Our day of Spring Break--St. Patrick's Day

Our day of Spring Break came and went for 2010. Since Clinton works for Apple 2 days a week and ARL 2 days a week, he had one day of spring break benefit (the day he is usually on-campus for Research Group, etc.) I guess I shouldn't complain since BYU never had a spring break and I was always working after than, but regardless, we enjoyed our day and took advantage of the beautiful weather to go on a family hike...in green.
We LOVED the Sherpani backpack, and it helped hold Riley beautifully, plus had so much extra room for packing diapers, a blanket and picnic lunch.
Daniel fell asleep in the car ride to the trail, so he was not quite his enthusiastic self when we started, but that soon changed.

Riley, on the other hand, was in GREAT spirits. When we stopped to take a picture of her irresistible smile, a couple walked by us with their dog. They thought we were taking a picture of the sky and scenery, but then they saw Riley. After their double take, they also stopped to admire her happiness and comment on her blue eyes. She definitely has a way of stopping people in their tracks and helping them smile--watch out world!

We passed the muddy section, and this is one of the first creeks we came to. Daniel was really hesitant to approach it. This is him "touching the water," as the obedient son that he is.

Because he survived that, he was free to "touch the water with two hands," as seen here.

By then, our Daniel was intrigued, and we couldn't keep him out. We moved ahead to the larger creek, and had a blast playing in the water. It was cold water, but moved enough to keep it clear. (Thanks to Clinton for actually getting me in a picture. :)

One of the highlights had to be the ROCK (he's still talking about it.) Because the water was so clear, he found a rock and bent over and picked it up. He loved the splash, which grew over time. What a fun place this world is; it is so satisfying to watch my kids discover the joys.



Riley had her own perspective of the day, and was a trooper hiking around with us--a good start for later adventures.



Back on the trail again, we loved experiencing nature--this butterfly met us coming and going on our hike.

Oh, and she's discovered her tongue.

And this is where we ended up. It is a beautiful spot where kids can swim and families can play. (If you look closely, you can even see a rope swing that was beckoning to Clinton.) We all enjoyed lunch and headed back the way we came.


Admittedly, we were all tired at the end, but had a great time being there and being together. Next time, we know we can bring the dogs; they will add a new level of adventure, don't you think!