The Great Outdoors

I think one of our kids favorite traditions each summer is the family campout. The closest we get to camping out is the backyard. We never seem to actually make it up into the mountains. But the backyard is better than nothing. This year we went as far as to pitch our tent up over the trampoline. We always take out a ton of board games and let the kids take turns picking out their favorites. We made smores in the microwave and told ghost stories. What great memories! Jon got to sleep in the house with Calla, on the condition that I would get a nice long back massage the next day. The kids weren't allowed any electronics....but after they fell asleep I snuck the ipad out and watched a movie. Hey, I'm the mom. I have my rights.
Hiking has become a favorite of all the kids. I'm so glad they are starting to enjoy it. We tried a new hike up Provo Canyon to Big Springs. We left Anika and Calla at my parents because it was a 5 mile hike. Anika threw a fit about being left out. The hike ended up being kind of a disappointment. "Big" Springs ended up being a small spring that you could miss if you weren't watching close enough. We usually try to find hikes that end up at waterfalls or other fun places, and this hike didn't seem to have quite the reward that others have. They did have fun exploring an old scout camp area.

Tanner really wants a tree house, but we don't have trees big enough to support anything close to a house. He was so excited to find this little tree house thing from the scout camp.

Battle Creek is always a fun hike. It's more of a walk than a hike, with a great waterfall. Anika huffed and puffed all the way up, then ran all the way down, trying to beat the boys to the parking lot. Of course, running always ends up with someone tripping on a rock. Tanner was the lucky one this time. He had some fun scrapes to show off.

Stewart falls is probably the kids favorite. Calla joined us on this hike. We planned on carrying her the entire way, so we just put her in sandals. She had other plans. She insisted on walking like the others. Her walking was more like a few steps, a trip, crying, more insisting on walking, more tripping, etc, etc. She finally gave in- which is rare.

Tanner always loves walking through the water at the bottom of the falls.

Anika has a horrible fear of dogs. As usual, dogs were running free of their leash, and she was scared to death. Jon told her to pose (meaning freeze) when a dog comes near her and it will just leave her alone. She understood "pose" to be a cute little move from her dance class. She kept striking the funniest poses whenever a dog came near her.

After over ten years Jon and I finally made it back up to hike Mount Timpanogos. The first time since we had kids. This is by far my favorite hike. We almost didn't make it because of the late snow year. This past weekend (Labor Day) was the first weekend you could really get up to the top.

We got together with some friends and started out dark and early. Even at 5:30am the parking lot was full.

The wild flowers were amazing. We must have hit the peak time. I have never seen so many in my life. Everywhere you looked were fields and fields of non-stop flowers.

We made it!

The glacier was the steepest I have ever seen (I've been 7 times). I usually love sliding down, and I was a bit worried this time around. A free fall, with no way to stop yourself, leads to trouble. It was such an adrenalin rush! Jon wasn't as happy about it as I was. He had on slick pants and wasn't able to control himself as well. He ended up with a very sore tailbone. Ten years ago at the end of the hike he told me never again. He let me know after this hike that he's done for good. Hopefully it won't take him another ten years to change his mind!

Hopefully we can fit in a few more family hikes before the weather gets too cold.