Redwoods Trip: The Trees

When preparing for our California Redwoods camping vacation, I realized about a week before we left that in my head I was thinking Utah camping: scorching heat, cold nights, little shade. Then I read the weather forecast and stopped to think about the fact that we are camping in a giant forest near the coast. It was wonderful. The shade was plentiful, the temperatures perfect, and the company fantastic!

The morning mist was so beautiful and it felt so peaceful at that time of day among the trees with the birds chattering and people just beginning to stir. The picture doesn't quite do the scene justice; it was simply gorgeous in real life. 

We went on a couple of hikes, and the most amazing part was to stop and just look up. The trees went up so far and the sun coming through them was awesome. This is the 'lightning bolt tree'.

We went to the Trees of Mystery and rode the SkyRide up over the tops of some of the trees. The kids loved the ride, and it was really interesting to have a birds-eye view of the forest rather than an ants-eye view!

At the top of the SkyRide there is a lookout with binoculars. Nora was in heaven. 

Great photo op on the hike back down from the SkyRide!

We also hiked around the campground. The undergrowth is spectacular. So many ferns and clovers and grasses. Nora was a trooper. She marched right along with us for about half of the hike, then took random (often blurry) pictures with our camera for a while, then asked to get up on Aaron's shoulders and promptly fell asleep. 

Such a peaceful and beautiful place.

This is the Place

Friends from Colorado invited us to spend the day with them at This is the Place Park. 

It was a fun day of investigating old buildings, watching blacksmith and cabinetry demonstrations, catching up over lunch and ice cream, and letting the kids get to know each other better. 

The 'train' was a big hit with the kiddos. 

  

I think Zeke and Nora could have ridden the miniature railroad all day. 

  

It was a fun outing, thanks to the Giffords for inviting us! 

Memorial Day Weekend

We tend to jam-pack our holiday weekends. Memorial Day was filled with chasing Thomas, bubble blizzards, family events, and lots of being outdoors enjoying the great weather.

Zeke's Kindergarten Program

The last day of kindergarten was a program, where the kids showed all of their proud parents what they learned in their first year of school. 

There were a lot of songs.... I had heard most of the color ones before, as Zeke has sung them at home and made them stick in our heads. 

At the end, they each got to come up and get a certificate and lanyard. They also got their report cards and the name of their first grade teachers. Zeke knows of a couple of friends from kindergarten who are in his class next year, and it's so cute how excited they are that they will be together next year too. 

Love these cute cute kids!