Backyard Camping

I wanted to take the girls camping while Dina was in Ohio but all the campsites were full! We decided that it would still be fun to set up the tent outside and do a trial run for the kids.

I set up the tent on the first try and the girls complimented me with a "wow dad, you really are a camper!". As you can tell, they have been blessed with a lot of confidence in their dad.

The girls were anxious to get in and see how much space they had. They especially liked the window in the back and the "front door."

Every campsite needs a picnic table. Thank goodness the girls have some imagination because this was the best I could do.

They did mention that it really did feel like we were camping because I faced the door and the campsite towards the trees in the back.

Maggie joined us at the campsite, but she didn't seem that impressed by the whole thing. However she seemed to enjoy the tent as well, especially when a can of sprite was spilled.

She did learn that a lot of things hit the ground during a night of camping, and I believe that elevated her overall enjoyment of camping tremendously.

Tent - Check

Picnic Table - Check

Coke and Beer - Check

What are we missing????

FIRE!

Oh yeah, I drug the chimnea off the deck and set it up so we could cook dinner. Dinner was hot dogs and salt & vinegar chips...yummy!

This is me drinking a beer. Something I found that helps tremendously when you are camping with two small children and a less than brilliant dog.

With the children (and dog) fed and me comfortably numb it was time to break out the computer and slip in a favorite movie!

We made jiffypop popcorn using a grate over the top of the chimnea and it worked out pretty good.

We took one long intermission to make some smores.

After the movie was over we hit the tent. It was chilly but a pretty night. You hear some crazy stuff late at night in the 'hood however. I'd say I got about 2 hours of sleep, but the girls actually slept in until about 7:30!

I spent the night putting each of them back in their sleeping bags and keeping Maggie from trying to push one or the other off in her attempts to "snuggle."

I woke up with a sore back and a new appreciation for what it's going to take to get these two out to a real campsite when the potty isn't a sprint inside to the house!