Backyard Camping: Take 2

Well, we ended up bringing our son in from the tent on Saturday night around 11PM when we went to bed. When we brought him in for a potty break he was sweaty and we were concerned that all of the sweat would leave him chilled as the temps dropped for the night. The choice wasn't an easy one, for there was no telling what his reaction would be in the morning when he woke up in his own bed instead of the coveted tent. Though he woke up earlier than we would have liked (6:15 . . . *sigh*), he was a jolly little guy and immediately asked if he could go out and play in the tent. But, of course!

 

We dragged our own tired selves out of bed and got everything ready for an adventure at the Seattle Zoo (which, because it is out here in WA doesn't open until 9:30 - seems a bit late for this gal who grew up east of the Mississippi!). I even remembered to pack the camera (though I discovered later when there was a picture-perfect moment that the camera didn't have the memory card in it - *doh!*). We didn't tell the kids where we were going - Little Sister doesn't remember her previous zoo trips and Big Brother was thrilled to have a mystery adventure. Not so surprisingly, both kids fell asleep on the way there (proof that what we've been saying about getting up early is true - when you're 3, it makes you TIRED - actually at any age it can make you feel tired!!!). As we parked the car, Big Brother woke up and bellowed, "We're at the ZOO!" Little Sister was so zonked she didn't wake up until nearly 30 minutes later when we finally made it through the ticket line and could enjoy the sites (and that includes sleeping through the transition from the carseat to the pack). She's got a knack for timing things just right. I mean, why wake up to bore yourself with waiting in line?

 

It really was a magical day on Sunday. The kids had a really great time all day and were even as cooperative as could be expected for my husband as I was fitted for a new pair of running shoes (more about that tomorrow), even though it was well past lunch time and we had been at the zoo for 3 hours. When we got settled into the car after purchasing said shoes, my son declared, "I'm not going to take a nap today!" and in the next breath doubled over and was sound asleep for the next 2+ hours (he didn't even flinch when we transfered him from the car to his bed).

 

When he asked if he could sleep in the tent for another night, we felt it would be a great treat for having such a great day. He got all situated, had his dad read to him in the tent, zipped up all the windows and tried to settle in. Unfortunately for his sleeping desires, it was quite the sunny evening (even at 8:15 as he was trying to doze) so all of the neighbors were out in their yards and it was too much light for him. He tried to stick it out, but finally asked to come in and sleep in his "cave" of a room around 8:45. No sooner did we have the sheets pulled up to his chin and he was O-U-T. And this time he slept until 7:15!

 

While he didn't actually make it a full night (partially our fault, I suppose), we do feel certain that he'll do well on our camping excursions this summer. And, we just may pull out the tent to try again some other beautiful weekend.