Good Times at Lake Mackenzie

I pulled Sophie out of summer camp early one day so we could meet friends at Lake Makenzie. It takes an hour to get there on narrow farm roads where you often never pass another car, but the isolation makes it such a nice getaway. And now that I no longer worry about the van getting stuck on the crazy steep hill to get down, it's a much more enjoyable outing!

We arrived around lunch and stayed almost five hours. The water is warm and the kids always play so well here. Bringing the kayak was a game changer, so much that we bought one of our own afterward. The kids loved being able to explore further out from shore and made a trip over to a dead tree that's in the middle of the lake. Someone had tied a rope to a branch and they had fun using it to swing into the water. Next time I want to bring a bag for my phone so I can take pictures of them jumping from the tree. Griffin naturally made things a little challenging, but I was still able to spend time relaxing in the river tubes or chatting with friends.  

These two lake lovers jumped right in when we arrived

Charlie, on the other hand, stayed on shore while I got us all set up for a day of fun on an empty beach

Griffin was a new walker and the sand took him a bit to get used to

Me, with my friends Candice and Erika

Emery brought her kayak and the kids had fun paddling all over. They rode double, and sometimes even triple because everyone wanted a turn to go out for a cruise.

These two are the cutest friends. I would not be at all sad if they got married one day.

Not the normal way to sit in a chair, but he was pretty proud of himself for figuring out how to get in without any help

These boys never get tired of digging

Griffin loved lounging in the shade and watching everyone else play

Sophie made herself into a mud monster right before it was time to go home. So awesome awesome...

Lake days are fun, but exhausting. I hope the kids have some smidgeon of appreciation for the effort that goes into making them happen.

Playing in the Canyon (and with a cactus)

Monday was a holiday, so we decided to go to Palo Duro Canyon for the first time since spring. Over summer it’s just too hot to do any hiking. Spring and fall are by far the best times to visit. We packed a lunch and spent a couple hours on the canyon floor exploring. One day when the kids are bigger I want to try some of the rim hikes, but for now I feel much better having everyone down on the ground where there are no cliffs to fall from. 

Next time we visit I think I will bring a camp chair so I have somewhere to sit while the kids play. They are so happy just to run around, dig in the dirt, and climb on rocks while I watch. Then I would not have to sit on the dusty ground. If I’m feeling really fancy, I will also bring a shade umbrella to make myself extra comfortable! 

The only sad part of our day came at the very end when Charlie was running around laughing and tripped and fell right into a cactus. He got several big spikes in his pants and shoes, but those were pretty easy to pull out. The real problem was all the teeny, tiny spines that got stuck in his hands. There were hundreds and they were so small! He was actually really brave and only cried a little bit, even though it must have been painful. It took some time, but luckily I was able to remove them all using my teeth (a mother's love knows no bounds). Hopefully he has learned to watch where he is going!

Building cairns

Sampling the local dirt

Playing in our favorite tunnel

Attempt at a group photo

The kids always get so filthy, but have so much fun so I guess it's worth it

Our poor cactus boy

Palo Duro Adventures

We made three trips to the canyon this month, which is more visits than the last 6 months combined. Spring really is a wonderful time because even if it's windy, the temps are normally warm enough to still have fun, but it's not blazing hot yet. Hopefully we can make it back in a month or so after I recover from baby, because that's when all the wildflowers will start to bloom!

Our first trip was at the very beginning of March for a quick photo shoot of the kids (which I already wrote about), but then we also went back with friends one day after school, and then again just this week for a field trip for a break in our coronavirus isolation. 

Amarillo is flat and colorless so the canyon landscapes always welcome views

Charlie refused to walk the afternoon we went with friends so I got to carry him the whole time, which was quite the workout in my current state

Attempt at a group photo - 2 out of 5 looking and smiling is pretty normal!

The big kids hiked up through the cave while I stayed back with the little kids. Davey was really mad about being left behind, but it was nothing a fruit snack couldn't fix. 

Our visit this week was on a really warm day so we got there early to beat the heat and also avoid the crowds like good social distancing people should.

My Cactus Cutie and dusty Charlie

Taking a leap of faith - daddy was always there to catch them!

I tried to get the kids to help me build a rock tower, but they were not patient enough to stack slowly and left to go do other things after a couple attempts. Eventually Dave and I were able to make a pretty tall one!

After the tower was done, they came running back to take pictures with it :)

Family Pictures & Fun in Palo Duro

Sunday afternoon was gorgeous, so we ate an early dinner and then took a field trip to the canyon. First I took some pictures of the kids since our last "good" photos were a year old, and then we changed their clothes and let them play around in the dirt and rocks. They had so much fun and didn't want to leave. We stayed until dusk and made it home just before it was all the way dark to put some very dusty kids to bed. I'm glad we have such a neat place to visit so close to our house!

I was so excited to get not one, but two good pictures of the kids! Look at those cute smiles. I also took some individual portraits to use for their birthday posts. I'm glad we were able to get out and do these before baby comes.

Once the kids changed back into play clothes they wasted no time and got exploring!

Charlie's favorite activity was throwing dust and rocks. He was filthy by the end of the night.

Sophie and Dave climbed up to this rock. It's higher up than it looks in the photo. 

Sophie brought me a lovely bouquet of thistles that she picked up on the rock

Davey with his "hi-yah" sticks attempting to break the ground. He did this for almost an hour. 

Thanks for a fun night Palo Duro!