Even though we were in familiar places where we've been before, it felt different being there this time with our kiddos. Our hiking pace was a little slower, we had more stops for snack breaks, we stopped at practically every river, lake, and puddle we found to throw some rocks, but it was so fun to be there with them making new memories! When we revisit our favorite places with kids it really is like seeing it for the first time again. We love giving our kids as many opportunities as we can to run wild and let their imaginations be free!
Toddler Tips
Camping and hiking with toddlers. A lot of people can feel overwhelmed with this idea so they opt not to do it... but if you're prepared and plan your trips out well ahead of time it's so fun to make these special memories with kiddies outdoors and give them new experiences.
Midway
Our little dude thrives when he is outside, so we have been trying to make an effort to get him out exploring more and more! This weekend we went to the mountains to hike, let him run around, get dirty, and play in the water. Hiking these days sure looks a lot different than it used to....now being 7 months pregnant and having a two year old with us... but it's always so fun and good to get out in the fresh mountain air!
The River
Always outside, always on some kind of adventure! This little monkey would be outside all day, everyday if we let him! And we aren't complaining about that 😉 Whenever we get the chance we are taking him to explore the outdoors and see new things.
The First Swell
I think we can all agree that life has been crazy the past few months! Nothing is normal, pretty much everyone is working from home, homeschooling their kids, and there is so much uncertainty that a lot of people are crippled with anxiety. With everyone's schedules and routines interrupted - it felt good to finally be able to go back to one of our familiar places that we love - and leave the craziness of the world behind for awhile. A place that feels just as much like "home", as being "home" does.
The Hunt
One of my favorite traditions we started years ago was going to the mountains and chopping down our own Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving. I practically count down the days until we can get our tree every year, and seeing as Thanksgiving was late this year - it felt like I had to wait forever!
HOME
While we love to get out and about and explore the world around us, we also just love the times we get to be home! We live in the prettiest state surrounded by mountains, so we try to take advantage of some of the amazing places near by, and just enjoy our summer nights in our back yard 🙂 The sunflowers covering the fields around us this time of year are my favorite!
Between
This summer has been a busy one! We've had lots on our to do lists, been trying to get out as much as possible, and took our little buddy to the beach for the first time! It was so fun to take him to the water and see him explore in the sand (and eat it.) It was a refreshing change of scenery for us since we don't adventure off to the beach often, we are usually roaming around the desert without much water in sight.
Camped
Spring in Utah has been a rainy wet one! While that has made it a little trickier to plan camping trips with a one year old, it’s made the scenery completely beautiful and so so green! In years past it has felt like we have gone directly from a freezing cold winter, to a hot dry summer. So we loved finally being able to enjoy an actual spring with the fresh dewy air and green mountains and landscapes for a change.