Of course he said yes!!
It was then planned for Friday night, which meant that even set up would start in the evening, but I was SO excited!!
I asked David and Kay if we could steal two grandsons for the occasion and of course they said yes too!
We had a random not very well planned meal over the campfire, and then got on with all the FUN!!
The kiddos didn’t care what they ate – they were just so excited to be camping out!
But of course there were smores!
Even in our last minute planning, my hubby SHOWED UP – as he always does – with some FUN.
Glow sticks in abundance provided hours of play for these kiddos!
I can still hear their feet pounding through the grass and their squeals of laughter if I close my eyes for a second!
These are the good things of childhood, are they not??
I can still remember running around my childhood neighborhood playing Ghost in the Graveyard with my friends while all of our parents sat on a patio enjoying each other’s company!
I cannot remember when we finally made everyone get into that tent, but we did, and they fell asleep quickly.
Blake and I had air mattresses under us, but the kiddos just had sleeping bags on the hard ground that was underneath that tent.
Oh to be young again, ha, ha!!
The next morning I snuck inside to get some coffee, clean up a little bit, and start on breakfast while everyone else was still asleep.
Pretty soon there were several hungry children wrapped in blankets running around the yard so we got busy on a HUGE breakfast!
I think one of Blake’s favorite things to do is cook breakfast for a crowd on his Blackstone, and that is just what he did.
After breakfast the guys made a plan to use a piece of equipment that Chad was able to bring home from work.
At first I was a little disappointed that our “camp out” day was going to be spent working, but it ended up being SUCH a fun thing for the children!
We still had the huge pieces of our fallen oak tree in our yard that needed pushed into the brush pile, and also had a birch tree in the front yard that has needed trimmed since the day we moved here.
It was very fun to watch all the work be done and cheer on our guys!!
I know that every time I look at that photo right above these words it will be with a smile on my face!!
What a great photo and treasure of a memory for these kiddos!!
Pretty soon it was time to drive that big thing into the front yard and trim the tree.
I might have held my breath until Chad was back on the ground, just saying.
But all went well and the tree looks MUCH better!!
It was soon after they were working on that tree that we saw the rain coming.
DRATS!!
We ran out back to get the tent and everything inside and we manage to do it just in time!!
Many hands make light work!
The children continued to play and enjoy their day while I fueled my tent-sleep-deprived body with the necessities of being in my 50’s.
If you have not had these truffles, never buy them!!!
All your self control will go out the window if you do!!
Just speaking from experience here, of course.
Our camp out in the backyard tradition started when we lived on the farm – oh, the memories!!
Brings such a good feeling to my mind and heart.
Here’s to camp out 2025, Lord willing, sometime this summer instead of at the last minute in September!!
We might need a second tent so we can invite more grandchildren to join us!!
Now THAT would be fun!!
