Never say Never BEFORE You Have Kids!

This past weekend I had a "GREAT" idea. We could pretend we were camping in the back yard - we'd grill out, we'd make s'mores on the grill and put up the ladybug tent. Then at dark we'd head into the house for our nice comfy beds.

So I started telling Anne Marie all about my great idea. We started by putting the tent up during the day, and we'd wait until later that night to do the rest. As we were putting up the tent & talking about what camping was, she decided that we needed to sleep in the tent like "other people" do when they camp. We explained to her that you had to have a bigger tent to sleep in - one like some friends of ours had. She proclaimed "I wanna tent to sleep in, PLEASE!!"

Mike and I ALWAYS said that we would never own a tent, we didn't really like the thought of sleeping outdoors. (Not since we were little kids anyway) But through much discussion, begging from our daughter & a sale at Target, we bought a tent. I was shocked (not as much as Mike was) My Dad would be so proud of us!!

We already had an air mattress, so we could sleep on that. And we'd just make a comfy bed for Anne Marie. We got everything together to cook out, make s'mores & sleep in our back yard. Now, we knew we were to teach Sunday School the next day, so we brought the book & Bible into the tent w/ intentions on doing our study & waking up early enough to get things ready for Church.

Well, let me just say -- ALWAYS check to see if you have small pin holes in your air mattress before it's dark & you're daughter is already asleep beside you!!

We did our study and made it to Sunday School --- however --- OWWW-- our aching backs!! We are too old to sleep on the ground..haa!

Anne Marie had the TIME OF HER LIFE! She's ready to go "camping for real" (in a park near our house w/ a lake that we told her about) So, we're trying to pick a weekend that might work for us to go. I swear I NEVER thought we'd own a tent, sleep in it over night, and be planning a weekend getaway in a campground! (But we will buy a new air mattress before doing so!)

Our Lady Bug tent that wasn't quite big enough.

Putting up the new "4 person" tent (and can I say - it would be tight to fit 4 adults w/ any of their "stuff" in there!!)

Roasting our Marshmallows for our S'mores!

Anne Marie enjoying her yummy treat!

All ready to sleep in her new tent (notice #1 - she still must have Jack the dog & Ling her baby while camping #2 - the Bible & study book - really we did it! #3 - her mouth still full of chocolate -- I didn't notice until after I took the picture!)

My two sweeties pretending to sleep.

Aching backs or not it was actually kind of fun ... and who knew ... kids can make you do the craziest things & you can have more fun than ever thought imaginable!!