She can't be 5!



Yep it’s true, my little Aubrey is 5! Some high lights of last night when we had a few friends over and today. Aubrey is a little light in this sometimes dim world, and I can’t wait to see what her future holds.

Aubrey has wanted a pink scooter for a long time. Now she can keep up with Emma and Tanner

I sewed an apron and chef hat for Aubrey and gave it to her with a kid cookbook. Aubrey often cooks with me as an earned privilege now she is all set.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Grass Lake Hike

I love three day weekends! Yesterday we woke early, packed lunches and headed out to the Desolation Wilderness for a 5.4 mile hike to Grass Lake. The road out there was the scariest thing I’ve seen recently, one lane in some spots, half lane in others, with a cliff drop off into a lake on one side and granite boulders protruding into the road on the other. If a car was coming toward you, you had to back up to a wide spot and hope that they could fit past you. It was 6 miles of terror. We finally made it to the trail head and started out. It was much more hill and granite steps then I was expecting, but I did fine, and the kids did better than me. We of course got the typical gawking, and comments about us taking all of these kids out hiking, but we’ve become used to it and laugh a little when we see their mouths counting how many kids we have with us. As a couple passed us the other direction Alyssa had to ask them why they were hiking naked, the lady was wearing a sport bra, and the man wasn’t wearing a shirt. We had a lunch picnic at the lake, and a large Husky dog came bounding through the end of the lake where we were playing, and the kids thought it was a wolf. It freaked them out until I pointed out that the wolf was wearing a collar, and was soon followed by its hiking buddy. In the spring this hike would be a lot more challenging. We had to cross one river over a log, but there were other creeks that would need crossing, but since it is late summer, they are pretty much dry right now. I find with Hallie on the front I have a hard time seeing where to place my feet and slip more then usual. My ankles are sore today from multiple twists because I stepped on loose rocks. Danny and I were talking about how much easier this will get when the kids get a little older and can hike on their own. Aubrey does just fine on her own, but Alyssa still needs some help with this length of a hike and of course Hallie needs to be carried the entire time. I love fall hiking, the temperatures are perfect!