Fathers and Sons

Everyone was excited for Fathers and Sons!

We've never slept over for Fathers and Sons, probably because Dad is afraid of camping without Mom, but this year the boys were determined. Dad knew there'd be a lot of trouble if he took the tent. First, we had to be back by 9 am for soccer games; second, the dust at the campsite would permanently damage the tent, third, it has been really cold (in the 40's for highs) this week, and fourth, Dad really didn't want to worry about all of that without Mom to help him.

So the alternate plan was to sleep in the van. Before we went, we removed all the rear seats and tested it out. Two crib mattresses made a nice bed for Mark and Dax, and Dad and Seth laid out the two cot mattress on top of each other and slept behind the front seats. It was a little cramped, but it worked okay for one night. The biggest problem was that the rear seats, bags, and other luggage had to be stored in the driver seats or on top of the van!

The boys thought sleeping in the back of the van was amazing!

We rode out to Mocida Farms, which is on the southwest corner of Utah Lake. There were an unbelievable number of people from our stake there. The estimate was around 750 people. Campers, tents, and trucks were lined up as far as you could see. The dust was terrible, and covered everything. The kids really liked to kick through it, too, so every child looked like Pigpen from a Peanuts cartoon. The boys had fun, though, because Dad was in charge, which meant that they were freer to roam than usual. They played football and baseball and had a great time with friends from our neighborhood.

There were a lot of people there! A lot!

The dust...oh, the dust!

They even ate okay at dinner and breakfast. For dinner we had bacon macaroni and cheese, which they wouldn't touch and pulled pork sandwiches that they wouldn't eat. Luckily, there was also a hotdog table set up, so they had chips, hotdogs, and water. Breakfast was done by our ward, and we had breakfast burritos, muffins, and fruit. The boys like tortillas and fruit, so they ate pretty well.

At about 9 o'clock it got dark enough for the traditional movie. They set up a projector and aimed it at the mostly white side of a large trailer. We watched a short film on the restoration of the Priesthood and then the movie Kung Fu Panda. All three boys made it to the end, which came at nearly 11pm.

The boys are always excited if they get to stay up late.

Seth was freezing while he watched the movie, but he would not miss the end. 

All ready for bed!

We had a great time on our first camping trip of the year even without Mom. And she mostly enjoyed the night home alone, though her feet were pretty cold when we got there.

A note from Mom: I wasn't really sure what to do with myself with a whole evening all to myself. Luckily, it didn't take me too long to realize all of the possibilities. First of all, I went to Kneaders where none of the boys ever want to go. I picked up a sandwich, some soup, and a mint chocolate cupcake. I talked to my mom uninterrupted for 30 minutes. Then, I really just worked on the blog and other things while I watched Once I Was a Beehive. I read my book, and went to bed. It was a very peaceful, relaxing evening!

Night out on the town!