Family Camping Trip - Cape Disappointment

It's been forever since I last blogged!  And since then we have two new family members: Baby Vale and Ava the Van.  

Since my maternity leave is almost over (queue the tears) we decided to take a sporadic camping trip to Cape Disappointment up near Astoria.  The weather is finally starting to warm up a bit so we wanted to take full advantage while we could. 

Cape Disappointment (and site 168!) was ah-mazing.  We left the pups at home so we were forced to go back home, but hubs and I could have stayed much longer.   While we were preparing for dinner two small deer walked by our site and to the beach.  My entire heart was exploding!  I had a sleeping baby in the van, a hubs who was building the fire, while two deer who walked off into the sunset toward the ocean.  

While Ava provides more of a "glamping" experience, I've found a couple of tips that help a ton when camping/traveling with a baby:

1. Portable sound machine - I have a friend who gave me the bright idea to use an old iPhone and download a sound machine app.  This is our "portable sound machine" and works like a charm.  It's small, doesn't require batteries, and perfect for camping or spending nights away from home.

2. DockATot - I bought our DockATot used and questioned if $130 was worth it.  Guys - it's worth every penny!  I knew we would be doing a lot of traveling during my maternity leave since my cousin was getting married and we'd be traveling for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and THE WEDDING!  I wanted Vale to have something familiar to sleep in wherever we went.  This Dock-a-tot has been so amazing.  I can put it anywhere (in bed with me, on the ground, on a table since he's not mobile, etc) and it's always the same for him.