Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Camp Grammie & Pepaw!

My girls have been asking and asking to go camping! And, we knew we wanted to make this work while in Colorado, however - my mom suggested camping out in the backyard for starters until they got a bit older. This worked out great! Enjoy the photos!

The tent is ready for camping! The smell of the material and the sound of
the zipper brought back so many memories from my childhood!

A happy little camper and her pink elephant!

Another happy little camper!

Our faithful cook!

Have you ever done this? For as long as I can remember when we camped,
my Dad cooked the baked beans right in the can!

My beautiful Mom!

Dinner table - love how we used all of the picnic cloths, dishes and silverware!

My Dad heated water on the grill for us to wash dishes; just like camping!

The boys!

Emily's turn doing dishes.

We went for a "hike" down the alley and around the neighborhood!

Did you ever make a sit-upon in Girl Scouts? This is one I made when I was a little girl!

No camp fires allowed in backyards of Colorado!
So, we went inside to toast some marshmallows for S'mores!

After S'mores - we popped popcorn too!

Then it was time to get pj's on and snuggle up in the tent to read stories by the lantern light!
It got down to a cozy 56 degrees that night - heaven for the heat-weary southerners!
It was Samuel's first experience out of a crib and he tried so hard to be good, but he was curious! And, he heard every sound! As I whispered to him to lay down we heard, "Ok, Mama" many times that night! Once, he popped up his head and said, "(gasp) I hear woo-woo (that's a siren) Mama!"

In the morning, my mom hid little boxes of cereal and juice for a Scavenger Hunt like we had done as Girl Scouts!

And, we made pancakes (with help of our outdoor electricity), Rachel thought this pan looked like the "spider" Ma Ingalls used to cook on out on the prairie.

Have you ever camped out in your back yard?

26 comments:

Ginger said...

Sadly, as you know, we are inundated with bugs here, so no. I've always wanted to, though.

Ami said...

My husband tried to camp out with our 4 & 6 year olds last month. It started out nice with toasting marshmallows & catching fireflies. But then the humidity descended, no one could sleep, and they all came back in at about 10:00 that night. We live in KY, so it's fairly hot & humid here. 56 degrees does sound perfect for camping and snuggling with littles! I like how you made it authentic with the outdoor cooking and cleaning up!

Wendi said...

Backyard camping is on our to do list. We are waiting for fall since it is one of the hottest summers in years.

The sit upon brought back so many memories. Girl Scouts was fun!

Mom said...

Wasn't this fun?!? When I walk out into our quiet backyard now, it echoes with the sounds of happy campers! As many times and places as we've gone camping over the years, this was our first backyard campout! Thanks for sharing these photos. :) Love and miss you, Mom

Jennifer said...

That looks like so much fun! Your mom is so creative, I can definitely see where you get it from!

petrii said...

Oh how fun!! No I don't think I've ever actually camped out in the back yard and certainly not like this. WOW now that looks completely fun!!!

Have a Blessed day,
Dawn

Amy @ Keep'n The SunnySide said...

What a wonderful way to get the little's used to camping, yet still have a few "conveniences" available. I absolutely remember sit upon's! I was a Daisy and Brownie leader for 4 years, I made them with my girls. So fun. No campfires in Colorado.. hmm.. Didn't know that.

barbara said...

YES! We have camped in our back yard - it's affordable and the toilet is clean!! That's how we start the summer season - it reminds the children what it's like to sleep outside (hearing all those noises) and it gets our tent aired out.

We actually just got back from a camping trip in Northern Michigan. (Look at the back of your left hand - we were on the nail of the pinky finger!) The campground had a lighthouse and a museum - we loved it (minus the vault toilets).

Elise said...

I have been slightly obsessed with camping this year, though we've yet to go. Nor do we have the supplies. Nor do I really have the desire to go in this icky weather, but once Fall comes, watch out!! We plan to go camping with another family once the weather is cooler and I cannot wait!!
I love, love, love your camping ideas and that retro tablecloth-so cute!!
Elise

Heather said...

Yes!!! We do it at least once a year! FUN!!! We live WAY out in the country and sometimes we take for granted how peaceful and wonderful our place is.... until we GO camping at a camp ground and we realize it is actually more fun to enjoy our own yard! We have set up a camp ground at the back of our pasture to use this fall (when the HEAT breaks). We camped out this week (even had some friends over to camp with us) over the 4th of July weekend. Our kids are getting older (the oldest two are 13/11) and want to have friends over to camp with them this fall....

