First Campout

Seriously, this is the cutest thing ever. Our three kids in the tent coloring with each other...

It didn't start off this way, though. Let me start at the beginning:

So, I thought I would be this amazing wife and mother and go get our campsite all set up and saved while Marc was still at work. I mean, how hard can it be. The kids can sit in the car while I set up our easy-no-problem Springbar tent... right...

I get up the canyon and see that at the opening there is a trailer parked off to the side but, our favorite campsite is still available. This nice old man is chopping wood so I stop and ask him if it is alright if we drive past him to get to the back camp spot. He obliges as he smiles at me and all my kids screaming in the middle seat.

Yes, screaming. I don't know exactly what set them off, they just had had it, I guess.

So, after fourwheelin' it through what seems like a ravine I make it to the spot. Let out the kids and Baby is sweetly sleeping in the car... until Brother walks over and "helps" me by getting her out of her car seat.

Uggh!

OK, I can do this... remember... I am super woman.

So, I set Baby in her carseat near me and try to keep a watchful eye on the other two while I try to remember how to set up our easy-no-problem Springbar tent...

I realize that I don't really remember how to set up our easy-no-problem Springbar tent and start to panic a little because I really want to impress Hubby about how amazing I am. Well, in the middle of me carefully unfolding everything and situating where everything is and Baby is crying I realize that Brother and Sister have disappeared...

"Brother! Sister!"


"Bro....."


"What mom? I was just by the road watching for cars."


Oh, OK, no problem---well, that's not exactly what I said, in fact, it wasn't even close.


Needless to say I had to come up with a way to keep them close so I figured Brother could help me set up our easy-no-problem Springbar tent. That way Sister would stay close.


So I get the stakes put in and start to assemble which bars go where.... hmmm... which bars go.... where..... mmmm.... I think these are it.

"OK, Brother hold tight to this pole while mommy gets the other pole up on the other side. In fact, if you need to you can lean back."

There's nothing like the image of a bean pole holding up a tent pole... I am laughing just looking back at how hard he was trying to hold that bar tight for me. I still had the image in my head as I raised the other side of the green tent when suddenly Brother's side went limp and I hear a "crack."

I walk over to see Brother laying on the ground with a tent pole in his hands and a worried look on his face, "I tried mom. I was holding really tight."

We both started laughing when we realized how funny it was. Then I started to panic knowing that my days of wonder woman had quickly come to an end. So we picked up the tent, put it back in the "persimmon", piled the kids back in, four wheeled over the ravine, waved goodby to a confused old man and headed down the canyon with Brother and Sister crying because they really want to go camping and Baby finally sleeping—probably because their cries lulled them to sleep.

But, the final act of the day was when Marc became Superman. Fixed the tent pole and we went at 8pm that night to go on our short little campout... aw... Marc you are so sweet.

The kids loved it. I made peach cobbler in the dutch oven while the kids hung out in their pajamas in the tent. They were so cute.

And this is the same place that Sister had her very first campout...if I was really cool I would get that old picture and post it... oh well... I'm not cool.

Anyway, I had to post these pictures of me and Marc because it makes me laugh so hard. It was pitch dark and the camera would flash a red light and then a bright flash. Marc could not keep his eyes open. We tried many times...