October 11

Daisy's current favorite book is a library book called "Get Up and Go!" It's a mediocre book about the benefits of exercise and all the different ways we can exercise. She loves it, though, and at this point has the majority of it memorized.  One of the types of exercise the book mentions is hiking in the woods, and today we decided to go do just that.

We headed to a nearby conservation area that's perfect for little ones - paved trails, short loops, lots of places to rest. We last visited this place almost exactly a year ago, on Lily's 3-month birthday. 

Caleb and Daisy were so excited to get up and go exercise! They took off running down the path. 

I'm not sure how far Caleb would have gone if I didn't stop him to take pictures on this bridge. At least Daisy paused to look at the cars driving on the road below.

Our little adventurers! I love Lily peeking over Chris' shoulder. I also love Daisy's skinny jeans and Caleb's walking stick. That boy loves sticks!

Right away, Caleb informed us that he was a prophet and he was the leader. We all had to follow after Prophet Caleb. 

After they walked up this hill, Daisy said, "This is hard work! After this, we can have a 'triple chocolate, caramel sundae with extra whipped cream and a cherry on top'."

It's a direct quote from her book.

After that, all I could think about was ice cream sundaes.

Every bench was numbered. After I pointed out the numbers on the first two, it became a game for the kids to find each bench. There were twelve.

Peek-a-boo, Lily Lou!
She was really happy in the Ergo until she figured out the "find-the-bench" game the big kids were playing. After she figured it out, she wanted to get down and sit on every bench.

This tree had a large, interesting growth. Caleb was too afraid to poke it, but Daisy found herself a stick, walked right up to that tree, and began poking. I love how fearless she is!

When I saw this photo, I nearly died. It perfectly captures Daisy's spunk and personality, and I love it!

And then she grew tired of Caleb always getting to be the leader and took off in a dead sprint to pass him. It took Caleb a while to realize that Daisy had just passed him up and taken his job, but when he figured it out, he was MAD. I love the look on Daisy's face, though!

We finally let Lily down at bench number 8. She was thrilled! The bench was at the top of a hill, right next to a walnut tree. We all took turns collecting green walnuts and rolling them down the paved trail. It was ridiculously fun.

But the hill went up and up and up, and Daisy's little legs couldn't keep up. Chris is a much nicer parent than I am. Really, he may be Superman.

My little family. It's fun to think that this time next year, two-year-old Lily will be walking and our new baby will be riding on Daddy's back.

At one of the last benches, we discovered a triangular rock. Caleb decided it was a throne, and became King Caleb. This is his royal face. 

We finished our "hike" well past Daisy's nap time, so we skipped the really fun interpretive center. Caleb and Daisy were both devastated, but their devastation also clearly indicated how tired they were, so we stuck to our guns. While the girls napped, Caleb asked me for a snuggle. We crawled into the big bed and... fell asleep. It's been three months since Caleb last napped, and I can't even remember the last time he napped with me. What a sweet ending to a fantastic afternoon!