The Great Outdoors

We took advantage of the much nicer California weather while we were away this summer and spent a lot of time outdoors. One day we were just needing to get the kids out of the house, so we drove to Sunol. It was actually pretty hot that day. One of the kiddos was not very happy about hiking in the heat. I won't mention any names, but the pictures might give it away, hehe.

On another day we went to Muir Woods to see Redwood Trees. 

Ainsley is a bit obsessed with Mt. Tamalpais because of the Percy Jackson books. She was super excited when we happened upon the entrance to Mt. Tamalpais State Park.

On another warm day we decided to hike Mission Peak. My mom sat this one out, so my dad and I packed a backpack with snacks and water and headed out with the kids. 

It was pretty hot. But there were cows! Cows that got spooked by something (I don't even know what) one of the kids did. I was about to make them run up through the trees as fast as they could before we all got trampled. Fortunately we didn't have to run or get trampled.

Once we got high enough the weather was cooler. We stopped at a bench for a quick break which ended up marking the beginning of the end. Let me explain. The last bit of the hike up Mission Peak is absolute torture for anyone who has a fear of heights. That would be me, my dad and Ainsley. It's steep. It's slippery. And it's windy. Like really windy. Always. Why do we put ourselves in such predicaments one might wonder? Well, it's because we all love the great outdoors and a good adventure! Out of the five of us, Landon was the only one who wanted to continue. Kaylee was tired, and the rest of us were fearing that climb. We couldn't not let Landon hike to the peak after such a long journey, so we decided I would take him. A little ways up we came to a spot where we basically had to do some rock climbing. I felt bad, but I had to tell Landon that I didn't think I could keep going. He looked at me and said, "Mom, let's just say a prayer". We did, and let me tell you, we kept going, and we made it to the top. By the time we hiked back down Kaylee had decided she wanted to hike to the peak, so we went back up. The second time around wasn't as bad.

My dad would have gone up with us, but we didn't want to leave Ainsley alone. Poor kiddo. I know exactly how she feels. I have totally been there. Literally. I remember as a teenager hiking up Mission Peak and feeling like I was going to have a panic attack during that last little bit of the climb. It is an unfortunate state to be in. She still had a good time though. I mean who wouldn't enjoy watching two squirrels fight over one goldfish cracker that eventually broke in half so that each squirrel could have a piece?

A few other outdoor adventures included, my dad taking Kaylee fishing a couple of times and my dad and I taking Landon Geocaching. The girls were shopping with Grandma, and the girls made it clear that I wasn't invited, haha. Spending part of our summers in California is the best. So many adventures and so many memories made!