A Last Day of School Campout

We celebrated the end of a school year and the official start to summer break with a good ol' fashioned campout last Tuesday night.  We kept our little secret from Cruz that day and set up the tent while he was at school, surprising him when we pulled in the driveway and declared where we would be sleeping that night.  

We had the best night, one of those extra special nights when you feel all kinds of happy and content and don't want the night to ever end.  We roasted hot dogs and ate chips out of bags, had a makeshift ceremony where we threw a few of Cruz's school papers in the fire and shared favorite memories and learnings from his first grade year, listened to the Avett Brothers, and ate our first s'mores of the season.  We played campfire games like "guess this job" and "name that door" and told stories with flashlights under our chins.  Then the sun went down, the stars came out, and so did the lightning bugs, and Cruz and Mila chased them in their pjs, carefully running to show us their catches before letting their light go into the night sky.  And as I sat by the fire and watched our summer bugs run through the grass in their bare feet, I hoped this would be one of those memories that stuck.  Their carefree spirits, the quiet magic of the night, and peace and joy felt from our home and our hearts.  It was a good good way to welcome summer.

Only we didn't quite make it through the night!  The kids fell asleep quick, but the winds picked up and increased through the night.  Our little tent held strong, but the noises were endless!  Prepared to forfeit a good night's sleep myself, I watched the kids sleep and waited for them to freak out.  And although they didn't freak out, they woke up at 3 am and wanted their beds!  And this proved to be the best part of backyard camping - we were cozy in our beds, sound asleep, at 3:05!  

We woke up the next morning and brought our breakfast outside, where we sat in the tent while it rained, ate our muffins, read some books, and decided we may just leave this puppy up all of June.  Or at least until our lawn-obsessed Dad threatens to take it down!

Summer break was here and we were off to a pretty good start, for we discovered the key to summer AND cozy, two of our very favorite things!

And for good measure, a little video of our favorite memories...