Campfire

My birthday gift for MJ was a fire pit for our backyard. The kids' gifts to him were marshmallows, skewers, chocolate, and graham crackers. What fun! We decided to crank it up for the first time last Sunday.

I had visions of a marvelous evening, straight out of an REI catalog. The kids would be sitting around the fire, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. MJ and I would watch fondly and occasionally stoke the fire, and we'd all enjoy some s'mores for dessert. It would be lovely.

In reality, the kindling kept burning out before the logs could catch. What little fire there was, produced tremendous amounts of smoke. CC decided she didn't like the smoke, and dragged her camp chair clear across the yard. My drink spilled all over MJ's seat. Sweet Pea dropped her hot dog in the ashes. MJ ended up holding almost all the hot dog skewers by himself. Little Man seemed determined to take out someone's eye with a skewer. The kids were more interested in going in and out of the back door than enjoying a nice outdoor adventure with us.

Why is it that experiences with the kids are never quite what I expect them to be?!

(There were a few cute moments in there, I'll admit.)