Capturing the Awe

My kids may not be growing up "out in the country" like I did, but they still love getting out into nature every chance we get. They love picnics, and hiking, and (as we recently discovered) camping. And every time I see them exploring and having fun outdoors, I am reassured that their "city life" upbringing ins't dampening their love of nature in the least.

 You could say they were a bit excited to finally be going camping.

And while the desert has its merits, we were all happy to be escaping it for a little while. Goodbye dry, flat views.

And hello changing landscape. It's nice to trade in the saguaros for some real trees now and then. 

The drive up to the mountains was great, because every time we'd turn or come over a ridge and see a new vista open up in front of us, the kids would "ooh" and "aah" delightedly. My favorite quotes included "Whoa! That's awesome!" and "Look! It's so beautiful!"

And of course the "oohs" and "aahs" continued when we finally reached the campground. (With some of my own contented sighs along with them.) This was the view from our campsite. Complete bliss!

We were fortunate enough to be able to go up a night early, so we had some free time to explore before the official Cub Scout camp out started.

So we got to visit the lake.

And do some hiking up on the rim.

It was wonderful to be able to share this with my family. No cares. No worries. Just a weekend away enjoying our awesome surroundings.

Toasted Marshmallows and Unopened First Aid Kits

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.


Like I mentioned on Friday, my family and I headed out into the woods over the weekend for our first camping trip with the Cub Scouts. Not only did we survive, but we managed to have a fantastic time along the way. I have many wonderful pictures and stories to share, in what is looking now like a six-part "Camping Adventure" series to come. So I hope you'll stay tuned! :)

But for the sake of today's post, I'll just start with a couple of the highlights.

Toasted Marshmallows (and S'Mores, or course!)
One of the best parts of camping (for me, anyway) is the campfire. I love the smell of the burning wood, and the warmth that it offers on a cold night, and how relaxing it is to just sit and watch the dancing flames while enjoying a peaceful night out in nature.

Of course for the kids, the campfire is important for another reason. Yep, all day Saturday my daughter kept asking "Is it time for s'mores yet?" and "Can we toast the marshmallows now?" Fortunately the waiting didn't kill her like she seemed to think it would, and that night we finally got to toast the marshmallows and make some ooey-gooey s'mores.

The kids were adorable, holding the forks oh-so-carefully over the flames. (They're like me, and don't like to catch the marshmallows on fire. Just a slow, gentle toasting is good for us.) And their delighted faces once they bit into the s'mores were priceless. Definitely one of our favorite moments of the whole trip.


Unopened First Aid Kits
My daughter has a tendency to fall down and get hurt. A lot. (The poor thing inherited some of her mom's balance and grace, I'm afraid.) So one of my main concerns about our camping adventure weekend was having a well-stocked first aid kit. And I admit, I was a little nervous as I tried to anticipate how she might hurt herself, and whether I would be prepared for it.

But I'm thrilled to say that my fully stocked kit went completely untouched this weekend. We didn't need any bandages, or disinfectant, or any of the myriad of supplies that I had packed. We were able to explore, and discover, and have an adventure without a serious medical incident. And that made me very happy.

Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and let's all have a great week!

And if you're a blogger and would like to get in on the LML fun, feel free to grab the code and join the blog hop! Your post doesn't specifically have to use the "LML" label (although you're welcome to use it if you'd like, and the graphic that goes along with it.) If you have any kind of happy, positive Monday message that you'd like to share you're welcome to join. The more happy vibes, the better the Monday!

No Phones, No Lights, No Motorcars (or something like that)

www.fs.usda.gov

I will be going off the grid, so to speak, for the next couple of days. The family and I are headed out to the woods for our first Cub Scout camp out. (The picture above is a Forrest Service photo of the area close to where we'll be.) Beautiful, yes? With the temperatures here in the valley already reaching the 90s, we're definitely looking forward to escaping the heat for a few days in the high country.

It should be an interesting experience, since our kids have never been camping before. (I know. I'm more than a little ashamed of that. Better late than never, though, right?) They're very excited, and have been doing a countdown for the past week or so. And telling everyone they see that "We're going camping this weekend!!!"

I'm hoping to come back with plenty of great stories to share with all of you. So... wish me luck. I haven't been camping since I was a kid, and neither has my husband. I'm pretty sure I still remember how to do it. And I'm almost certain that the kids are going to love it. Mostly, I just hope I don't look like too much of a newbie in front of all the experienced scouting families. :)

LML Monday - Cub Scouts & BBQ Wings

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.

Cub Scouts
This weekend was my son's first Blue & Gold Banquet with Cub Scouts. It was quite the event, and very exciting. He received his Tiger Badge that he has been working toward all year, as well as several other awards. I'm very proud of my little man. But even more, I'm so happy to see him take pride in himself and his accomplishments.

BBQ Wings
As some of you know, my daughter has quite a love for BBQ chicken. And so from time to time we go out to one of our favorite joints for wings. Partly because we all like to eat them. But largely because we get to see this face. And who wouldn't want to do that as often as possible?

Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and have a great week!

LML Monday - Play Dates & Pine Cars

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.

I know the blogging has been a bit patchy lately, but like I mentioned yesterday things seem to be getting a little bit back to normal. And even if they aren't completely there yet (or don't stay there) I've decided that LML Monday needs to be back, and needs to be a constant. Because I feel better when it is. So here we go, back on track...

Play Dates
My kids and I have a tradition, going back to the beginning of last school year when my son started kindergarten. Every time they have a half day at school we take advantage of the free afternoon and go out to lunch (usually at McDonald's, because in a town this size there aren't all that many options.) We always have a good time. And there is usually ice cream involved, which also helps.

At some point our lunch dates began to evolve, as we started to get to know some other families from school and make some friends. Sometimes it's still just the three of us for lunch (which is still fun), but sometimes (like this past week) we're able to meet some friends there and make an actual play date out of it. Spending a couple of hours at McDonald's is even more fun when the kids have friends to play with, and I have other mom friends to talk to.

When you're a mom (especially a stay-at-home mom) your exposure to grownup conversation can sometimes be kind of limited. Don't get me wrong - I treasure every minute with the kids, and wouldn't trade it for anything. But having another mom or two to spend some time with now and then is a great way to relax and recharge, and it always makes me feel better.

Pine Cars
This past weekend was the first Pinewood Derby of my son's Cub Scout career. Sadly, none of our cars did all that well, but we still had a great time. And we got some ideas and learned a lot about what we can do better next year, so it's good that this is an annual event. :)

These cars might not have been the fastest, but they sure did turn out cute, didn't they? Family craft projects are always a hit in my house, so these made for several fun weekends leading up to the race. (And lots of hard work - mostly on Dad's part, but I like to think that the rest of us contributed a little.) My son didn't even care at all that he didn't win - he still loved his Angry Birds car.


Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and have a great week!