Santa Cruz Camping 2015

I'm committing to catching up on some 2015 posts.  So we are kicking it off with our camping trip that took place last May 2015...

We continued our Stewart family camping tradition in 2015 and this time it was better than ever as all five of us original kids (the first time that has happened in ages).   We now require two camping sites and six tents but we made it work.

The weekend was filled with strawberries (Fresno's finest that we brought with us), s'mores, foil dinners, campfires, trips to the beach, games, sunscreen, bike rides and more.

Camping with a sixteen month old was about 1000x easier than camping with a 4 month old (here's a good refresher as to how that went last year).  Eleanor managed to escape a sunburn (mostly) and slept well through the night, each night. Hallelujah!  We had a much larger tent this year and could fit the pack 'n play along with two jumbo twin mattresses in there.  Eleanor was walking pretty well at that point, although the variations in dirt and grassy patches made it difficult to navigate.  She was still not a fan of the frigid water (can't blame her) and is surprisingly anti-sand, which means that she likes to snuggle on someone's lap the whole time (not complaining there).  It sure is fun to see her interact with her cousins and spend quality time with the rest of the family too.

And I just couldn't decide which of these three following pictures was the cutest so I'm just sharing them all :)

 ^^We bundled her like crazy every night before bed.  She doesn't keep a blanket on her well so her only warmth was going to come from her clothes.  And as you could guess, those hand socks didn't last on her too long.

 ^^Our sweet neighbor Cheryl gave Eleanor this furry white coat so we documented it to show her

^^Eating at Pizza My Heart before heading home for good.

Santa Cruz 2014

We were lucky enough to attend the traditional Stewart family camping trip to Santa Cruz on Memorial Day weekend this year!  We had a great time and survived camping with a 4 1/2 month old!

My family has camped this weekend at New Brighton Beach for as long as I can remember.  The last time I joined in though was 2008 before going on my mission and getting married.  I had been talking it up for years to Aaron and was happy he could finally experience it.  I love this family tradition.

Granted, camping is very different with a baby.  We crammed a pack 'n play in to our tent, which just left enough room for Aaron and I to share a twin air mattress.  And when Eleanor would wake up in the middle of the night to eat I would snatch her up as quickly as I could before she woke up the entire campground.  But the days made it worth it.

I love playing games with the fam, roasting marshmallows, visiting with our cousins, and sitting on the beach (we don't actually go in to the water, just look at Eleanor's face below for why).  Chelsea even coaxed me in to a morning run on the beach, which nearly killed off my pathetically weak legs and lungs.

We left the camp on Monday feeling ready for showers and naps in a nice queen sized bed, but we sure loved the experience.  Can't wait for next year!

^^Eleanor celebrates Christmas in May apparently :) Also, the hand holding has got to be the cutest thing ever.  That was all them, no forced posing there.

^^Haha.  Don't mess with Eleanor!

^^First time in the ocean.  Total fail.  But it was freezing so you can't blame her!

^^Our campsite was super sunny so it was a constant battle to keep those babes covered.  Also, my mom is a champ and is always helping with the babies.  She makes vacations a lot easier and enjoyable!

^^The traditional Sunday family beach walk to Capitola.  We are the crazy ones up there walking on the beach fully clothed.