Mother's Day 2013: Lookout Mountain

For Mother's Day, I requested breakfast in bed. Our little chef, Oliver, helped Dad mix pancake batter, and they whipped up some pancakes, scrambled eggs, and veggie "sausage" patties. The kids decided to climb into bed to eat with me, and Oliver declared it was a picnic. This was the best way to wake up!

This photo is pretty much my favorite photo ever. I just woke up, had hair everywhere, and couldn't keep my eyes open. Oliver decided to help Jo eat by feeding her pancakes. <3>

After breakfast, I asked to go hiking. I looked up some family-friendly trails nearby, and we decided to head to Lookout Mountain. There are numerous bike paths and trails throughout the area, but they have a pretty flat, 0.6 mile hiking trail from the Nature Center. On the drive up, we saw dozens of cyclists and joggers. At the Nature Center, the crowd changed, and we saw lots of families with small children.

Andrew put Jo in the hiking backpack. It's the first time we've used it since last summer, and she didn't remember it. She freaked out and started to scream at first. Once Andrew started walking, she calmed down and really enjoyed the ride. Here she is with her lovie, Tod the fox. Her Uncle Andy & Aunt Erin sent it to her for her birthday, and it is a very loved little animal.

As soon as we stepped out onto the trail, we spotted deer!

DEER POOP!

 

After the hike, we went into the Lookout Mountain Nature Center. Oliver loved exploring the poop molds they had. He got to compare elk scat with deer scat, which was very interesting to him.

Jo's favorite part was the animal pelts.

The kiddos fell asleep on the drive home. I was sleepy from the hike, too, so we made a stop at Starbucks. I bet they were busy today! When Jo woke up to a chocolate milk and cake pop, she was so excited that she squealed, "Yay!"

Once again, I had a very happy Mother's Day! Thanks for all of your hard work, Andrew! I feel incredibly lucky, and I look forward to seeing my mom this afternoon and Andrew's mom this evening. Happy Mother's Day!

Chatfield Reservoir

Yesterday afternoon was the perfect time for a run. It was about 60 degrees out, but the sun was covered by clouds and there was no wind.

My mom and I went to the Chatfield Reservoir for a little run, just to check out the trails for our big 10 mile race taking place on the 15th. It's a beautiful place to jog (although I wouldn't want to go by myself, ever. It's very forested, and there are very few people out in the wooded trails). Some parts were wide enough for two people, but mostly, the trails were meant for one person.

We ran, single file, over leaves and around fallen trees. At one point, when the sun just dipped below the mountains, we saw a doe about 15 feet from us. It's the closest I've ever come to a deer before! It watched us as we ran, and then I looked over in the other direction. There, a deer with long, elegant antlers was hoping away! Literally, prancing. It was so beautiful!

Mom and I only ran about two and a half miles or so (she had already run 6 that morning, and the sun was starting to set), but I had a grand time. I'm starting to get a little more excited than nervous about our upcoming run.