backyard camping

the officer wanted to take the kids camping. you know the weather around here though, possible thunderstorms, tornadoes - not out of the questions, hail and high winds - maybe. the officer called the campgrounds and found out there was a burn ban in effect. however, the burn ban was not in effect for the county we live in.

the plan was formulated.

camp out in our backyard.

the officer wanted to check out all our camping stuff to make sure it was all in working order.

the officer started to work out the "campfire" issue first. he decided to use part of our grill and put wood, bricks and sand underneath it. the ground was still pretty wet from the rain the previous night. it worked out pretty well.

while the officer put up the tent, i went to the grocery stores for all the necessary dinner items, hot dogs, chips, capri-suns, all the fixins for s'mores. by the time i returned, the officer had the "campsite" completely set up. i had to babysit for my sister, so i couldn't actually be present for most of the evening.

when i got home that evening, the officer was sitting around the fire. the kids were running around the backyard with their glowsticks. i roasted my hot dogs and enjoyed the rest of the evening with the family. the kids headed to bed in the tent but did not got to sleep right away. i think it wasn't until the officer went into the tent at 10 p.m. that everyone settled down and went to sleep.

i slept inside because i had to work the next day. i thought they might come in during the night. it was supposed to be a low of 35 degrees. even with their two layers of pajamas, sleeping bags, flannel blankets and one heavy comforter on them, they might still get cold. the kids would have slept all night. the officer was awake at 5 a.m. he was cold despite sleeping in warm clothes and in his 0 degree mummy sleeping bag. wait - if the officer was here now he would exclaim his body was warm but his face was freezing! his mummy sleeping bag worked great. he did mention he was unable to move much - ummm- mummy sleeping bag. since the officer was awake and could not go back to sleep he brought the kids into their own beds. they had a great time - a memory made.