Birthday Party Prep.

A Story:

Once upon a time...

Well, actually, every year around Memorial Day time - to celebrate the birthdays of our two oldest Hoolies - our family's tradition has always been to go tenting for the long week-end.  We started this celebration when Jesse was two and when Kaden was five...and have been doing it every year since.

And just about every. single. year. we have experienced heavy, torrential rain for just about their entire tenting birthday weekend.  And it has been awesome.

New rainjackets.  Also a birthday gift tradition.  Per pure necessity.

In all honesty - everyone, including both sets of grandparents who come along and celebrate with us, have been incredible troopers about the whole thing...and really, all in all - we've made some pretty fun (and hilarious) memories over the years.

I can remember our very first year of this "tradition."  The forecast had predicted "heavy rain" starting around noontime.  So.... we loaded up our gear, and our goal was to get to the campsite and be completely set up before the rain ever hit us.  And we made it just in the nick of time.  So, while the Littles were resting in the tent waiting for Grampy and Grammy to arrive, Kev and I were hundled under our canopy, sipping camp coffee, with a little smudge of a fire under the tarp -- in our winter jackets, no less -- and Kev said:  "We will have as much fun as we want to have this weekend.  If the boys see that we're having fun, then they will have fun.  If they see us miserable - they're going to be miserable."

And it was true.
And so we made the best of it.

I had about ten changes of clothing per day for my two year old, because he chose to stomp in every single puddle that was accessible -- and he chose to stand directly under the run-off from all of the tarps -- just as soon as he was dry.... but we honestly, did make the best of it.

And our motto for the weekend became (about every single thing):  "It's no big deal."
You're soaking wet and freezing?  It's no big deal!
You just fell face first into a puddle?  It's no big deal!
You just made off with my entire cup of camp coffee and drained the entire thing?  It's. no. big. deal....

And so, here we are again, year five of this rainy weekend birthday party tradition extravaganza....aaaaaand sure as shootin' the weather is predicting a 70% chance of rain for all day tomorrow.

Joy unspeakable and full of glory.

 The boys begged and begged to go camping again this spring....but this Mama does have her limits.  London just turned two weeks old yesterday, and while I do believe the younger they are the easier it is to cart them anywhere -- the idea of three days and nights of being perpetually damp and soggy just did not appeal to me this year.

I must be getting old.

And so, we have compromised.

We be having a backyard camping weekend this year.  But Mama be having a "sleep in her own bed with London in the Moses basket beside her kind of nights."  We will still play outside all the live long day tomorrow.  Dad and Kev will be rigging up tarps all over the yard.  We'll be having cowboy coffee, campfire fudge, pudgy pies, bacon over the open fire, cowboy bread pizza, smores, and hotdogs.  We'll play some crazy Minute to Win It games, and the kids will run wild - and wet - and free...

But the Mama....

She'll be staying warm and dry.  

For the nighttimes anyway.