Fall in the Mountains with a Toddler

Fall. Is there a more magical time? There is actually. It’s called Christmas. Fall is pretty dang close though. All of the changing leaves, the crisp air, the pumpkin smells…. It’s all amazing! We had a barbecue in the mountains last weekend, and it was so beautiful. Utah friends, the canyons are so pretty right now. We thought it would be busy, but more people were driving through the canyon than doing little campfires. We went with Josh’s family and Oliver was loving having his cousins to play with. Also, how cute is it that Ollie and his cousin Carter showed up in matching jackets from H&M!

Growing up in Arizona, I didn’t grow up in the outdoors. I’m so glad that Josh did though and that Oliver gets to. He loves being outside and it melts my heart to see how curious he is. Just when I feel like I can’t love that little guy anymore, he does another cute thing!

So, real talk for a minute. This was fun, and the pictures make it look like our time was magical, which it was. It was definitely not easy though. I worried about Ollie and the fire, him running into the road, him sliding down the rocks near us, him sticking his hands in the empty fire pit at the site next to us… Need I go on? Thankfully, I had Josh to calm me down and remind me that he needs to learn and explore. He didn’t get hurt, he listened to us for the most part about the fire, and he didn’t get close to the road. He’s ok!

Here’s what I would recommend to all moms and dads worried about taking their toddlers to the mountains for a little barbecue:

• Bring a high chair. We brought this super compact one from Amazon that has worked wonders. It allowed him to eat without being able to get away and gave us a little break from chasing him around.
• Bring some sort of toy that he can use, like a little shovel or bucket. We didn’t do this, but it would have been nice to have! This would have given him something to do while exploring. Thankfully though, my sister-in-law brought their dog, which was a huge distraction for Ollie.
• Bring coats and/or blankets! It gets chilly up in the mountains, and you don’t want to have to rely on the fire to keep you warm!
• Bring plenty of wipes and sanitizer. Things will get messy. As long as you can clean up your babe’s hands though, you will be fine!
• Bring good shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty for your babe and you – Thankfully we did this, because Ollie sure did not care that his shoes got dirty or messy.

Hopefully this helps! If your kids are anything like my Ollie, they will love being able to explore and see new things.