Big Sur Camping

Our last trip of the summer was certainly a fun one; we went camping in Big Sur with my family. I used to come here growing up and I'm really glad I got to go back! This was Ellie's first camping trip and she actually did very well. Only a few instances of screaming and refusing to nap, haha. Jude, as usual, loved camping, loved grandpa, and resisted mom at all costs. We missed Peter on this little trip, but we were really happy to spend time in the beauty of nature with some of our favorite people!

Checking out Grandma's tent. The kids loved to play in here with all their toys

Learning how flashlights work

Jude was covered in a layer of dirt the entire time...and I made zero effort to fix that. Joys of camping!

Eleanor never stopped wiggling. The whole time. This made things a little frustrating for me, since she doesn't walk yet and most of the time there was no place to crawl.

One day I got really ambitious and decided to go for a run to Pfieffer Falls in the state park. Of course, I neglected to read past the 1.5mi description and totally missed the "Strenuous, uphill climb" part. Not my best idea...but I made it! I'm glad we didn't try to drag the kids up there! You can also tell we are having a drought. I have a picture of this same place as a kid and the waterfall is huge!

Being in Big Sur, we got to take a little trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Have I mentioned how much I love being members there? Jude loved it, as always. This time he was especially fond of the sharks, who "go chomp chomp chomp." Ellie really loved it; I think aquariums is one of the best things to do with older babies! They actually seem to love the fish and lights and everything.

We also got the chance to go to Point Lobos and see lots of neat tide pools and classic Monterey coastline. 

We found a little beach to check out. Water was freezing, but Grandpa was great company!

Most of the time, Jude just wanted to throw rocks.

This, to me, is Monterey in a nutshell.

Grandpa was the only one Ellie would sit quietly in the backpack with. 

Slippery tide pools. Don't step on the green!

Grandpa is always the best part of any trip for these two.

Reminds me of my visits here as a kid!

During this trip, I was continually reminded how grateful I am for this beautiful earth. It's always wonderful to get out and see all the wonders Heavenly Father created for us!