What wonderful memories you made and it was a great way to take the girls camping for the first time!!! So glad you invested the time and effort. Also, such a special time with your parents!!!

God bless,
Heather

Cheryl said...

special times and memories made for your littles. Looked like everyone had fun.
Never camped in the backyard as a youngster or with our kids either. We did actual tent camping at state parks though. Lots of fun.
Love the idea of cooking the beans in the can. Your dad looks great! Hope he is doing well.

~katie~ said...

What a fun memory for your family! What a neat preparation for camping elsewhere! (And I love that the house is close by if you need to use it!) Looks like lots of fun! And wow ~ how your kiddos have grown!

rachel@thecupcakesprinklesinlife said...

Yes, we do this too-

But~ we also go camping at the beach... which is great fun!

This year we have a puppy dog, we'll have to see how that goes with him and camping?!? :)

ps- you know, I don't think that we've ever cooked beans in the can!
How clever!

Liz said...

This post inspired me to set up our tent in our family room (that doesn't have any furniture yet, so perfect space!). I think with a 1 and 3 year old, this will be a perfect camping experience for this summer. We can even turn on our fireplace!

Anonymous said...

What great memories you are making with your children. I love how involved your parents are.
Thanks for sharing.

Wendy B

Heather said...

What fun! I love the idea of hiding juice & cereal in the morning. I'm going to try that!

Last month we took our girls (3 & 4) camping for the first time, and our trip went wonderfully, too! Camping is such a great experience for kids.

*carrie* said...

Loved this post. I totally remember the smell of that tent. Can't believe it still has the same scent after all these years!

And it was fun to remember that GS stuff--sit-upons! And those brekfast hunts were my absolute favorite. What did they call them? I think there was a fun name!

angie said...

I think this is a great way to start camping. I love how you made the experience authentic by doing without running water and stovetop cooking.
My daughter is spending a few days at my parents' house. We are going to pick her up and spend a couple of days at their campground. I may have to incorporate some of these ideas! Thanks!

MrsCoach said...

We do the Great American Backyard Campout each year. Only, where we live, we're not able to actually camp out in tents, due to the bears, coyotes, and mountain lions. But we tried to do as many camping activities as possible! Although our tent ends up in the family room!
http://thecozycountryhome.blogspot.com/2010/07/great-american-backyard-campout.html

Looks like your crew had a great time!! Good for you!

Paige said...

We are going to do a group camping trip with the other home school families this fall, so we'll have to have a back yard camping trip first to make sure Lily will fall asleep (pack n play in her own tent???) and to make sure we've got all the pieces for our bigger tent.

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

This is so sweet and looks like so much fun!!! your kids will remember this and they'll probably do it for their kids one day too :) :) Breakfast outside is always good...yummy pancakes :) :) You are so good to your family :) Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Intentional Living Homestead said...

Wonderful photos....we started camping when our firstborn was two years old (she is now 24)...they are never to young to camp:-)

Unknown said...

Your parents are so sweet! What fun memories you all made together. :)

joysmallpack said...

Hi Monica! We have two girls and then a two year old boy, just like you. Although our family has been camping before, we *just* got back from a camping trip at the lake which was our boy's 1st camping trip since he has been born. I smiled so big when I could relate to your part about Samuel and the first time being out of his crib... the many things that are new and they are so curious, but trying hard to obey, but OH!, the EXCITEMENT of it all! :-) We were in the exact same boat as you this past weekend. :) I'm glad our boys had fun times in the tent and picnicking while camping, whether in a backyard or at the lake.
*We will absolutely have to remember to heat the beans in the can! We ate those on our trip this past weekend and to think we could have saved having to wash one extra pot! ;-)
*I will also have to remember the scavenger hunt for cereal and juice boxes. I love fun stuff like that as much as the kids! As others have said, it is easy to see where you get your craftiness, cleverness, and thoughtfulness from-- Jesus inspiring both you and your mom as you seek and love Him!
*I'm glad you had such a special trip visiting your parents.
Have a beautiful day.

Mary Ann said...

We used to love camping in the backyard as kids. We also loved playing in there like a playhouse during the day!

Growing up, all of our vacations and trips were spent camping and we loved it. We all still love canned corned beef hash with a fried egg on top for a special treat. Mom used to make that for us on the camp stove after a long day of traveling. So good!

Andy and I are so not campers, but if we had a tent or could borrow one, I know my nephew and niece would love to do this with me in our backyard! What a great idea!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful memory maker.