FPC: Newton Hills

Well, this Birthday Season, start of school, work schedule, redecorate the church nursery business is about to run me right into the ground. I feel like there has hardly been time to breathe in the last several weeks. Don't get me wrong, the things I've been spending my time on have been worthwhile. But I've been missing the chance to just hang out as a family. Tonight was our first unscheduled night with everybody home pretty much since school started and the weather was gorgeous (in my opinion). Anyone who has read this blog before may recall that I have a slight distaste for being hot or sweaty. So, things like hiking are best left for cool and windy days, like today!

After we got Fletcher picked up from preschool, we loaded up the van with the crockpot of chili I'd made and all the fixin's and headed for our next stop on our Fitness Passport Challenge: Newton Hills State Park. I didn't take a lot of pictures because I didn't want to mess with the camera while we hiked. We started at the lookout tower and then got on the trail below that. They liked the bridges that we had to cross, especially the "bouncy" one at the end. Leah was our tour guide. She was rather bossy, telling us things like, "Single file line ladies! Keep moving folks! Stay on the trail!" She was also quite excited to show us the "two in one" grasshoppers that she found. Hmm....Too bad we were so winded from the hike or else Bill and I for sure would have explained that one to her.

We hiked for a good hour before returning to the van and finding a picnic shelter with electricity where we could enjoy our chili. I loved watching Fletcher eat his supper. That kid always has time and room to eat one more bowl of chili. He loves it! Leah, Bo, and Grier had long since taken off for the nearby playground when Fletcher asked if I could make him one more bowl. He sat and ate every last morsel before he ate about two bites of Nutty Bar for dessert and took off to play. Unfortunately, the rain started coming down in earnest about that time, so we packed up and headed out. They told us they were enjoying the playground in the rain because it had a water slide. :)

Another part they loved was the fact that we didn't make them buckle in when we drove from the lookout tower to the picnic shelter. Bristol was kind of a crazy driver, weaving all over the road and making the kids standing up in the back giggle as they were tossed to and fro.

"Mom! Mom! Get a picture of Baby Leah!"