Canyon Trails at Buffalo Hill

We love spring! It's so nice when the days start to warm up enough to enjoy the outdoors. One place we have been loving is what Davey calls "Buffalo Trails," a little hiking/biking trail system about 12 minutes south of our house. It's located right off the interstate and isn't especially scenic, but there are several loops that never take you too far from the start so it's a perfect "Chose Your Own Adventure" for little kids. We've been twice with friends, and once as a family when Sophie had a day off school.

Davey and Jaxon  hanging out on the bridge

I carry Charlie in the front pack, but let him down to explore during our snack break. He was just starting to walk and the uneven ground made him a little nervous. 

These boys loved throwing rocks down the hill

There is some sort of project happening near the trail head and the kids loved climbing this rock pile that had been dumped in the parking lot. 

The wildflowers are blooming right now! I'm glad we are getting to enjoy them for a short time before they get scorched when things heat up in a few weeks. 

A week later Charlie was feeling more confident on his feet and walked a very short section of trail

He had some help from Sophie

After we got back the car the kids had a fun time checking out the excavator parked nearby

Davey was in digger heaven!

Amarillo Botanical Gardens

This week we revisited the Botanical Gardens. Our last trip was almost a year ago, and just like before, the kids had a great time! We have so little nature here in Amarillo, and don't spend much time outdoors, so it's always nice to be somewhere surrounded by lots of green.

Our visit was prompted by the addition of a koi pond and a Japanese Tea Garden. I had read that you could feed the fish and thought it would be a fun activity for the kids. We brought some quarters and little cups and they both had a great time dropping the little pellets in the pond. After that was over, they spent another two hours running up and down the paths, chasing dragonflies, smelling the flowers, and gathering sticks, and hunting for butterflies. It was a perfect morning!

Sophie by the waterfall in the greenhouse and with a little snail she found on the path

Looking for a four-leaf clover, but we never found one

Feeding the fish. It was a breezy day and the surface of the pond was pretty rippled, so it took awhile for the fish to notice the food. Luckily they eventually found it when Davey dumped in his cup all at once and started chowing down. 

This kid doesn't like to hold still for pictures any more - he's always on the run!

I'm pretty sure the Tea Garden is meant to be a tranquil setting, but my kids thought it made an awesome playground. Luckily we were the only ones there so I didn't feel the need to reign them in, and let them have a little fun. 

Attempt at a group shot

Davey refused to join this photo, but I love this picture of Sophie and Charlie

3...2...1... Blast off!

Sophie got a stomp rocket for Christmas that she had been dying to play with, but we had to wait for the weather to warm up and the ground to dry out first. After a few nice days in a row, I thought it should be safe so we took it over to the high school where there would plenty of space, and she had a blast! The rockets are also supposed to glow in the dark, so maybe next time we'll have to try it at dusk. I see this getting lots of use over the years!

This girl knows how to jump!

Dave and Sophie both burned some energy chasing and gathering the rockets

Davey was happy to just sit and watch, but after a while he started to feel left out. We moved him a little closer so he would feel included, but the temptation to grab and eat rockets was to great so he got pushed to the side again. Sorry buddy :(

Crazy Sundays

Sophie had some crazy energy today. Sundays are hard on kids, and parents. All I ever want to do is take a nap, and she just wants to play, play, play! After trying to rein her in at church, then fight through lunch, and then have "quiet time" while baby brother napped, she needed a release.

Dave took both kids outside, and after I cleaned up the house a bit, I brought the camera out to take some pictures. There isn't much to do in our backyard, but she ran, twirled, jumped and rolled. And since I had the camera, she also decided to do some "tricks" like jumping on one leg, kicking like a donkey, and throwing a ball as high as she could. It was fun to see her soooo happy!

She was thrilled when I showed her the picture on the right and told her that she threw the ball higher than the houses. It's all about perspective :)

Davey had all the entertainment a boy needs - some cars to scatter and a crazy sister to watch

I love it when I can get a natural smile out of her - they are rare!

I showed Sophie how to use the camera and she took this picture of us

Another Day, Another Park

Normally we use one of our membership passes on the day I work from home, but for the last few weeks we've been attending library story time and visiting different parks around our neighborhood. I know our good weather days are numbered, so we are trying to spend as much time outside before the cold/wet forces us indoors. This time we went back to a cute little park I found driving home from Costco a few months ago. I have no idea what it's called, but I like it because there are lots of things for Sophie to climb and it's never crowded.

Davey caught a cold from Sophie and had the saddest little cough. It was nice to see the swings finally put a smile on his face after being miserable all morning. 

Sibling rivalry has already started. I took Davey's picture on the log, so of course she had to have her picture taken there too.

 And on a side note, we are still trying to figure out how to get this boy to eat some food. He will not open his mouth for a spoon, and if I ever do manage to get anything in his mouth he starts spitting. He seemed to think, however, that this apple core was awesome and gnawed on it for a good 20 minutes. I don't know what to do with this boy....