Little Si

Before moving here, I was not a hiker... my idea of outdoor activities included laying out by the pool, going to the beach (and ultimately laying out there too), and perhaps taking the occasional walk.  Upon moving here, we started to notice the large number of trails available for our personal use!  These were not your average trails; they were surrounded by trees, lush foliage, and led to something spectacular like a mountain view or a waterfall. 
We started to get a taste for hiking last summer after we bought a backpack for Trey.  Lucky for us, he loves it and would sit in it for hours (as long as it continues to move).  Soon after buying the backpack, Trey and I reached our first summit (*For you non-hikers out there, a summit is the peak of the mountain).  This is us at the top of Cougar Mountain.

Very soon after, I was hooked (as was Trey and Brian!)  Our next real hike was the Snow Lake trail where we were greeted by a beautifully iced over lake at the top.  Surprisingly, it was June and there was still snow!

We climbed the Longs Pass trail soon after and were completely surprised by the most beautiful view at the top of Mount Stuart.  Brian describes us as "scenery hikers".  We need the gratification of seeing something at the end of all the hard work.  (And let me be the first to tell you that this one was hard work!)  I think we may try this one again this summer. 

We were anxiously awaiting our first real hike and jumped at the chance on a cloudy pre-spring day.  We decided to attempt the Little Si teeny-mountain.  This is a picture of it from a distance (obviously not my photo, it is not that green here yet!)  Little Si is the teeny-tiny mountain on the left.

 It was a great start to our "hiking season" and Trey loved his backpack (his "baapaa") just as much this year!  We decided this was probably our "greenest" hike; everything was so mossy and covered with foliage!  I felt like I was walking through Jurassic Park... I know, different kind of jungle, though. 

My ears were cold... I don't particularly like wearing this head thing, but I dislike hats even more. 

Trey needed a break after we reached the top.  Mommy was a bit nervous letting Trey run around at the top of a mountain, but he did great stretching his legs in a very limited amount of space!

Hopefully we will have many more hikes to share; as for now, we are waiting for this nasty weather to clear out!

Books

Hello, friends!  I am trying my hand at blogging... again.  :)  So far, I have yet to come up with an acceptable "first topic" (I created my new blog a week ago) so I decided to just jump in with whatever current thought I was having.

I love books!  Yes, yes, you know this.  What you don't know is that I am currently reading three books at a time.  Talented?  No.  Bored?  Not hardly.  Absolutely loves books so much that I can't decide which one to read, so I just read all three?  Yes.  :)  When I was younger, my momma said I was much like Belle...

 
 My love of reading has been apparently passed onto my 19 month old, who will sit down to read a book wherever, whenever and however he pleases.  Nothing could excite me more than to see him grab a book for the car as we rush out the door each morning, and grab another book as soon as he gets home in the evening.  His new favorite word is "book", and again, I couldn't be more proud.  Much like his mommy, reading is one of his favorite pastimes!  (Luckily we live in a place where reading must be a pastime because the weather prevents much else!)  These pictures were taken while he was opening his Valentine's day gifts.  This happens to be an "a-pee" (airplane) book.