Lost Lake {Camping}

We are barely home and settled from our most recent camping trip, but this post is not about that one. Nope, I'm going all the way back to July.  Liam's birthday to be exact!  We wanted to celebrate our boy with one of his most favorite things, camping!  So after waking up to a visit from the balloon man, we hit the mountains and tried out a new spot on the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway called Lost Lake.  I packed a few extra treats, as well as birthday candles, to make this trip stand out to Liam and be just a tad sweeter!

We were up about 11,000 feet and the scenery was gorgeous.  Our site sat right along a creek with a view into a beautiful meadow.  This was the inspiration for Bambi; I am certain.  It could not have been more picturesque.  We spotted many deer throughout our stay, and even though this is a sight I am used, I am still in awe each time.  Wildlife never ever disappoints!

Since it was just our little family during this trip, it was slow paced.  The boys slowly explored our temporary home, while we threw together camp.  For the first time, Liam helped Conor saw some firewood.  He was determined and focused and desperately hoping that his muscles were strong enough.  I love how with each trip he becomes more involved.  Tents & firewood are where his skills currently lie.  And he's a pro at his head lamp, which he takes great pride over.

Our site was just a short little walk to the lake.  We brought our fishing poles and sure tried our darnedest, but there were no bites.  Not one.  The boys were still patient and loved taking turns with their Daddy to use the poles, and I suppose that is what it's really about.  Just the time spent together.  Sometimes Finn can be one big handful when we're trying to fish.  There's not always much of beach for him to hang out on, and he constantly wants to be in the water.  But his excitement over a fish that has been caught makes all the baby wrangling worth it!

And this trip was just full of sweet brother time.  I love being in wide open spaces where the boys can wander together.  Sometimes Liam tries to take too good of care of Finn, enforcing too many rules on him, but in general Finn is just happy to be running behind Liam.  He so desperately tries to keep up and is often incredibly sad about being left behind.  We're still reminding Liam that he needs to walk slower when with Finn.

This last picture was snagged just as we were packing up the last few things into the car.  These trips take a lot of effort, from both Conor & I.  They leave us with the best memories but also plenty of exhaustion.  But each time we rest our heads under the stars, I am reminded of why we do it.  I'm reminded how much my body & mind love that mountain air.  How much the escape is so good for us all.  There are no emails or texts to check.  There are no distractions.  It makes for the best kind of family time.  And I couldn't be more proud of how we are raising our boys to appreciate it all.  I'm not sure how long we'll live in Utah, but I hope they hold onto many of these moments that will have defined our time here!
'til the next camping recap...