Backyard Camp Out 2013

We had been trying to camp out since this kids got done with school, but for various reasons it just wasn't working until this past Friday.

 

 

Our 'camp'.  The kids slept with us in the big tent, but they liked the idea of the little one being set up to play in. :-)

Rich spent time playing with the kids while I prepared the food to bring out, then I played with the kids while he cooked the hot dogs.  Blake and I were mastering our version of whatever game this is suppose to be...we may have even been playing it right! :-)

 

Morgan practiced throwing the football into her little tent before I switched things up and played Frisbee with her.

Time to eat!  Hot dogs, chips, cheese and watermelon!  Yum! :-)

 The kids enjoyed hanging out and telling 'ghost' stories after they were done eating.  Blake told me a short 'ghost' story..."There were two kids.  A monster got them.  The end!"  LOL!  Gotta love their innocence! ;-)

 

 Couldn't camp out without S'mores! 

We had several visitors throughout the night between the cattle, chickens and cats. Plus my parents stopped by with some friends before going to Music in the Park.

 

This was definitely the most interesting visitor...Fireflies/Lightening Bugs!  The kids had a BLAST running after them and Rich and I each caught them one for them to see.  Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of them lit up, but the kids each got a chance to hold one and LOVED it!

 

We also had some neat views that night.  The sunset...

 

...what I think is called a "Powered Parachute"...

 ...and fireworks ALL AROUND!  Morgan loved it all SO much that she asked if we could camp in the back yard this weekend every year. :-)

 After cleaning up a bit and brushing teeth, the kids and I settled in to read.  I couldn't figure out how to get a picture of us reading, so I just got a pic of the three of us together.  We were so overtired that these pictures made us laugh so hard we cried!

 

We then read by flashlight and settled into our spots to sleep...and that is when the real excitement began!

 

I think Morgan and Blake fell asleep fairly quickly and I may have too for a bit, but I kept hearing the breeze blowing the cover of the tent.  I lay there trying to sleep and listening and wondering why I didn't remember the cover flapping around so much when we've camped in it before.  After a couple hours of barely sleeping, it finally hit me...we didn't tighten it!  Of course I then wondered if I wanted to get up because then I might as well run in and use the bathroom, but if I didn't then I'd lay there awake...and since bathroom already crossed my mind I decided I better get up.

 

Well, tightening the cover (and using the bathroom) made a huge difference in the noise and I fell asleep.  (By this time Rich had come to bed too.)  Next thing we know something attacks the tent!  We see the shadowy outline of the body and two pointy ears of a cat!  Rich swatted the side of the tent and it took off...for a while.

 

A little while later, a cat attacks the tent AGAIN!  (We're pretty sure the kids were touching the sides of the tent in their sleep, which was probably really interesting to the cats.)  This time Rich gets up to get rid of it and 'bathroom' crossed my mind again, so I figured I might as well go.  As I go through the house, and pass my bedroom, I see the bed and long for some 'real' sleep, but I can't abandon my family in the tent...plus I heard scurrying in the ceiling and knew that would just keep me awake in the house anyway.

 

So, it's about 4:00 am and I think I'll at least get a few hours of sleep.  I may have dozed off for a bit when I hear some nasty raccoon-like growling then hear Bear yelp.  I tell Rich he HAS to get up and check on Bear.  (Poor guy...pretty sure he had slept through it.)  Anyway, he gets up and finds that Bear is fine and figures he tried crossing his fence-line and got a shock going after the raccoon.

 

At this point you think there really couldn't be much else, except for the fact that the cattle caught site of Rich and start bawling to be fed!  Thankfully that only lasted a little while and I slept for maybe another hour before the sun starting warming the tent into a sauna...plus I needed to get up to get the kids some breakfast and dressed before my parents came to get them at 8:30.

 

As I couldn't sleep through the night I kept thinking how tired I'd be and how awful the next day was going to be.  I have to say it really wasn't that bad!  I laid down for a bit while Rich took off to drive the fire truck in the local parade, but maybe slept for a half hour and was fine.  My parents said the kids were fine too.  So, as rough as the night was, it all ended up being okay and we have some super fun, and funny, memories of our 2013 Backyard Camp Out! :-)