The "Grandma Hike" tradition

Every year before school starts, well for the last three years, Weston's mom takes us on the "Grandma Hike". The first year Kallie was three Cole was one, we were told we could push strollers the whole 3 miles in 3 miles out hike. Not the case, about a mile in we had to ditch the strollers and I ended up carrying two crying kids for four miles. One on my shoulders and one in my arms. Let's just say the experience was worse then miserable. Last year I opted out of the Grandma hike, but this year I decided the kids were big enough to hack it.

I am so glad I did we had a blast. We went on a fun little hike which was on a mostly paved path with beautiful scenery and then we went swimming after. The kids had so much fun. My kids are so lucky to have such awesome grandparents that live so close. One set lives a mile and a half away and the other lives a whopping 6 miles away. What lucky spoiled children I have!
Kallie, Cole, Libbie, and Kace, feeling the super warm water in the creek on the trail, it come from a natural hot spring. At the top of the mountain! It was a pretty warm day but the kids did so good, Cole ran the whole way up the mountain and was mad when I wouldn't let him run down too. It was pretty steep, he is stronger than I thought he would be.

The swimming afterward was so fun, there were hardly any people at the pool and no line at the slide. The kids loved it. Kallie is starting to be not so scared of the water, after 3 sets of swimming lessons last winter I think she is feeling a little more brave. As long as she has her life jacket on she will try to keep up with the big kids. As for Cole I wish he would be a little bit scared. He was so funny, he would jump off the diving board and paddle himself to the side. Cole would get so irritated when any of the bigger kids would try to help him. He is sure he is as big as them. He has had a blast swimming this summer, we have spent plenty of time in the canal and the lake and went to pools a few times. As long as he has a life jacket on he can do it all! I have said before, it is too bad we can't put him and Kallie in a bottle and shake them up and we would have the perfect amount of fear in each of them!!