HIKING AT FOURTH OF JULY CANYON

There are few things out there that rejuvenate me like a long hike. Since we've known we were going to leave Albuquerque, we've been trying to make the best of our time here by getting out of the house often. We have a long list of things we want to do before moving day, but I'm sure we won't get to them all. One of our favorite things to do as a family is go hiking, especially since Noble was born, so that part of the list has become priority. It's the one place that the three year old doesn't have to be entertained 90% of the time, but still gets out enough energy to not fight her nap - and the baby just passes out in the Ergo. When it was just Ev, getting outside for a hike was simple once we got a routine down. Hiking with two has become a bit more complicated, especially since Ev doesn't fit in a carrier anymore. She really is an expert hiker for a three year old, but we have to put a lot of thought into which trails she'll enjoy and be prepared to turn around early. Though some days I feel like a herd dog biting at the ankles of a sheep, we still make an effort to go often. Cultivating a love of nature in my kids is one of the most important aspects of being a parent for me. I've been reading Last Child in the Woods over the last month or so. Louv urges people to consider time in nature for children as essential for their health as good food, loving parents, and a full night of sleep. Time outside shouldn't be a extracurricular activity or something reserved for vacation - it should be an integral part of their day.

On this day, my mom was here visiting and we all woke up ready to get out of the house. Alex had a long weekend and we had originally wanted to go camping, but just couldn't get all of our t's crossed and i's dotted in time, so we settled for a hike somewhere we'd never been before. Fourth of July Canyon is known for its Fall colors due to the Maple trees growing in the area (uncommon for New Mexico). The drive out there was intense, ending with 7 miles on a winding dirt road, so we were glad to have four wheel drive. We did the easy one mile trail where Ev was glad to run wild, blow dandelion fluff, and talk about dinosaur tracks (and how it looked like they were chasing the horse tracks + that we needed to save the horses), then we started on the 6.5 mile loop. We made it a mile or two and decided to turn back, but I definitely want to see the rest. As I looked through the pictures of her blowing the dandelions, I realized I had taken similar pictures almost exactly a year ago in Brooklyn. Watching her grow is such a beautiful thing.

If you're local and looking for a similar hike a bit closer to home, we found a new favorite at the base of the Sandias. We were only able to hike the Sulphur Springs trail, but rumor has it there's a creek on the neighboring trail.

A FORGOTTEN TRIP

At the beginning of each month, I usually look back through the last month of pictures, to reminisce I guess. It isn't an intentional thing that I do, just a habit. As I was doing this for the month of October, I realized we took a weekend trip to Los Alamos and I captured some really beautiful pictures, but I completely failed to blog about it. I'm really not one of those people that feel that I need to let the internet know every detail of everything that my family and I do, but these trips are always special ones.  I blog because I love the community and inspiration that it brings, but also because this is our family's virtual scrapbook and this trip needs to be remembered. This is the third time that we've done this and it's become a tradition of sorts. Since we could possibly be moving in the Spring, this may have been our last tiny vacation to Los Alamos. They're always much needed, a time to slow down, enjoy meals with friends, spend a lot of time hiking and enjoying nature, and taking long awaited naps.

We started the trip off right by eating lunch at Second Street Brewery in Santa Fe on Friday (10/11), where the makeshift ride (bicycle rack) was a big hit. This kid, man - she's too happy and smiles too much.

Our main reason for taking this trip was to go to a consignment sale with some friends of ours (Hi, Ian! Hi, Allie! Hi, Ezra!) that a local preschool hosts, so we volunteered to help them pack up on Saturday (10/12) morning in exchange for a ticket to shop before anyone else on Friday night, which is where we got the awesome hat that Ev is wearing. Alex has a camouflage one that I make fun of every time he wears it, so when I saw a mini version, I had to get it. Evie loves it. Before we went to volunteer at the sale, we went for a short hike. I've been using the video function a lot more these days, so I unintentionally got way more video shots than pictures. I have plans to start incorporating video footage from each season into one themed video. I'm working on the summer one now and it should be up in the next few weeks.

On Sunday, we went for a longer hike along the ski trails. The fall colors were at their peak and I fell behind the rest of the group and enjoyed some quiet time to myself, taking pictures and gathering leaves to bring home for some Fall projects I have planned for Ev. We packed a picnic lunch of lentil wraps and fruit and found a little shelter with a fireplace. Alex built a fire and we sat for a long while, enjoying the warmth, smell, and sounds of it while eating a big cinnamon roll that I had bought at a local bakery. Before we left, I set the camera up on the picnic table and turned the self-timer on to capture us in our quiet moment together, sticky-faced from dessert, dirty from hiking, dressed in the last pieces of clothing from the suitcase.

WEEKEND IN LOS ALAMOS

Oh, Mondays.

It's been a lazy day around here. Evie slept in until 7:30 and I managed to talk her into snuggling with me for another 30 minutes (which is unheard of these days and makes my Mama heart oh so sad). We had a cheater breakfast of leftover zucchini bread and a handful of cherries and spent the rest of the morning on the couch with snacks and the Goonies (and books for Evie - girl is obsessed). Now I'm sitting here, cup of coffee in hand, trying to recount this weekends events, so that I can share them here for you strangers to read about. Blogging is a really weird thing if you think about it.

Friday night we drove up to Los Alamos with some friends of ours whose parents volunteered their home to us all for the weekend. We got there late and let the babies run wild until midnight, then we all crashed and morning came way too soon. We went for a hike on Saturday morning at Bandelier National Park and enjoyed the cool, fresh air. Evie experienced her first bus ride, which she was pretty enthusiastic about. After our long hike, we took a family nap for a few hours and it was glorious (queue angels singing). It isn't often that I allow myself to nap with Evie. Nap time is sacred and sleep feels wasteful. After nap time, we headed out to the public pool and let the babies swim. I'm noticing more and more of the kid in Evie each day and so many little things bring me back to my own childhood.

During the summer, when we were all out of school, the neighborhood kids and my sister and I would all beg our moms to take us to the public pool. We would pull up in our beat up mini van and jump out as fast as we could, with our towels and two quarters each for admission. I still distinctly remember the day that my mom gave us extra money to buy something out of the vending machine - I was on top of the world. We used to wander over to the Walgreen’s across the street when we got tired of swimming, and use our allowance to buy Pringle’s and candy bars. We live right down the street from a public pool, but Alex and I have never really thought about going. I'm just not into the public pool scene - pee pools and foot fungus and freezing water and whatnot. What's not to love about all that? I watched Evie splash and laugh, fall in the water and come up spitting and coughing, but still smiling, and go down the water slide with Alex and clap for herself at the end; it all reminded me of the love I had for water as a kid and realize I should brave the pool more often for her sake. She was so happy the entire time, even snuggled into a towel, shivering and blue.

On Sunday, we went for another long hike that I am paying for this morning. We probably hiked six miles or more, a lot of it uphill, but it was beautiful outside. At one point in the trail, Obsidian rock was scattered along it and we brought home a handful to put in our New Mexico memory jar. The sides of the trail were covered in wildflowers and we passed several beautiful meadows. Before moving here, I never would have imagined that beauty like this existed in a state mostly known as a desert. I'm surprised each time we take a trip North. Of course I forgot my camera and had to borrow one from our host, but I will be sure to share them as soon as I can get a copy from her.

It was a really relaxing weekend that we definitely needed. 

Hope all of your weekends were good!