Backyard Camping

Last Saturday was a super fun family day! We drove through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in search of water on the 90 degree day and we ended up at Goose Lake. Ella swam in the lake, while Nicholas, Jeff, and I sat on the lake's edge, dipping our toes into the cool, refreshing water. 

It was a gorgeous day and surprisingly, not too crowded. 

Later that evening, Jeff decided to surprise the kids and assemble our tent in the backyard for an overnight camp-out. Ella went to play at her cousins' house and when she arrived back home, she and Nicholas were elated to see where they were to sleep all night! 

Can you see the happiness on Ella's face?!

We moved Nicholas' mattress to the tent, along with all of his necessary medical equipment and inflated a queen size air mattress for Jeff and Ella. 

The kids watched a movie on the iPad for a bit, then it was bedtime and they all snuggled in for a night under the stars and the super moon. 

 It took over an hour for Ella to settle down, and finally fall asleep, but both kids slept peacefully there all night with their daddy. Ella awoke at 7:00 a.m. and crawled into bed with me, but Nicholas slept until nearly 10:00 a.m. even with the sunshine on his face! I guess moving his mattress in there was a great idea after all.

I love that my husband does such sweet, simple things to make amazing memories for our kids. They definitely deserve it!