rarely without a huge smile on her face

Once the pool party broke up we had lunch and naps for everyone, in order to ensure all would be ready for the evenings festivities. We packed up a big jug of lemonade and our homemade ice-cream maker to take to Brad & Sara's for an old fashioned barbecue.

Then the kids entertained us with a very enthusiastic rendition of the Macarena.

Be sure you check out Dany and her sweet hip action. That kid can shake it! Next came sparklers and a few other small fireworks.

And afterward, Rory was very conscientious in helping Grandpa clean up the debris :).

Then the kids were told that was it for the night. Grandpa and Uncle Kevy had made a secret run to Evanston, WY for some, shall we say, "questionably" legal fireworks for when it got dark. The kids had had a very full day already, and were starting to wind down.

So we took the party into the backyard, where my brother set up his outdoor movie screen and we all watched "The Sandlot".

Perfect movie for the occasion. Right at the scene where the fireworks start to go off while they're playing a night game, Grandpa let rip some pretty impressive cakes that made us feel like we had our own personal show. The kids were jumping out of their skin with excitement, and even us adults were pretty impressed.

It was an absolutely perfect day, so full of fun, and the spirit of America. Happy Birthday, USA.

Maiden Voyage

Last weekend we were finally able to get out and go camping, now that the weather finally decided to warm up. Last year we bought a tent trailer, and by our first trip we realized that our little family of five was already too big for said space. So early this year we bought a newer, and significantly larger one. And after this, its maiden voyage, I can say we are well pleased. Unfortunately, I didn't really think to take any pictures of it, so that will have to wait for another adventure.

This time our family headed up to the much beloved property, also known as Rogers Hollow. We arrived Friday afternoon and spent most of the rest of that day leveling out a good trailer spot with the help of my dad and brother. As nit-picky and precise as they are, they could one day build a cabin on the footings they dug if they so chose :). But after all that hard work, now we have a permanent place to camp whenever we go, an arrangement that will save us a lot of time and hassle in the future.

Rory held court inside the trailer while she waited for us to be finished.

This is her crawling around inside when it's still closed up, she's the perfect size to get around in there.

One of the kids favorite activities this time was going for long walks around the property. They get Grandma and Grandpa and various other adults, and go wandering all over the place. They'd often be gone an hour or more.

Here's a great picture of all of them at the top of the road, taking a break from said walk. Well, great except for Rory's meltdown anyway.

There were the obligatory s'mores, and a bunch of us had fun playing Farkle. The older kids spent hours chasing down butterfly's with the nets that Aunt Meg brought along, and the younger kids got ridiculously dirty playing in the sandbox. Due to the latter, we were VERY grateful that our new trailer came equipped with a shower/bath, and we were able to give Rory and Dany a complete scrub-down.

Suddenly, camping several days with small children didn't seem as bad anymore; or at least, not as filthy :).

We look forward to heading back up to the property at least a few more times this summer. We've got to make all that work on the trailer site feel worth it, after all.