The Great Outdoors

I've been trying to get Madeline outside as much as I can while the weather is so nice. We mostly play in the backyard where she runs around like a little yap dog, or go to the small park down the street where she loves to go down the slides and play on the swings. About once a week my mom helps me take the kids somewhere new and fun, or if not anything else we walk around the neighborhood to get some exercise. I know Madeline won't remember these outings, but I love seeing her little brain collect all of the new experiences. And it sure beats watching TV.

Last week my mom & I took the kids to Red Rock and did a little hike to a small waterfall. We thought we were on the children's trail, but it turned out we weren't and the trail was quite rocky. Madeline had a blast and Maison, well, he just chilled in the chest pack.

This morning, Thor, the kids, my parents and I went out to the lake and walked the old railroad trail the mile to the first set of tunnels. It was a beautiful morning, actually starting to get hot. The view from the trail is very serene, just the mountains and the lake, and there weren't many people out so it was nice and quiet.

The trail was too soft for the stroller, so Madeline walked a lot of the way there, but when she was tired she would only let her g-ma carry her. Madeline saw her first lizard, I told her it was kinda like a little cat, and she didn't want to leave it.

She loved to run all goofy with her g-pa and he kept picking wildflowers for her (probably illegal, we know!). It was really cute. I carried Maison in the chest pack while he chewed on the front of it (yes, he did have a hat on). The return trip was a little rough, at least for Thor who ended up carrying an exhausted 2 year old the whole way back.