Last week Mia and I went on our first hike of 2014! Beware people, tis the season for weekly hiking posts. What can I say? I'm trying to convince you all to come visit me so that I can show you the amazing beauty that is right in my backyard! We hiked with my friend Laura and her two girls and looking back we had so much fun, but in the moment? I experienced a few stresses that almost ruined my fun.
Hiking was so easy last year! Mia was tiny and immobile so she was just happy to be out exploring while I packed her around. This year she is obviously very mobile and independent. It took Laura and I an hour (H O U R) just to get the girls sunscreened and everything gathered from the car to our packs before we started hiking. Then Mia fell off a picnic table (winning mom moment, let me tell ya! ugh!) and my heart shattered to a million pieces. The actual hike was fun but good heck, I need a real hiking pack (that doesn't cost hundreds) to keep my back from screaming at me the whole time! We made it to the little waterfall and Mia would not stay out of the freezing cold pond/stream. It was so fun to watch her splash and play (she was in heaven!) until I had to strip her soaking shorts off and realized I left her diapers in the car. Mia's diaper was full to the brim of ice cold water and all I could picture was pee running down my back on the hike back, ha! I felt so unprepared! When we finally tore our screaming, frozen toddlers from the water and walked bare foot (had to lose the shoes and socks to be ready to stop the girls from going too deep) over the hot sand and being poked by sharp stuff every step I took, I half jokingly said "who thought this would be a good idea?!" Laura laughed and said "it WAS a good idea! We just have to be a little more patient." That's when it finally hit me that life as I knew it is over for the time being.... and it's really not such a bad thing!
Thinking back on that hike I can't help but smile as I picture Mia plopping her little diapered bum in the ice cold water and splashing to her heart's content. She was so happy! And when we found a shady spot to stop and eat snacks (and put our shoes back on) I can still see Mia bouncing excitedly as she sat on a rock eating her food. The girl was half naked and half frozen but she was eating food while sitting on a rock. This was a first for her and she was loving it! I don't think about the lack of diapers (luckily she didn't pee through on the hike back) or the frustration of how much longer everything takes with toddlers, I think about the good and it makes my heart so happy! So I gotta remember to slow down and look at the world through Mia's eyes! Patience is the key and if I can remember that with each adventure we go on, the experience will be magical for the both of us!
pics via iPhone
27 comments:
I wanna come hiking with you!
What a great afternoon! I can just imagine her lil happy face!
It happens, no momma is perfect, no matter what they say;)I'm sure she had a blast anyway!! Wet diaper or not. I wanna go hiking. To the mall maybe?!!!
You know I love hiking too but I have yet to take Shelby because of some of the things you ran into. Plus she's 26-pounds and I'm not sure I could carry her on my bike. I'm not in that great of shape. As far as packs, they are expensive. Look at Craigslist.
Good for you! Good mama introducing her to the outdoors early!
Aww def an adventure!! Sadly, I've never been hiking!! I think we are going Sunday, & I am so excited!
Oh the many, many things children can teach us! ;) And that last picture of Mia?...ADORABLE!
What a scenic hike! We're going to take Kiernan out to the Shenandoah for some quick hikes this spring/summer, I think. I'm really looking forward to it :)
I gotta come down and go hiking with you guys!! Now that's the kind of work out I would LOVE.
This is a good reminder though, because its so daunting to get two kids out the door to do ANYTHING by myself. I almost want to just bag it. But they deserve to get out of the house too, and I've found that the more you do something the better everyone gets at it. Just think, next time you'll definitely remember the diapers! :)
Love this, can Waverly & I come?! And you live & learn, right?!! ;)
your going to learn a whole new hiking world taking mia with you!! it'll be so fun. . . but in a different way! i LOVE IT!
SO beautiful!! Little Mia is so lucky to have a mama to take her on such fun hiking excursions.
Love the pictures. I'd love to go hiking this year :)
You're such a great mama :) This will be a memorable hike for sure. I can't even tell you how many times I've been out and forgot diapers lol
SO fun!!! Love that she gets to go on all these adventures :) You're so fun!!
I would love to go hiking with you! Even though there may have been a few little bumps for you, it sounds like the perfect way to spend your day! Life is different with a little one, but your friend is right, just as long as you have patience it can be so fun! :) It looks [and sounds] like Mia had a fun adventure too!
Whaaaat that is so beautiful and amazing! I AM SO JEALOUS. I live where there is NOTHING except flatland, so nothing to hike. When I fly out and visit my family in California we go hiking all the time and I enjoy it so much. I miss it :( Excited to see all your posts and live through you guys haha
We have a Kelty hiking pack. We got ours brand new but I see them on resale pages all the time. It is so comfortable. We have the top of the line version because my husband carries her and all of our stuff but it is still light enough that I can wear it super easy. Best investment ever. http://www.kelty.com/p-608-pathfinder-30.aspx?category=kids
Those photos of Mia are so adorable! It sounds like you had a great time anyway despite the couple of hiccups!
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I want to go on a hike with you! I think that's a good idea, just stop and enjoy the moment, they're not in a rush so why should we be? Especially when you're in such a pretty place!
So, so sweet and you both look pretty in pink! I love that Mia was so happy! :)
Aww! I have totally been there so many times. It is hard to know what you need until you go through a few of these situations :) haha! Summers in Alaska are filled with hiking, I can't wait to get over all this flu-ness and get out in some fresh air!
More patience and more diapers =) I hate when expectations semi ruin things, when in reality they were pretty fun as it turned out. I'm sure you'll get this hiking with an active babe down pat in no time.
I'm really going to miss hiking in Colorado! I bet hiking with a baby on your back is the BEST exercise.
You are a rockstar, Mama!!! I can't believe how well you did with Mia in tow!!! Well done!!
I just posted about our first hike of the season yesterday! Except there's still snow on the mountains, so it ended up just being a drive, but oh well. I need to live somewhere warmer, apparently.
And toddlers are sure fun, right? I've just started factoring normal toddler distractions into my schedule, otherwise I would never be on time ever. Not that I am anyways. :-)
Wow that sounds like an adventure. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your hikes! I love all the pictures...you're definitely making me hope the military sends us to your area.
Such beautiful scenery! Love the pics!
That sounds like an exhausting hike! But by the pictures you would never know Mia had a frozen diaper and didn't want to leave the freezing cold.pond or that your back was in some serious pain! Glad you girls enjoyed yourself even though it didn't go probably how you hoped.
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