Camping at Terra Rose

We just got home from our semi-annual camping trip to Terra Rose. We love camping at Terra Rose. Every time we come away feeling refreshed, happy and closer as a family. 

The kids and I left from the car rider pickup line and drove straight to the campsite.
We were the first ones there and because the weather was amazing and Tanner was working on finishing his cub scout requirements for his arrow of light, we decided to go for a hike. 

Benson and Bailey  really enjoyed carrying these "walking sticks" around with them on our hike. 

Tanner used his compass to make sure we didn't get lost.
(Don't worry, I knew where we were the whole time)

I did discover these really cute bears in a small cave we hiked to.
They tried really hard to be scary but they just couldn't scare me. 

By the time we got back from our hike, Dad had arrived at our campsite.
Benson and Tanner got to work helping Dad set up the tent. 

Tucker busied himself with stealing cheeseballs. I love that little face. 

Tanner eventually conquered the tent!

Here's Benson checking out Dad's little tiny tent. Sadly, the pole broke before bed and Daddy got to spend the night in a half collapsed tent. (Another reason to invest in a new bigger tent)

We all really enjoy this rope swing. It's so fun. Lots of kids can fit on their at once and they have the best time together. 

Look at those cuties. 

These brothers. They are the best of friends but also fight worse than any of my other kids.
I guess that makes the good times all the sweeter. 

Seriously, all the feels for these two cute brothers. 

Tanner and Dad worked hard to get the fire going for us.
Tanner really wanted to use his firestarter he got for his birthday. 

While Bailey worked hard to cut some wood using the survival saw.
(Spoiler alert- we never actually cut through the branch)

Then the rest of the cousins arrived and the fun really began. 

We squeezed 8 of the 9 cousins onto the swing together and they were all laughing so hard. It was pretty cute. 

Then Aunt Sarah took a turn with Grant and some of the other kids. 

Bailey and Grant also bonded during this camping trip. 

She held him while he interacted with the random dog that showed up. Grant loves dogs and he was really enjoying all the attention for the dog. 

Look at all those cute cousins. I love them so much!

After we wrangled all those kids for a picture, we ate dinner. Uncle Joseph and Aunt Julieta made steak tacos for us and the kids roasted hot dogs. They also enjoyed rootbeer and smores.
Dinner was delicious and the kids were having the best time together.

After dinner and smores we told some mild ghost stories around the fire. 

Then it was time for bed. We got the kids tucked in and then just hung out around the fire for a while before going to bed. 

I didn't sleep great and both Chris and I agreed it was time to upgrade to a bigger tent for our whole family, instead of two small tents. We also need to invest in an inflatable mattress  for camping.
We are getting to old to sleep on the floor. 

The next morning we made a big breakfast scramble for everyone. 

Then the kids went on a hike together. They led each other around the property and took care of each other. It was a little nerve racking for me since I couldn't see them the whole time but so good for their independence.
Then we let the kids roast starbursts over our dying fire. Soo yummy!

After getting our campsite all packed up and loaded into the car, we played for a while longer.
I love all the pics of the kids on the swing. They are getting so big. 

We had such a great time. The weather was amazing and it was our first time for all of us to sleep in tents together. Usually some of us sleep in the cabin. But now that our youngest is old enough, we are turning into tent campers.
I'm not sure I'm ready to fully commit to tent camping, but getting a big tent will help. 

We can't wait to go back in the spring for our next camping trip.

After getting back from our campout, I took all the kiddos over to our fixer upper house to work and clean up from the demo phase of the remodel. They worked so hard. We filled up the dumpster and then I took them all to get ice cream treats and a movie from the red box. 

We went back to our house and everyone took showers and then we just chilled until the dads finished their work on the house. 

We feel so blessed to have so much family near by to play and work with us. 

Here's to many more adventures together!