Little Hiker: Big Hiker

We enjoyed a nice little hike up Camel's Back Park a bit back.  I couldn't get over how beautiful the day was and how adorable my boys looked hiking up the little hill.  This was the first time that we've taken Grady out for a little "hike" for fear of too many "mommy hold yous" being shouted followed by a complete mental breakdown because big mama just cannot carry this little dude up a hill at this point. I am happy to report our little hiker made it all the way to the top and down without being carried even when in his words it was "reeeeeaaaaaaaally slippery sand - whoa".

"Mommy Grady go all the way to top of dat huge hill"

My eager little hiker was ready for this challenge.

Taking a little break to find mommy's work.

"Whoa these are really really huge stairs"

Two men on a mission.

At last, soaking up the view from the top. 

A much deserved little rest at the park after lots of playing.

    

Another Sad Goodbye

We said goodbye to Miss Kayla about two weeks ago as she made a decision to head back to school. While we are happy for her and her new adventures, we miss her dearly.  Kayla and Grady were great buds. I'd often get the cutest pictures of them on their adventures around the city from running errands to park visits to lunch dates.   We are forever grateful to Miss Kayla for the love and laughter that she provided to Grady and our family.  Grady is a lucky boy to have been loved on every day by her. 

Here is a sample of the adorable pics I'd get from the adventures with Miss Kayla.

We love you Miss Kayla and are excited for all of the great doors you have yet to unlock.  We'll miss you!

A dirty weekend

As summer comes to an end, we realized we needed to check off some more boxes on the summer to do list.

We picked 3 gallons of "trawberries" (AKA strawberries) and Grady ate probably half a gallon in the process.  He was so much fun to take picking.  He was so excited to be able to find and pick berries on his own.  I didn't really notice what a mess he was or how many strawberries he ate until I went back through our pictures.  He is devouring  red berries with juice dripping down his face in  almost every single picture!

We braved the Western Idaho Fair to spend some time with Grady's favorite animals and his sweet little girlfriend Tess.   He made friends with two farmers at the fair.  One let him hold his pitchfork and explained it was to pick up cow poop so now all Grady talks about is holding the rake to pick up poop.  The second farmer let Grady in to pet his little baby goats.  Grady was in heaven and so was I as I watched him jump up and down with glee.  That is until Grady bent down to pick up the "raisins" on the ground.  Thank God we got him before he ate the supposed raisins!

Grady enjoyed some fingerprinting outside too.  I'd say he is a master already, no?

It was a dirty weekend, but a good one.   We are trying to treasure the last days with Grady as our only child and to make sure we do some special things with him. The leaves have already started to turn on some maples around here.  While September and October are hands down my favorite months here, I know I will miss the summer heat, swimming, and all of the outside time that we get to enjoy right now.