Memorial Day

We have had a busy weekend, so we were excited for some family time this Memorial Day. We started out with a 5 mile hike on Mt. Diablo. It was an absolutely beautiful, clear day, the perfect temperature with a slight breeze to keep us cool.

A view from the drive up the mountain

We were blessed to not only have the best weather, but also to witness many of God's creatures on our hike. We saw lots of lizards, three huge hawks, a turkey vulture, a snake, a six-point buck and countless dragonflies, butterflies and bumblebees.

As I'm snapping this picture, Maddie is yelling, "Dad! No!"

We did a thirty-minute jog (I'm training for a 5K) as part of our hike, but many of the hills were quite tough with the jogger. Ben and I traded off, sometimes pushing together when the hills got really steep, but mostly Ben managed the sixty pounds of kid plus fifty pounds of stroller! After we finished our run Maddie wanted to hike for a while.

Can you even believe how big my girl is?

At the end of the trail we were awarded with beautiful views, a fun climbing rock with a peephole, and a place for the little man to get out and stretch his legs. (He had napped for most of the first half of the hike).

Cutest little hiker

We are so blessed to be just a twenty-minute drive away from such a beautiful place. Mt. Diablo has lots of great hikes and this was a family-friendly, rolling hike with awesome views, great wildlife viewing, and no other traffic. Seriously, we were the only hikers!

View from the end of the trail

Maddie and Dada at the top of peephole rock!

On our way down the mountain we stopped by Rock City for a little bouldering. As you may remember, one of Maddie's favorite parts of Yosemite was tackling those big rocks. About five minutes in, she announced, "I have to go to the bathroom," right before sprinkling on the rock. Oops! Quick trip at Rock City and then back in the car to head home.

I'm uploading this pic and she says, "Oh! I'm peeing!" Not exactly, but hilarious nonetheless.

After that long hike we came home and crashed, all four of us, for afternoon naps. Hooray for naps! When Maddie woke up, Boppa was here to help set up a lemonade stand. Nothing says Memorial Day weekend like a lemonade stand!

Our hand-painted sign to accompany the fresh-squeezed lemonade (made with Meyer lemons from Boppa's lemon tree. Dee-LISH-ous!)

The little cuties at their table

And now we are feeling the effects of our long three-day weekend. We are bone tired! All four of us! And so with that, Good Night!