Our Last Camping Trip Of The Year

Well... I suppose I must admit our camping season has ended. We had hoped to go a few more times but with the negative temperatures and occasional snow, I think we’ve camped our last night for the year a few weeks ago.

We have been wanting to try this campground all summer but the forest fire that was headed our way was also threatening this area. They lifted the alert and reopened the campground a couple days before the September long weekend. We managed to book one of the few sites left. We avoid campgrounds on long weekends. 

Lots of loud people + our crazy dogs = not my idea of relaxing weekend.  But this campground closed right after this weekend so it was then or wait til next year. 

It turns out we had the whole place to ourselves! It was fully booked but only one other site decided to show up. No complaints here! 

It was a little cold with the wind at times. And the lake was definitely too cold to swim in but Tayley found other ways to splash in it. She spent ours with her shovel and pail in the sand. 

We’ve definitely added it to our list to camp at next year again. With views like this, how could we not?!

So sadly we’re winterizing the trailer before we store it. We’ll miss our camping adventures from now until it’s time to take it out again. But we look forward to our winter exploring. 

Dreaming Of Fresh Air And Summer Days

Where we live we don't often have a lot of natural disasters. The only thing we really have to be concerned about is wildfires. We've been lucky the past few years. Fires have been close enough to see from our house but not threatening. Usually they have them under control quickly.

 If you follow me on Instagram you'll have seen my instastories that we've had a forest fire for the past 27 days. At one point we were on evacuation alert but they've been able to slow the fire down and have taken us off alert for now. We're surrounded by several fires so the air has been very thick with smoke and terrible quality. So we've had to spend a lot of time inside. We usually spend hours a day outdoors so this hasn't been easy.

Some days are easier than others but I'm finding it more and more difficult. Hopefully the smoke dies down soon! But for now I'll remember all the great times we had this summer! We've really tried to make the most of it with camping and hiking whenever we could. So here are a few of the things we've done this summer!

Camping in Mount Robson

Camping And hiking in Wells Gray Provincial Park. The waterfalls were our favorite!

Prince Rupert, Terrace, and Smithers

More camping and hiking! (See a trend yet?!)

And summer isn't summer without bubbles!

Tayley Turns One

This past weekend we celebrated Tayley turning one! Everyone warned us that the time would fly by and wow has it ever. I don’t know where the year went. Pretty sure she was just born a few months ago.

First birthday parties aren’t really for the kids though are they? I see them more as a “yay! You survived and they survived!”  Because I’m sure if Tayley had picked the theme it would have been kitties and not boho chic/floral woodland lol. I think my husband was probably the most excited out of the three of us. “It’s my little girl’s birthday. And she’s only one once” was said many times!

We had over 200 real flowers and I didn’t count how many fake flowers. There was lace and burlap and a teepee with lace. I love how the whole party turned out! (Plus now I’m convinced I want that many flowers always in the house). For party favours we sent vases of flowers home with everyone.

She may not have known what a birthday is all about but she certainly had a great time getting lots of attention and playing with her cousins! We had a very happy and tired girl by the end of the night.

I thought I might be a ball of tears but I held it together pretty good. And as sad as it is that my baby isn’t a baby anymore, I have a little relief too. The newborn and baby phases we’re at times stressful and tiring. This new stage we’re at seems less. It seems like a fun age where her personality and communication becomes more and more pronounced. I’m excited to watch her grow.

It’s Winter

I hope my last post didn’t sound like I was complaining about the past 9 months! I absolutely adore this little creature I made and wouldn’t change anything.

We’ve had an interesting past couple weeks around here. It has been cold off and on (-30c some days). We’ve had lots of snow! We measured 4 feet! Some of that was from a massive snow storm that lasted a couple days.  It has since compressed and melted a bit. But it was a lot to deal with all at once. There is lots of snow for cross country skiing!

Few more months and that will look like a garden again!

So much snow; the truck just pushes it 

Side view of the roof. Once shovelled off, it blocks some of our windows it’s so deep! 

Challenging to walk through 

We’ve also had a few colds in the house. Seems like one or more of us has been sick at one time off and on for weeks. I think we’re finally all healthy! I hope! That calls for walks in the snow and making cookies.

Exercise and Body Image

Exercise and body image... man what a tricky balance. At least I find for myself. I’m always trying to eat healthier and exercise more; it feels like it’s something I’ve been struggling with for a long time. I think I’ve been doing better the last few years. I’m no where near my goal but I try and I respect myself for that and love my body for what it can do.

 I went into this past pregnancy not at my ideal anything. I had just had a traumatic miscarriage and was using exercise as part of my therapy. I found it so helpful for the 9 months I was pregnant this time. Exercise helped me calm some of the anxiety and feel like I was doing something to help everything go ok.

I was so proud of myself for working out almost every day and right up till my due date! I definitely think I was in the best shape I’ve been in probably 10 years! I have no doubt it helped me during the labor and recovery. But fast forward and we’re talking a baby who never slept and had weight gain issues, colic, reflux, lip tie, my hip was out and painful, etc. That sounds like a lot of excuses. I tried working out despite everything. I always had a hard time understanding the excuse from some moms of never having energy or time to exercise. But boy do I get it. For 7 1/2 months I held her for every nap and sometimes a lot of the night or she wouldn’t sleep. Plus then you get them used to it and you’re in trouble!

So we worked on it and now she’s sleep trained! Hallelujah! I could hear angels singing! The past couple months I’ve been going jogging with her in the stroller or workouts while she naps. Or cross country skiing and skating when the weather is nice or we’re not fighting colds.  I’ve got a long way to go. But mentally I feel so much better already. Maybe it’s the sleep or maybe it’s the exercise 😋. But she’s napping so I better get a workout in; she’s starting to walk now and I’ll need to step my workouts up if I’m going to keep up with her!