My Camping Buddy

The perfect campsite- our backyard!

Yes, you see correctly, this tent (purchased in 2003 and NEVER slept in) has only one small window in the doorway and is just the right size to put a full-size air mattress that deflates in the night!
Here are the campers in their great matching attire ready for a night of camping. (It took a lot of courage for me to post this picture, the things you do in the name of love for your child.)
Daddy kisses us goodnight and wonders if we will actually make it all night in the tent!
Here we are having fun with the camera...
And again as she pretends to sleep for the picture...
She insisted that Mommy also poses asleep so she could take my picture...
Here we are- two excited campers! (and check out my new glasses!)
I think this picture really sums up the experience... we had a lot of fun. The excitement that A. had in regards to the idea of camping truly makes my heart smile. When I told her we would be sleeping in the tent that night she literally said, "I run and say Hooray, HOORAY!" as she ran around and shouted hooray! I lined up everything we would need (including books, a flashlight, animal crackers, and water) We climbed into the tent about 735, read "lots N lots" of books, did shadow puppets on the wall, played with taking pictures of each other and ourselves, ate a small snack, and then we were ready to sleep. I was so proud of how at about 820, she was out. Fast Asleep. No potty runs, no need for going back inside- she just really enjoyed the experience. It felt really good for me to have that time of undivided attention for my little girl. Often my to-do list interrupts our play, but that night, it was just time for us to enjoy being together.

At about 6:50am she was awake and telling me she was hungry. Daddy came out soon after to wake us up. I discovered the mattress really was losing air all night and that the tent is almost too short that my 5 ft 5 and 3/4 was almost too tall that I could never stretch out my legs.

We truly had a WONDERFUL time. I had seriously considered doing it again tonight (Sun) until- my sweet, wonderful, fun-loving daughter BECAME a disobeying, NO NO NO "I Dont want to" girl.

I will not go into many details because the camping was so fun- but something is happening to our daughter. She is truly testing us and I hope that we succeed each time. This morning as I was getting her dressed she threw her shoe across the room. It took multiple times of me asking for her to get it before she did. Then she came back over, lifted her hand in the air, and I said, "DO NOT throw your shoe."
She looked at me, smiled, and threw the shoe.
At church I had to take her out three times (Thank goodness we sit in the last row and in front of a big sound booth so few people know what is going on) and the third time she just had to remain in timeout until the end of the service (about 12 min). No amount of talking or explaining seems to make it clear that we are serious and this is not a game. Tonight at the store she ran away from Daddy who had to actually break out into a sprint to get her after she smiled and ran when he said STOP and Red Light. WHY???
Im not against spanking, but Im not a fan of it either. I am wanting to save spanking until its a life/death situation. I would rather not be a yeller, and guilt is definitely not working either. I know I cannot take it personally, but its frustrating that I chose to do something that I thought would be really fun for her (camping) and she responds by her actions today. I can't help but worry what pre-teen and teenage years will be like when I should be able to reason with her and even then it wont always work. Ahh- parent-hood. Within 24 hours there can be waves of "I love you SO much, Mommy" quickly followed by "Cause I dont want to!"