Camping!

We went out for a great trip to the great outdoors this week!  For Isadora it was her first camping trip and for Genevieve and I it was our first in a long time.  Patrick was in DC for New Year's so it was also a first attempt for me to take the girls (including Kita) by myself.  Luckily I wasn't totally by myself because I went with good friends who, among other things cooked all the food for me.  I did, however, managed to get Gargantor our tent up by myself with Izzy watching me intently from a bumbo that I brought for her.  It was a glorious (and free!) campsite on the Tohono O'odam reservation at the base of Baboquivari peak.  We rolled in at about 4 pm and stayed until 2 the next day and for December it was really warm, getting up to the mid seventies during the day. 

I was a little concerned about my ability to keep both girls warm at night but in the end it worked out quite well... despite Evie's blow up bed deflating in the middle of the night.  Luckily I had brought extra sleeping pads with me so we just moved her to the other side of me and I slept the night with a girl cuddled up on each side.  I had hoped to have Kita at my feet but unfortunately the zipper broke on the tent and so Kita had to be moved to the car (I started out with her in the tent but then she snuck out on me, thankfully my friends were still awake and tied her up...  I was a bit concerned at first when I woke up in the middle of the night and she wasn't there) 

 The next morning (after breakfast burritos complete with bacon and eggs... oh yes I choose my camping friends well) we took a hike up the mountain toward a cave.  It was a pretty darn difficult hike straight up the side of a mountain and both of the girls did great.  Izzy complied and just slept in the Ergo for 95% of the hike (the last 5% she was awake for and decided she was done with the pack so I just carried her in my arms... luckily we were off the steep stuff by then). 

Genevieve was a super hiker and kept up and kept going (without complaining even) for the entire hike.  To motivate her on the way down I told her I'd make her a badge that says "Super Duper Hiker" so now I need to go shopping for a button making machine or something :) We didn't make it all the way to the cave (it got really steep and rocky and I could tell Evie was tiring) but what we did get were some amazing views!  Maybe a year from now we'll take Patrick back and show him the spot and Evie will be ready to make it all the way to the top...