big holes camping trip

I love this part of summer! Jonathan ends his job with the U.S. Forest Service soon (only 3 days left!) and he had a bunch of credit hours saved up, so he took three extra days off (which he still got paid for- wahoo!). We decided the best thing to do was to go camping of course. Surprisingly, we have only gone camping ONE other time in the duration of our being married. It was before a baby came along, back in the day when we didn't have to worry about anyone else and do whatever we pleased :) Well in the middle of the night some bears scared us off and we flew outta there faster than a jet plane. So...for Jonathan's dignity we had to do this again- the RIGHT way. Besides, Talmage is finally at the age where he enjoys exploring outside and a change of scenery.

Our campsite was complete perfection. I give kuddos to my hubby...he knows the best places to camp since he is out there in the woods every day. There was a fire pit, nearby creek, lots of run-around room, hiking trails, and huckleberries just up the slope from our tent. Talmage loved every second of it- he especially favored the creek.

During Talmage's nap Jonathan and I ventured out to pick huckleberries. They were everywhere in abundance- it was amazing to see! I have to say it was probably the most romantic thing we've done as a couple in a long time. We don't get a lot of alone time really, and the simple things are special to us. I love my husband so much, and seeing him get all excited like a little kid reminds me just how much.

This was our first time trying out the canvas tent that Jonathan inherited...it is a pain putting up but I can't complain too much because we could fit the pack n play and a queen size air mattress inside :)

Scrabble table (we don't go anywhere without our favorite game!)

Talmage's dirty little toes! (I just love taking of pics of his toes, not sure why)

At night we roasted cheddar bratwursts and drank hot chocolate, and it started getting pretty nippy.

We bundled up our little boy pretty good...

...but of course he wiggled out of it and had a really difficult time falling asleep. Once he was sleeping we bundled him AGAIN, and he stayed that way until 4 am. Then all hell broke loose. He had this terribly cough that didn't sound good and he was just plain miserable. We decided that we would leave once daylight broke and take him to the doctor. Something just wasn't right. The three of us managed to get another few hours of sleep, and then we packed up camp and headed home. I think we were all pretty sad about leaving (the plan was to stay for two nights) but the biggest lesson we've learned as parents is that our child ALWAYS comes first. And in this case, we made the right decision.

The doctor revealed to us that Talmage had a double ear infection and the beginnings of bronchitis. He wrote a prescription, and thanks to modern medicine, Talmage is now almost completely better. It broke my heart to see him in more pain, especially after just getting over a respiratory infection. But I am SO glad that we left when we did- I'm sure that the cold night air wasn't making it any better for the poor little guy. We still had lots of fun and it was only the precursor to next week!

Have I mentioned that we are taking a vacation? On Sunday we're headed to Grand Jean and then to Garden Valley (you can bet there will be a post and lots of pictures to come!). I am so freaking excited. Garden Valley is where we honeymooned, and it was gorgeous covered in snow but now we get to experience it in full summer glory. The best part? NO TENTS! We'll be staying in cabins all along the way. ahh....so nice :)