an "Enchanting" Adventure...

Last thursday night Mike, (who happens to be obsessed with his weather app;) noticed that the weekend forecast was sunny with highs in upper 70's...perfect out door weather!!! Sooo...we thought we'd surprise the kids and go camping- especially with them starting up basketball and indoor soccer season next week, we knew our weekends were going to be accounted for. Our kids LOVE to go camping and they have been begging to go for a while now... So, we packed up the car , surprised them and took them out of school early on friday and headed to Enchanted Rock....

 one of the things I love most about camping is that it brings out the best in my kids and they become bff's all over again.

squinty-eyed kids near a campfire!

 we roasted some marshmallows and had some s'mores!! me included- which is why there are no pictures of that! sticky fingers and cameras don't go well together!

and hot chocolate to warm up before bedtime!

Lily woke up at 5am in the morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed and VERY chatty...to the point where she woke everyone up. Luckily all the kids thought that she was so cute and funny (me...not so much) and they each invited her into their sleeping bags to cuddle. she finally settled down, but by then Mike and the boys were gearing up for a sunrise hike. So off they went in the dark while the girls and I rested some more. They chased some bucks, got lost, saw the sunrise, bonded and had a very memorable hike. Apparently they went off trail and did some mountain climbing...while trying to take an action shot Mike dropped my phone off a cliff :(

on the upside- it still works...on the down side we aren't due for an upgrade till June- darn it!

 finally the sun rose and the girls and I got a start on some breakfast...

 happy campers!!

 the boys finally made it back and boy was I glad!! I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't get a fire started especially with Lily attached to my hip and it was really chilly in the morning!!!

 we made hot chocolatey goodness and got all warmed up!

 the boys enjoyed a little pyro-fun

 and had a little fun in the tent before taking it down.

 We took down our ginormous house sized tent with lots of helping hands

 while this little pixie ran around the campsite looking for left over candy to eat

 this is what she does when ever she gets caught doing something she's not supposed to...cheesy big smile and closes her eyes

 Even Bellsie helped put away the tent

 after packing up we headed out for a day hike of the "Enchanted Rock"

we have been wanting to come here for a while now to see what all of the hype was about...and let me just say, that it did not disappoint!! It was very picturesque and the day was perfect for  hiking!

Josh was very excited to use his Christmas present...(camel back)

 the monkeys LOVED climbing up big rocks

 though climbing down was a little scary sometimes

 it was worth reaching the top!

 they loved feeling SO TALL!!

 we forgot our kelty (hiking backpack for baby)...So Lily got a nice day long ride on papa's back

this nice guy offered to take a family picture not realizing we had so many kids!! they were ALL over the place running around so I tried to hurry and round them up for a group shot...he finally got tired of waiting and Josh just barely made the shot! I think it turned out kind of cool though:)

 half way there!!! taking a little rest!

 time for a water break...Josh's camel back was a LIFESAVER and kept us all hydrated!!!

 we made it to the top!!

and explored

ouch! lots of cacti everywhere!

a sweet and handsome daddy and a tired baby...

I really love this shot, the kids where huddled looking at some "crystals" that Zach found

 we sat down for a little rest and a snack...our favorite as of late is pirate's "treasure" ahem...I had to change the name...let's just say the kids enjoyed saying it a little TOO much...

then we headed to the caves

 it was TRICKY going down with Lily in tow...

 but the bigger kids were all over that!!

 down they went!

 yikes...I was really nervous about losing one of my kids down there... it was REALLY dark!

they made it out safe and sound-phew!!!

looking for more crystals in the tide pools

even Lils enjoyed the crystals...

 clowning around while heading back down

 starting to look a little worn out...

a little more worn out...

 but trying to be cheery!

 feeling really worn out now...

Big yawns took over... so we headed back to the car

and this immediately followed...

we had quite the adventure and enjoyed a quiet ride home...camping sure is a LOT of work, but the memories are WELL worth it!!! Kinda like parenting;)