Take a Hike

On Halloween morning my husband and I took our kids hiking.

We went on the Beaver Lake Trail, our favorite trail at our local state park. It's a 3-mile trail around a lake, but we just went about a mile and then turned around and came back the way we came, because 3 miles is tough on tiny little legs. :-)

I adore hiking with my family, and it's not just because of scenery like this:

And this-

And this one too. 

While the scenery is amazing, and I love being able to get my "fall fix", I also love the way it gives us opportunities as a family that nothing else does.

I love that we have space, and breathing room. Sometimes when you have a bigger family it's hard to be all together without feeling claustrophobic. Nobody's saying, "He's TOUCHING ME!" or "Leave me ALONE!" We're together without being on top of each other. And that's nice.

I love that there's no hurry. We can all experience nature in our own way, we can talk, we can laugh, and there's no rush. Just the opportunity to really be together.

 My husband and I can stroll along hand in hand while the kids run ahead, we can stop and kiss and they can turn around and say, "EWW!" (my daughter) or "Awww!" (my son)

(And we can hug a tree, if that's what we feel inclined to do.)

Throw into the mix that we're breathing in fresh air, taking in nature, discovering new things, doing something that's healthy, and making memories, and as far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect family activity.

So my advice to you is to take a hike. And take your family with you. :-)