Dennis Family Campout #everyonehasfuntogether

Well, we did it again!  The annual Dennis Family Camp Out has come and gone.

This year we loaded up the troops and zipped over the mountain to Causey Reservoir.

We are so lucky to live to close to such beautiful mountains!

 

We didn't waste any time getting up to the lake.  The kids were chomping at the bit to get out on the water.  Causey is one of the most beautiful places to use the kayak's.  The views are spectacular and they don't allow any motorized boats so the water is calm and quiet.

 

The kids all took turns paddling around.  You would have died at how cute Natty looked standing up on the paddle board with her tiny little legs.  It was the cutest!

We had a great river flowing past our campground.  Luckily, it wasn't running very high!

The kids had a blast climbing around on the rocks, building little dams, and cooling off in the water.

 

Woody and Gage patiently putting small rocks in their containers.

Jack and Lib are seriously adorable together!  They are best buddies.

One of my favorite mental memories is from watching Jack paddle Libby around the Reservoir in the kayak.  He had on his Cowboy hat and Libbers was just along for the ride.  They were chatting and laughing and acting so grown up.  It was darling.

Camping usually ends up being pretty dirty.  This time was no exception!  Gage refused to wear shoes most of the time and by the end of the weekend it looked like he had on black socks.  :)

But, he had a heck of a lot of fun playing in the dirt!

Saturday afternoon the wind picked up, so we told Cord to pull out his kite to make it stop...

(They did get to sneak in a few minutes of flying before the wind died!)

This huge field was part of our site.  Saturday evening we picked teams, playground style, and had ourselves a big ole' kickball game!  Don't fool yourself into thinking it was a casual family friendly game.  Not with this group.  We show no mercy.  It was hilarious to see grown men chase down little kids on a race to the bases. . .

One of Gage's FAVORITE things was this awesome Power Wheels car that Corey brought.

He ran the battery out several times.  It was fun to watch him laugh as he drove around the field.

Pure joy.

Evenings are one of the best parts of camping.

You know the feeling when everyone gathers around the fire.  Even though your still full from dinner, a roasted hot dog sounds pretty good.  Marshmallows get toasted.  Music comes from Matt's guitar.  Cord pops popcorn over the flames and shares it around the circle.  We laugh at jokes.  We talk about the past and tease Cindee about saying "Card-in-als."  The air cools off so we get to snuggle with the little's.  Stars appear.  The fire crackles.

It just feels like family.

 

Woody and Gage had a great time jumping on a big pile of blankets and bags and pillows in the trailer.  Sometimes it is fun to let kids be kids...

 

Mornings are pretty great camping as well.

Tiny cold hands.  Snuggly jammies.  Hot Chocolate.  Chads' Breakfast Burritos.

Braids.  Dad's voice bright and early.  Dirty faces from the night before. . .

I love that my kids will have these memories.  

That they have cousins and aunts and uncles and grandma and grandpa to play with!

That they know how important family is. 

I hope they will want to be part of this group forever. 

That they can continue this legacey of love with their oun little babes.

I hope they will be better people because they know how to love and be loved.

It so so nice to be "away from it all." To focus on what matters most.

And I'm glad we are all okay with getting a little dirt on our hands.

 Camping with the fam is pretty fantastic!
Next year Cord and I get to be in charge of planning.
Any good ideas on where to go next???