Backyard Camping

Backyard Camping...this may have been one of my best ideas ever.  As we started to talk about our Labor Day plans, the idea of camping came up.  But we knew it would be a busy weekend and we didn't have reservations, and honestly, we haven't decided how much we actually love camping.  I guess it's just Tim and I that are still unsure, Luke and Ruby are all in on their love for camping.  When we told them that we could camp in our backyard, they thought it was the best idea ever.  They loved getting the tents set up and since we didn't have far to go, they were able to bring nearly every pillow, blanket, and stuffed animal from their rooms. 

We invited Grandpa and Grandma over for our camping BBQ and had such a great time hanging out on the deck together.  Once it got dark, we built a fire and started the s'mores.  If there is anything that will convince me to get smoky from a fire, it is smores.  As you can see, they were delicious.

Once it was time for bed, we all piled into the tent and snuggled up together.  We watched a movie until everyone fell asleep and just enjoyed our tent party.  Truth be told, I snuck out of the tent and into the house that first night - our air mattresses were flat and it was just too uncomfortable.  Tim and the kids were champs and slept great all night long.  After having so much fun, we decided to extend the camping trip to Saturday night.  We did need some modifications to make it a little more comfortable.  Tim and the kids added mattresses and cots to the tent, brought out a few more blankets, and Saturday night ended up being pretty close to perfect.   

During the day we went on a swimming excursion.

By Sunday night the rest of the family was ready to sleep inside, but Luke was just getting going.  He invited Gavin for a sleepover and the tent turned into the boys' domain.  I thought they might get scared being out in the backyard alone, but every time I went to check on them, they both were just so happy.  Lesson learned....you don't have to travel far to have an awesome weekend adventure.