backyard camping

Our goals were simple for this day:

make it all about the kids, have fun, and wear them out completely

Our backyard camping day actually started the day before when the kids

got together to make their tie dye shirts.

Around two the next day the boys headed over to the girl's house where it was

Just Dance, Water Balloons, Sno Cones and a Stepping Stone game.

Amanda and I joined in on the games too

Then back to our house for

Dinner, Bowling and Playing in the backyard 

All their shirts turned out so bright and colorful, I loved them.

Back to the girl's house for

Tent set up and Smores 

Off to the pool for

Swimming, Chicken Fights, Diving for Money and Glow Sticks 

 I don't know who the winners were

 but I know this was the cutest chicken fight ever

Buddies Forever

 Diving for lots of change, they got to keep everything they could find.

Poor Ryan was so upset, even though he can dive he kept bobbing back up because

he couldn't pick up the money so Jason helped him and then he was all smiles again.

  The best part was

counting the money

 funny how a little change can make a kid so happy

After swimming it was time to go home for showers and pajamas

then back to the girl's house with all of our sleeping stuff for bed

The kids had a plan all day that they were going to stay up all night long

but after some chatting and a story it didn't take long before these two were fast asleep. 

Ryan and Ash were on one side of the tent

while Abigail, Cody and Luke were on the other.

Luke insisted sleeping by only his brothers, Ryan and Ash wanted next to each other and so did Abigail and Cody so the sleeping arrangements were easy and everyone was happy.

Cody fell asleep quickly and I thought Luke did too but I guess he was tricking me because after I went home,  Amanda told me him and Abigail had come inside and he wasn't for sure that he still wanted to stay.  She went back out with them and it didn't take long before they were all asleep, including Amanda. 

This is a day the kids will not soon forget.

They loved it and we accomplished all of our goals that we set out to do

we just had no idea that it would wear us out just as much as it did the kids.