We are finally back from our weekend vacation to the Grand Canyon. We had a blast, it was an interesting adventure though. The kids were troopers dealing with a new experience for both of them. It was Lexis first camping trip, and the longest trip for Sean. He has never stayed for more than about 12 hours (or stay longer than overnight). It was both their first trip with the outhouse, or the "stinky potty" as it was named later. All in All they did really well.
So here are the pictures and stories of our adventure.....
The kids waiting to go, they were so excited, they didnt want to wait any longer....
On the road, finally....
After 6 1/2 hours on the road (including a stop for lunch and a quick stop at Wal-Mart) we were finally at the campground and ready to set up camp.....
Once the tent was set up we decided that we were just going to spend the first afternoon relaxing and enjoying nature and each others company....
The kids enjoyed having a fresh fruit snack under the tree in their camping chairs....
Then it was time for a fire roasted dinner.... Hot Dogs and Beans, YUM!!!
(The little man was tired of pictures all ready : ) )
And topped off with S'mores (cant have a camping trip without them)....
(unfortunately even though we froze the chocolate and had it in an insulated bag it melted, still made nice s'more though).....
It was the kids first taste of fire roasted marshmallows in s'mores....
Sticky, Ewy, Gooey, But they loved them.....
Then we took a walk to the campgrounds amphitheatre to see the rangers wildlife presentation, it was pretty cool and informative....
The ranger brought all kinds of antlers and fur to talk about the 10 largest game animals (9 of which are found in the forest and mountain ranges where we were staying) The kids thought it was cool. He also had the head of a javelina, it was really cool....
Then it was time to hit the sack, we were ALL pretty tired.....
Up and at 'em, the kids were up bright and early as usual.... BUT, they werent ready for the cold. It was pretty nippy.....
They enjoyed a breakfast of warm pancakes.....
and chillin' by the camp fire to keep warm....
(Insert story here: Those pictures from breakfast and chillin' were taken just before the boy had his first meltdown of the trip. He woke up with a stomach ache and we couldnt figure out what was going on. He ate fine for breakfast and even had seconds, he didnt have a fever or anything, but still was complaining he didnt feel well. We soon found out that he was needing to go potty (#2) but he didnt like the smell of the outhouse so he had been holding it in until it was making him ill. I tried to go with him and help him plug his nose while he went, but it was too late, he had worked himself up so much that he was on sensory overload (gotta love this part of the aspergers). He ended up upchucking in the toilet to which he couldnt stand the smell of and that traumatized him for the rest of the trip. Brandon was a trooper and ended up suggesting the idea and driving him to a less smelly potty in the campground for the rest of the trip, but that was short lived as well. He would much rather go in the "flush" pottys that were in town. Stay tune for more of this story.... lol)
Then after it warmed up enough to put on our shorts and tshirts we were off to the Grand Canyon, we hiked the rim trail (Mather Point overlook was closed so it was a much longer hike than we expected to get to the views, but it was worth it. It was beautiful)....
Then we went to Yavapai Lodge Cafe for lunch (We wouldnt recommend it, it was REAL pricey and the food wasnt all that great, oh well, live and learn).....
Then back to the campground to chill for the evening, the kids and Brandon took a nap while I read, then we had dinner (Chicken Pita Pockets) and then the kids hit the sack again while Brandon and I played cards and enjoyed some alone time....
The next morning (Happy 4th of July)we got up, had breakfast and while the kids drew pictures and enjoyed the campfire again....
Mommy an Daddy played cards until it warmed up enough to go back to the Canyon.....
When we got to the parking lot at Yavapai Pt. we were greeted by a little friend....
The kids thought he was SO cute and Sean wanted to take him home as a pet. He was definately domesticated, he was looking for food and not shy to come right up to us. We tried to explain to the kids why we dont feed the squirrels and just after we did someone else came up and fed the little guy. We had to grab Sean and hurry off because he started telling the guy why he was doing something wrong... LOL... I love my little man.....
Then we headed to the overlook....
The kids enjoyed getting to use the binoculars to see down into the canyon....
Then we headed down the trail to see more of the canyon and get to see and feel the different types of rocks....
Then we headed back to the campsite to cool off and play go fish in the tent....
The little man was SO excited he slaughtered us (7 sets)....
We spent some time in the nice breeze out under the tree.....
After a couple hours back at the site we decided that since we were only going to stay that night and then head home first thing in the morning anyway that it was ok to leave a little early. The poor little man was now refusing to use the potty unless it was a flush potty (the other potty was now just as stinky as ours) and we decided that it wasnt worth another night of torture for him or for us. We had FUN while it lasted. He really wasnt a pain about it at all and didnt complain, he would just hold it in almost beyond his breaking point (and you could tell he was really uncomfortable). We were really proud of how everyone handled the whole trip. There was some adventures most definately, but All in All it was a GREAT trip.
On the way home the kids enjoyed singing with mommy and daddy, drawing in their books, and Sean enjoyed his defusing time with daddys DS.... Thats his way of being able to shut out the world for a time and calm his nerves....
We were glad that we were able to take the time to bond together again as a family. And it was great to get to experience some firsts with the kids. We hope to make some more great memories like this again soon.
Hope you ALL had a GREAT 4th of July Weekend! Loves to you ALL!!!
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