Camping Out in the Backyard

I started a Summer Bucket list this and I'm determined to do everything on it, unlike last year.  One thing on the list was to do a Backyard Campout.  At first I thought we'd do it on the Great American Backyard Campout date of June 23rd, but it's Rich's cousin's Graduation Open House, so we picked the first free night and then stuck to it! :-)

Last Thursday, I tried hard to get everything done I needed to so I could relax and enjoy an evening with the family.  Rich came home from work and started a campfire.  As the fire got hot enough to cook on, we set up the tent.  We blew up the air mattress and brought out all the bedding.  The kids and I then practiced batting with a ball and bat as Rich tended to the fire and fed the animals.  We hadn't made any huge plans for the night...just have time as a family...so dinner wasn't really prepared.  We cooked hotdogs over the fire and had some chips with them.  (Next time I'd like to plan dinner a little better at least!)

After we ate, we went and watered the gardens and the threw a frisbee around before making S'Mores.  We then sang whatever campfire songs we could come up with. Since we hadn't started until after 6:00, it was already getting late.  The kids and I ran in the house to brush teeth and get into our pajamas.  I took a little longer closing things down in the house for the night and when I came back out to the tent, the kids were making shadow puppets on the side of the tent. :-)

The kids and I read a few stories as Rich had fallen asleep in a chair by the campfire.  When we were done and the kids and I were just laying there trying to sleep, Blake spoke up and said "I had a really fun day!"  Even though our campout had only been a few hours, those hours as a family made his day and that felt really good to hear. :-)

Rich had come to the tent after a while and we all slept fairly well until 5:00am...apparently that's when the birds wake up....and they're LOUD.  I think every bird in the county was in the tree by our tent.  At first it was kinda nice hearing all the chirping, but then I wished they'd just be quite so I could go back to sleep!  LOL!

By 7:00 am or so, we were all awake.  The kids and I got everything all packed back up while Rich had some running to do.  We had some pancakes and omelets for breakfast in the house before having to leave for a birthday we had that day.

We all had a GREAT time, except for Rich being a little tired after a long week at work.  We're looking forward to doing it again though this summer on a night where Rich hasn't had to work and maybe plan meals a little better, so they're a little more substantial AND they're all cooked over the campfire! :-)  Rich and I actually enjoyed backyard camping better than going to a campground...something about having the comfort of home right there really made it nice! ;-)