The summer weather around this part of the world has been abysmal. *pausing for effect*….hey, I used the word abysmal…that’s worthy of a pause. Not in the hot, humid, sticky sort of way, but in the sun hasn’t been out AT ALL, it’s been so cold and rainy, miserable sort of way. It’s getting under everyone’s skin. Not to mention in their bodies. The illnesses that have stuck around this year have been horrible. The weather was supposed to be great this weekend; everyone was excited because we had something fun planned.
We weren’t going to be here, which was enough excitement in itself. We were going to take our kids on a camping trip with family this weekend. The boys were pumped! Jumping up and down, crazy dancing, goofiness spilling out of their pores kind of excited! They couldn’t wait and were counting down the days. Unfortunately those plans fell through. Everyone was bummed. Like moping around hanging their heads, this sucks….bummed! The weather and illness spoiled our plans again.
This mommy couldn’t stand disappointing her kids again, so yesterday the sun was shining (we were shocked) and right there and then hubby and I decided to make lemonade out of lemons. We found out it actually can be done. We were going to do some urban camping.
So we drug out the tent and set it up in the backyard. You would have thought it was Christmas morning with the way the boys hooted and hollered with glee. Once it was up they spent their time running laps on the inside of the tent while hubby and I got dinner ready. Typical camping style food….hot dogs, chips, some fruit. The kids were in heaven! But we didn’t stop there. After dinner, we took a mini break and put the baby in the bath and into bed. Poor Buggy didn’t get to partake in the camping festivities since it would have been way too cold for him to sleep outside. Once that angel who was full of snuggles and cuddles drifted off to sleep we brought out the “piece de resistance.”
The fire pit!!!!!
There is something about boys and fire. My husband can sit and look at a burning fire for hours just mesmerized. It must be a genetic trait because my two older boys do the exact same thing. After the fire burned for awhile, the coals were right at the stage of perfection to make S’mores. There we were, sitting in our backyard roasting marshmallows laughing and talking about what makes the perfect roasted marshmallow. Then we all devoured our tasty dessert with huge grins of satisfaction on our faces.
The evening ended with ghost stories and finger shadows in the tent. Right as I was saying goodnight, both boys got out of their sleeping bags to give me the biggest hugs, kisses and snuggles. They told me they would miss me and didn’t want me to get lonely since I had to sleep in the house to be with the baby. As I walked out they told me that they couldn’t wait to see me in the morning. ♥♥♥
The sweetness of their affection and words will be burned into my heart forever! The day couldn’t have turned out more perfectly and we were able to keep our word. The boys were able to camp and sleep in a tent.
This is what being a family is made of, this is the sweetness of life!
How has improvising created unforgettable memories for your family?
14 comments:
Backyard camping is awesome. We've made forts in the house before with my nephews, and I have just as much fun as they do!
MamaMash,
Indoor fort building ROCKS!! We do that quite often on rainy days! Some of the ideas the boys come up with are pretty complex and challenging but it makes it more fun!
This is awesome! We had plans one Memorial Day weekend to go camping and it rained so we couldn't go. Instead we pulled out the bbq and made s'mores in the garage and set up sleeping bags in the front room and camped out on the floor. My daughter loved it!
Hey girl!! You won our July Project Marriage Challenge. I don't see an email for you. Can you send it to me? Thanks!!!
Jessica,
Sometimes making lemonade out of lemons is more fun than the plans you originally had! I love that you guys went ahead with your plans anyway! SO FUN!
Tina,
NO WAY!!! I can't believe it! Email is on it's way to you. Thank you for letting me know that you couldn't find my email on the site. This newbie is still learning the ropes of it all. Will put an email up ASAP!
WOO HOOO!!!
I hate when plans get cancelled, no matter the reason...especially if my son was really excited about it. I think that is when you have to pull out your mommy/daddy bag of tricks and make something work. We took our son late one evening to a carnival...and got there and it was closed early. We were so disappointed, but I put on a happy face and quickly found a park and some ice cream to make the best of it. It worked out. Thank goodness.
So great! Did they stay out there all night??
We tried this once but our son came inside to do the actual sleeping part...it was too hot outside. We just are not natural campers!!
But the rest of it was really fun.
It sounds like you did a great job turning the weekend around. What fun!! There have been times we have had to turn our outdoor activities around due to the weather, luckily the grandkids love to go to the movies.
Optimistic Mom,
You're right! Part of our job description as moms is quick on your feet thinking! I'm glad you were able to improvise and salvage the evening!
Christine,
Yep! They stayed out there all night! I got to sleep inside with the baby...DARN!! LOL! They had a blast and I do believe they are hooked!
Terri,
Welcome! Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
It really turned out well and the boys had no idea what they were missing! Movies are ALWAYS a great fall back plan! :)
A fantastic memory! You know they will cherish it far more than going anywhere! I'm thinking family tradition has been made! You need a special name for this "state park" you can visit every year! The families favorite camping place, AND it always has clean bathroom nearby, and coffee!
Joni,
I'm sure we will do it annually so that the boys can get used to sleeping in the tent again before going and doing some REAL camping! Have a real working bathroom nearby is a serious plus!
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