Camping ~ 2009 Style

Yesterday was the last day of school.

After school Dawson asked if he and his friend could camp out in the new treehouse/play structure. I said, "Sure!"  He said, "Oh my gosh, Antonio, she said YES!" Right then I knew my current goal of loosening up was a necessity.

So, they set to getting prepared.  First they took up their sleeping supplies: camping mats, blankets, pillows. Then they got busy with the real necessities: bean bag, video rocker, lamps, sodas, dvd players, dvds, handheld Nintendos, and the like. What they soon realized was that they didn't have enough power stored up on their systems. After dark I couldn't find Rick. I looked in the backyard to see the extension cord run from the garage to the treehouse. Rick was setting them up with night-long power. He said that when he went out to check on them they were in the poolhouse with their systems and pillows and blankets trying to get charged up. That's when he decided to pull out the extension cord.

Brynne and Eli really wanted to sleep up there too. Brynne came in and said, "I've got to get my rest mat, dvds and puppies." She hauled all of that, and her camping chair, up to the top. When they were told they wouldn't be able to sleep out there, they were so upset! I told them you have to be 12 years old. (They relate everything to ages now.) Brynne said, "How many is Antonio?" I said, "He's 12." She said, "He's 12 like Dawson??!! Yea! He can sleep outside too! I am 3. I can't sleep outside. Eli is 5. He can't sleep outside." And that was the end of it. I turned around a few minutes later and she was hauling all of her stuff back down to her room. I think the boys might have been relieved that they were not destined to a night of "Barbie Presents: The Princess and the Pauper" or "Toy Story II".

When I checked on the boys this morning, they were sacked out, but had been really cold (we tried to tell them!) It was also beginning to sprinkle, so they are currently bringing everything in. Rougin' it is tough these days.