It's a little tradition we have created in our family, to go hiking on Independence Day. There's nothing we enjoy more than being together as a family in the midst of nature's grandeur. And taking a bit of time to contemplate the blessing of living on American Soil, is a great way to spend part of the day we celebrate our Independence.
I'm not going to lie, though. The Pacific Northwest has probably spoiled me for life. Mother Nature really rolled out a gem in the landscape there - so sometimes other locations pale in comparison. Especially since (finally) the past couple of weeks I've really REALLY been missing the PNW. But, I was determined to find a little bit of nature to enjoy in our new homeland, and make the most of it. One day while driving home from the Farmer's Market in a neighboring town, I spotted a lake with some rolling hills (we live on the edge of the Hill Country) and I knew it was the place! So, that's where we went - Lake Georgetown.
There's quite a few different trails and some go down by the water, and some just circle around the lake - 26 miles. We knew we were hiking more for time than distance with three littles, so we hopped on the nearest trail and started...hiking. (I also joke that there's really no such thing as hiking in Texas...at least not the kind I'm used to) So, we hiked amid the gnarly oaks and cedars, on a rough, rocky trail, for a good 3 hours. The kids did amazing - what great little troupers!
Sawyer was SO excited about the 4th this year. He took great care in selecting his outfit for the day and made sure he got some red, white, and blue. He was the "leader" of the hike for the majority of the few miles we covered. Proud of him. He didn't complain once, except for right before we left the house when I made him wear actual shoes and socks in stead of flip flops for hiking. He is so my boy in that regard (dislike wearing shoes!)
This little lady did great, too. She is of course a bit littler and on the way back she said he feet were getting tired. So, I held her hand as we walked along and we started singing a bunch of funny songs. "The Ants Go Marching" "B-I-N-G-O" "There was an old woman who swallowed a Fly" etc. basically, I wanted to keep her mind off her tired feet - and it worked! Such a joy, this little girl is - always positive and happy. Love her!
This lil' darlin' - she is all smiles. She went without a nap all day long - and didn't get to bed until about eleven with all of the fireworks and fun in the evening. But she just smiles and goes with the flow. She may not sleep through the night, but she makes up for it in her easy going, fun, spunky, easy-going ways. She is a little adventurer! Always trying to keep up with the bigger kids.
A little peek at the lake.
Mother Nature provides the very best toys.
After our hike, we went home and prepared a Fourth of July feast - bbq burgers, watermelon-lemonade, baked beans, etc. We spent a little too much time on the trail and I didn't have time to get our apple pie done before we needed to head out to the fireworks show - so I'll finish it today and enjoy it tonight. After dinner, we scooped the kids up and piled in the car and went to the local fireworks. They actually had stuff going on all day long - big bounce houses, food, live music, games etc. There were a ton of people there, but it wasn't hard at all to find a great seat. We listened/danced to the live music while we waited for it to get dark enough for the show. I brought the kids some glow in the dark bracelets and that kept them entertained until the show started. It was such a great show! Silence fell over the crowd as the big BOOM BOOMS started lighting up the sky. The 4th is my favorite holiday. I love how simple it is, yet so festive and fun, too. I loved looking at the faces of my little loves as the sky exploded with color. And I loved scooting closer to the man I adore, and wrapping an arm around him while holding our baby in the other, while taking it all in.
I hope you all had a marvelous and memorable 4th. What a wonderful celebration!
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