Through the Woods and over the Mountains...

...a hiking we will go!

I really wanted to get outside this Summer and check out the beauty we have right in our own backyard. Since I have gotten really out of shape and pretty overweight, I knew we had to start out easy. So I called up my sister since she has lots of little ones with very short legs and thought they might be at about my hiking level. My sister Julie, is a hiking beast and has hiked the likes of Half Dome and Timpanogos...but lucky for me she has recently had a baby that she now has to pack. So on Monday, we tackled Battle Creek Falls for our first hike. It was just perfect! It was a hot day and the falls were a nice reward.

 All good hikes require a proper walking stick!

 Wish I could hike in such style (Sinjin & Julie)

 Some of our hikers - Zachary, Julie, Braxton & Brooklynn

 The kids found a fun little cave to crawl into

(L-R: Braxton, Ivy, Zachary, McKenna & Brooklynn)

 

 Finally the falls...it was so cool and misty, very refreshing

 

The beautiful view from the top

A little photo op on the bridge on the way back down 

(L-R: McKenna, Ivy, Brooklynn, Braxton & Zachary)

Thursday we drove up Provo canyon and attempted to find Buffalo Peak. It was a slow start as we took the wrong trail initially and had to head up a little higher to find the trail-head. But boy, was it worth it! It was a pretty short hike but the last 1/2 is straight up so that was a little grueling, but once you got to the top, the views were stunning! And the scenery the whole way was just beautiful. It was so nice to be out in nature and enjoying all that God has created. The kids did fantastic! We took Harley this time and he was a trooper as well. I can't wait to go again! And, it has been so fun to hike with Julie and her kids too.

 Most of our hikers...on the right trail

 

We saw some wildlife along the way. If you look really hard you can spot the head of a wild turky. Ok, maybe not, but I promise it is there. There were a few but I was near the end of our group and they had mostly run away by the time I got up there. We also spotted a deer and a bunny, lots of butterflies and tons of insects.

Beautiful meadows and flowers...EVERYWHERE!

 

 McKenna and Ivy picked some flowers and made a little bouquet for the next group to pass by.

We finally made it to the top

Some of the spectacular views from the top. 360 degrees of mountains, meadows, Utah Lake and the city below. 

This little pup was pretty pooped by the time we got home

We've Expanded Again...

We have been talking about getting another dog for a while now because Roxy is getting up there and needs a friend. We decided we wanted to rescue a dog and had been searching and meeting dogs for the past month or so. Finally, we found one we thought would be a good fit for our family. We were looking for a German Shepherd or Husky/Malamute mix possibly and were told this dog was a German/Dutch Sherpherd mix. He was still young enough (4mo) to train, and seemed pretty smart, so we decided to adopt him. We named him Harley and brought him home. He came home sick with Kennel Cough and had a rough first two weeks but he got over it and has been bouncy ever since. We should have named him Roo or something! As he has grown we have decided that the rescue place was completely wrong about him. He definitely has Shepherd in him but we think the rest is Pit Bull. He is too small to be full Shepherd and has traits of Pit Bull in his face shape and eyes. Even though he is smaller than we had wanted, he is pretty cute and everyone adores him. He's a good dog and hasn't been too terrible with the chewing...he just likes sprinklers and we've been through 3 already. Welcome to the family Harley!

 This was the day we went to meet him and decided he was the one.

 Brining him home and taking a nap!

 Meeting Roxy!

 Pooped again

 Watching Brooklynn play tennis - about 6 months old

 He's grown a little - Almost 7 months here