sleeping under the stars...

Years and years (and years) ago, my family used to live in Wyoming. My parents were both teachers in a small town called Burlington (somewhere slightly south east of Cody--east of Yellowstone Park). One of the perks of teaching would be the summers off. My parents took advantage of this and we would spend the summers in Driggs, Idaho--where my dad grew up. (We didn't make Driggs a permanant home until I finished Kindergarten.) Driggs used to be primarily an agricultural area. I remember as a child, sleeping out under the stars. I remember sleeping on a "big bed" (it was probably a full size...) on the front porch, or just laying down blankets on the front yard and going to sleep. I remember the rhythmic sound of the sprinkler systems on the fields around our house. I don't remember noticing the dew point until I got older. I just remember enjoying the great outdoors! I remember when 'city cousins' would come spend a few weeks with us in the summer and we'd spend all day and all night outside. And we'd poke fun that our cousins were scared to sleep outside.
Today, after dinner, I went out and laid down on the trampoline in the back yard. I was listening to the cars drive by, and the spray of the fountain across the street, and the sound of kids playing in the cul-de-sac, and the sound of someone's tv (probably mine)...and that's when I realized I'm raising 'city cousins'! I don't know what came over me, but I got this hairbrained idea to sleep outside with the kids on the trampoline. It's a great way to teach them about the dew point! It's also an excellent way to stay awake all night! And it reminds me of my mountain home so dear. So we hauled out the sleeping bags and pillows and laid 'em out on the tramp. Mick and Josh were really excited. Andrew...well, he's Andrew. He just rolled around like it was normal. I got William situated in his bed, grabbed my pillow and blanket and headed out. (Keep in mind that I'm not a small person! My children are not big people! ) I lasted almost 2 hours before I'd had enough. Of course, by now the kids are all asleep. Do I wake them? Do I let them sleep outside, alone? It's barely midnight and I'm ready to go to sleep but what do I do with the kids? I guess I'll let you know in the morning what I chose. For now, they're sleeping peacefully in the cool moist air, lulled by the songs of the crickets and cicadas, and I have free time on the computer!