This weekend we had some family come and visit us! It's been so long and it has been so great to see everyone. After our home church Sunday morning, we all hopped in our cars and drove out to the Kootneys for a hike. I could not believe how busy it was out there, but we managed to keep ourselves fairly socially distant as we passed people on the trail. It took us an hour and a half of driving to reach our destination and there were some awful bumps in the road that I thought for sure wrecked our new van. We were super happy when we arrived and the kids were loaded with energy!
When I hiked up to these two cute boys on the trail I couldn't help but snap a picture! I loved the way that Hyrum slung his arm around his little brother as they walked and talked. Moments like these make all of the fighting and hard worth it!
Ollie's little legs were constantly running to keep up with everyone and even though he got tired, he never stopped! He got a little bit nervous when we reached the suspension bridge as he is very afraid of heights! After all of the bridge wigglers crossed over, he and I took our time heading across. The views were pretty amazing on all sides and it was so great to be out in nature.
There was so much beauty along the trail! I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than admiring God's beautiful creations. We loved the flowers, the pussy willows, the tall trees and towering mountains.
Near the end the kids found this gnarly tree and decided to climb on the branch all together. It made for a good group shot! The littles did a great job at keeping up with everyone thanks to piggy backs and shoulder rides. Gramma and Grampa often walked in the back with the smallest walkers, patiently keeping their pace.
As we neared the end, we could hear the water roar! The littles excitedly ran to the top and safely peered off the look out at the water beneath. The last time we were here we had a few less kids and the rest of them were probably too small to remember much.
Our group found a spot to gather for a snack and water break while we took in the view. All around us were little groups and families keeping their distance from one another as they sat and ate. Thankfully there were many adult eyes to watch the smallest two or three kiddos and keep them away from the edge while we waited for Uncle Chris to pop a very important question to a special someone!
I wish I could remember all of the hilarious things that these two got up to while we walked! At one point Ollie noticed a fallen tree resting on another tree, making a tunnel shape. "Look mom! A tunnel! Choo-Choo!" and he ran right through it at the speed of a train. Their imaginations are so priceless and they kept us laughing the entire way!
The hike down took us half the time and before we knew it we had made it back to the bridge and down to the flats. We all hiked in little groups, stopping every once in a while to catch up with each other.
As Sawyer and Daddy hiked back down, Daddy passed him mini marshmallows to keep him happy along the way.
The drive home was quiet and peaceful! Everyone fell asleep within five minutes and Mr. Stannix and I got to visit, uninterrupted, all the way home!
