Life and Motherhood: Camping

Well hello there! That summer sure went fast, did it not?

Yesterday was Colin's first day of school. He's in first grade this year!

Starting off on the right foot, I accidentally set the alarm for 7:30 P.M instead of A.M. Luckily Chris set his alarm too (for the right time) and our kids rarely all sleep past that time anyway. So.... mini crisis averted. Off to a good start!

We took a few obligatory pictures on the front step before send off:

I realized just now, that Colin wore the same shirt on the last day of kindergarten, as he's wearing in these pictures for the first day of first grade. He LOVES his solar system shirt! My little science guy :)

I'm happy to report that Colin had a great first day! And a great second day today! I'm hopeful and praying that this year will be another amazing year of growth for him!

The triplets start preschool next week. THE TRIPLETS START PRESCHOOL NEXT WEEK!!! I can't believe that! People keep saying, "How nice that you'll have a break now!" but really preschool is just two hours, a few times a week so it's not really much of a break (but who's counting, haha). Still! It's an exciting new step for them!

And as for where I've been this summer? Well, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that in June we bought a camper! And if you know me in real life too, I've probably already way over talked about this camper/ camping/ getting out of the house to travel finally...... so, sorry! Feel free to skip these next few (or twenty), paragraphs about camping. :)

But really, this summer was so great for our family! Mostly because (drum roll please)- we actually went on trips! Camping! Out of the house! A LOT! FREEDOM!!!!! Let's back up, for the past six or so years, it seems as though we've been stuck at home with babies (I'm being a little dramatic.... a little). Around here it's been baby, babies and more baby. And a part of me has longed for the day when we could more easily take trips again, have adventures, and basically leave the house without a small store of baby gear!

This was that summer folks! We have turned a corner, at least in one respect. And that is being able to more easily travel again.

YESSSS!

Finding the right camper and then actually pulling the trigger to buy it was a huge step for our family, in part because we also had to find a towing vehicle (sadly our mini van would not tow the camper) and it was somewhat a leap of faith, hoping and praying that camping worked out for us and wasn't a disaster. We did try tent camping- for one night- and enjoyed that last summer.

The best part (for me at least) is that this camper has plenty of room for all of us and then some (hint hint, family and friends, come camping with us!!). Specifically, the back bunk room has a double slide out and can sleep 7 very comfortably! So that's the boys room and when I think of them growing up and laying in their bunks after a long day of hiking, fishing, swimming and exploring.... talking about the fish they caught or the camping adventures they've had, laughing and being silly, well, it seriously brings tears to my eyes.

Seriously.

Chris, on a few occasions, usually around the campfire, has caught me spacing off and tearing up and and wondered out loud, "Are you seriously crying about the camper?!". Yes, yes I am. I'm a sensitive mama and I am really happy about this camper! Not the camper per se, but the joy, closeness and adventure I hope that it brings the boys and our family for years to come.

So far, the best part of camping has been watching the boys excitement over everything from exploring a new area of Michigan, to finding a great fishing hole, to sitting around a fire enjoying s'mores and making memories together. HOWEVER, I must admit that camping with small children, even with the amenities of a good size camper, is A LOT OF WORK. More work than I imagined. Oh my goodness is it ever! I've come to the conclusion that camping as a kid is very different than camping as a parent! The kids have a blast, the parents work their butts off. I'm hoping that over time, as the kids get older, they can help more and it won't feel like so much effort. :)

Here are some pictures from camping this summer:

My view while prepping dinner. :)

My two blondies

unpacking

I'm always in awe of how crystal clear "Up North" Lake Michigan water is. So beautiful!

Silver Lake

(Written last Friday)

Yesterday Chris and I took the boys camping! It was our first go at it and overall a success!

I don't even know if this will make sense, but sometimes it still feels surreal that I'm a parent. Of course I know I'm a parent and co-responsible for these five little boys, I'm reminded of that every day they wake us up demanding food and attention. But on occasion, we'll be doing something and it will hit me in a more sentimental way that, "I am a Mommy! Chris and I, we have a family together!" It's kind of crazy. Yesterday was one of those moments. You see, I grew up camping. My parents took us camping in a pop-up camper all over Michigan and we loved it. We loved camping as a family and I truly have the most wonderful memories of our time together. In fact, the last time I really camped, was as a kid, with my parents and my brothers.

And here I was again, camping. With my own family.

And they were loving it too.

It was kind of a full circle moment, in a good way.

We let the boys eat as many s'mores as they could cook up and wanted. Chris and I just sat back and watched them enjoy it all. (And chased Owen around)

We set up the tent (a birthday present for all the boys from my brother Gavin- thanks uncle G!) with all their little cots and sleeping bags. They were so excited about the whole process and went to bed really well. All except for Owen. Owen didn't sleep hardly at all and in turn, I didn't! I'm sure he was just confused and unsure of the new surroundings. He was sound asleep at 6 a.m. though..... just when the other boys were waking up. Bright and early! So today was a major coffee day, I'll put it that way.

Still, SO worth it! I'm pretty convinced that there's nothing more relaxing or centering than sitting by a campfire late into the evening.

We put the boys to bed and then Chris and I sat by the fire. Soon we heard a little voice from the tent. It was Colin and he wasn't tired, even though it was already 9:30. So we brought him out and I held him on my lap as we watched the fire. He could not believe all the stars in the sky and it struck me that he's never really had an opportunity to sit and stare at a star filled sky because usually, he's in bed. Not last night. We answered his questions about stars and satellites and the space station. Then we chatted about kindergarten and how big he's getting.

That's what I've always loved about camping. It forces you to slow down, be present and do things a little differently.

I'm sorry if this all sounds cheesy or if I'm making camping out to be cooler than it really is. But seriously, we have felt a little housebound with all these babies, the past 3+ years and it felt SO GOOD to get out and be able successfully do something like this- overnight! We weren't sure if it would be successful or a disaster, and it surpassed our expectations. It makes us look forward to all the wonderful memories we're going to make camping together.

Watch out Michigan, we've got a tent and we're ready to go!