The Great Outdoors

After a terrible week of having the flu, we decided that we all needed to get out and get some fresh air. Dave and I decided to take the kids outdoors for a little hiking. The kids were so excited to just be outside again. The weather was perfect (as everyone else also noticed because the park was crowded!) We could not have asked for a better time to go hiking. It wasn't too hot, but it wasn't cold either.

Caleb was excited and exploring from the minute we let him out of the car. He ran around like an anxious puppy who has finally been let outdoors to relieve himself! Within a matter of seconds, he found a great climbing tree and tried to see how high he could climb (within reason). I have not seen him this excited in a long time.

Ava was a little more dainty at first (don't worry, this changes quickly). She did manage to climb the same tree, but she was more interested in actually hiking the paved trail instead of climbing up the dirty slopes like Caleb. She quickly changed her mind about staying neat and clean when she saw the waterfalls. She had her shoes and socks off in record time! Although the water was icy cold, she still waded around like she was in a hot tub!

The babies also loved just being outside. Fitting in with nature, they refused to wear their hair bows. After ripping them out 2-3 times each, I gave up, and allowed them to just play without them (no matter how many pictures I intended to take! :P ). They had so much fun toddling around the trail. They splashed in the water for a few minutes, but the shock of the cold water got to them!
We had a lot of fun playing in the water until Caleb (we knew it was inevitable) fell and got hurt, so we decided that was the signal to head back to the car.

I think all of the kids' favorite part was walking back to the car. Caleb found a little dirt slope that was perfect for sliding down on your bottom. Caleb took off to show everyone the best way to slide down. Ava followed quickly (apparently forgetting that she was trying to stay clean). The mixture of wet pants from the falls and gray sand from the mountain did wonders on their clothes, but at least they had fun right?

Dave and I tried to keep the babies from getting muddy as well. He played with them on the grass for awhile,but that didn't keep them happy long. We gave in, and we let them all play on the little slope as well. It was really fun to see them taking turns climbing up and sliding down. Luckily, the babies grew tired of that game quickly and settled for playing at the bottom of the slope.

After a few more minutes (which were filled with pleas to "come back tomorrow"), we made it back to the car. We stripped the kids down to underwear (I'm not having all that mud in my van!!) and headed home. It really was a lot of fun, and on the way home, I couldn't help but wish that maybe we really could "come back tomorrow" too!