Sunday, May 20, 2012

Eclipse Blessing

Tonight, we watched the solar eclispe.



At dinner, Jonathan prayed:

"Dear God, thank you for the food. Thank you for the solar eclispe. Please let Momma and Daddy be alive during the next one. Amen."

Monday, May 14, 2012

Day Hike to Skunk Harbor, Lake Tahoe

Mother's Day was beautiful in Nevada. We headed to Lake Tahoe for a family hike. The hike was fantastic. The kids enjoyed the scenery and loved getting in the frigid Lake Tahoe water. I loved every minute of the peaceful walk and beautiful surroundings.

I picked an "easy" hike for us. Easy for adults means still challenging for kids age 11, 8, 7, and 4. It was 1.5 miles down to the water at Skunk Harbor and, of course, 1.5 miles back up to the car. Elsie and Seth made an agreement on the way back- she'd walk some and then he'd carry her on his shoulders some. David said they came with a great pattern. Seth got extra exercise.

The hike we went on split in two. We went to Skunk Harbor. The other part of the hike goes to Prey Meadows. Here is a picture overlooking Prey Meadows.

Some pictures of us along the way on the hike. (Elsie insisted on wearing her skirt. After swimming she changed into shorts. But, she sure looked cute hiking in a skirt.)
Some pictures of the beautiful scenery on the hike to Skunk Harbor:
Skunk Harbor was serene and beautiful.
A perfect place to relax and play.
We set the timer for a family picture.

We also saw lots of insects and animals on our hike, including all sizes of ants, butterflies, chipmunks, lizards, birds and ducks. I only got pictures of a few.

A lizard (the boys were very excited about the lizards).
A woodpecker.
A beautiful blue bird that was flying in and out of the trees by the harbor.
A duck.

As you can tell, the whole trip was picturesque. This isn't even all of the pictures that I took! I am extremely excited about exploring the outdoors with the family this summer. I love how happy my kids were on this trip.

When we got to the top, back to the car, Thomas exclaimed, "I am SO proud of myself!"

 I had a special Mother's Day... and I am very thankful for my kids.