Camp Erickson

I didnt take this picture, but I just wanted to give a visualization!

This past weekend we traveled up to Idaho for the first time in almost 8 months (since Emmett's been born)! We had an Erickson family reunion up in Ashton at Rock Creek Girls Camp. I forgot how beautiful Idaho is in the summer. You just can't beat all that gorgeous green backdropped by sunsets that almost look unreal. You can count at least five different colors in them, they look like they're straight out of a painting. Although the scenery definitely struggles 6 months out of the year, the other 6 are breathtaking!

This trip was a BIG step for us. I spent weeks fretting over how it was going to go. Up until this, Emmett had never gone farther than a half hour from home, and never been around more than maybe 15 people at once. This weekend we traveled four hours, and had to have visited over 50 people. I'm not sure if people realize that for me it's not just as simple as "oh all babies have to get sick at some point." For months in the NICU it was drilled into my brain that exposure to germs or sickness could literally equal something as severe as death for my baby. That's all I've ever really known. So imagine having that mindset, and taking your baby to a reunion with 40+ people, including tons of kids and toddlers (who we all know are notorious for carrying around tons of germs and not washing their hands). THEN imagine how tense I was when these little kids ran up and grabbed Emmett's hands (which are perpetually stuck into his mouth)!

In addition to those concerns, I was worried about how Emmett would do with all the driving (he is not the fondest of his carseat or sitting still for that matter). I was worried about him being out in the sun all day long. And the Doctor told me before I left that he really shouldn't be exposed to too many mosquitos and his time outdoors should be limited. Wonderful (mosquitos are really bad up in Ashton this time of year, and obviously the whole reunion was outdoors). I was even worried about how he would sleep, and if he'd be up all night crying because he was in a place he didn't recognize.

But Emmett (and I) did great! He did the car ride like a champ, and may even be beginning to enjoy it! woo hoo! I brought up his bassinet and I think the familiarity helped him sleep really well. I kept him well covered from mosquitos, kept a little OFF fan with us wherever we went, and made sure to leave by dusk when they started to get really bad. Amazingly, both he and I made it out of there with NO mosquito bites, which is quite the feat up there! Unfortunately despite all my precautions, Emmett did end up coming down with a cold, which we are hoping does not develop into anything else and heals quickly.

Emmett with Grandpa Rex. See the Resemblance?

                                                    

But moving on to the reunion, we had a great time! We visited with lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles that we don't get a chance to see very often. We watched the guys play lots of Ultimate frisbee, football, and other lawn games (Jared played pretty intensely, and I think regretted it afterward hahah). We ate tons of YUMMY food (the Ericksons are famous for that), and went to Horseshoe Lake and canoed one day. We also put on quite the skit for Saturday night entertainment if I do say so myself! Did anyone get pictures or video?? I wish I would have thought of that at the time! It was the deal where one person lays on the ground, and the other person straddles over them hiding their legs, so it looks like their legs are really the persons lying on the ground and they're super flexible (are you following me?) Anyway, Sarah, Sherri, and I were the legs, and Gabby, Emily, and Jared were the tops. We started out with some yoga stretches, then transitioned into a great dance routine that me and Emily choreographed to "I need a Hero" (the 80s song on Footloose). Jared dancing with my legs on bottom had to have been quite the sight. I wish I could have seen it. haha!

All in all, the trip was a success! Emmett loves the outdoors, so he was content with all the new scenery to take in. Everything went pretty smooth and I was so relieved. He also got to wear some of his hand-me-down winter clothes, which he hasn't been able to down in Provo since it's so warm. He looked A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E in them! I snapped a pic of a couple of his outfits for you :-) I really wish I would have taken more pictures, but I was pretty preoccupied and needed an extra set of hands!