Back to Nature

Last Saturday we began our day lazing around the house. It started out as a nice peaceful morning and at some point it started to change into a bickering session between the kids.

It was at this point that I made an executive decision to get out of the house and get back to nature. I figured the children needed an attitude adjustment and a hike was just the motivation they needed.

After much grumbling and groaning and "do I have to?" asked numerous times, we loaded up the van and drove to the beginning of the trail.

This handsome fellow was the only one of my children that was very excited about the idea and he willingly jumped in the van with a big smile on his face. Isn't that smile gorgeous??

The hike started slow with the age old questions - "how long is this going to take?" "how far are we going to go?" I just smiled at them and kept walking. I knew that nature would soon weave her magic on them and their attitudes would soon change.
Remember the wildflowers Dave and I collected last week? Like I promised, these are the seeds from that bouquet.
The kids had a blast distributing the seeds among the hills. I think Baron thought they were scrumptious dog treats, he was sorely disappointed!!

We found numerous animal tracks and were able to identify raccoon, deer, coyote, and mountain lion. We even found a set of tracks that looked like a coyote hunting a small deer and taking it down. This led to a very interesting discussion about the Circle of Life, prey/predator relationships and their impact on the environment. I love these conversations with my children, it warms my heart.

We also made a new friend. After a brief relationship, she flew away.

As I expected, nature cast her magic spell on my children and the attitudes miraculously changed. Soon they were running and laughing and having a wonderful time. A bit of fresh air, some exercise, some conversation, and a lot of laughter is definitely the best medicine.

Here are the children at the end of our hike. Look at their gorgeous smiles, the happiness on their faces warms my heart. The magic is definitely working here. An hour earlier they were bickering and arguing and definitely not smiling.

More magic. I also love watching the children and dog running together. It is a truly beautiful site.