almost every summer as a kid we spent a week in the sangre de cristo mountains outside of santa fe, nm. it never fails that around july the longing starts up again pulling me back to these mountains. this summer i got the chance to share my mountains with my kids. john and i had already been back a couple of times, but this was our first time with the lovelies. there is something to be said about sharing a special spot with your children. it's more than geography, it's heritage. taking us out of our natural habitat taught me something about them i didn't know. moonpie- who insists on being strolled at all times- loves to hike. she hiked a 2 mile trail up a mountain without a whimper! she also, like her momma, has no fear of standing on the edges of cliffs and hanging over.
buddy on the other hand (who i caught standing in the sink this morning-fearless) has major boundaries when it comes to the edge, just like daddy. and this boy who runs circles around me all day gets frustrated and tired with the big ol' rocks. but loved riding in his daddy's arms or on my back.
it is so neat to get to experience your children outside of their box, pushing their limits or setting boundaries for themselves. alright, on with the pictures:
the kids did great on the drive. we took 2 days to get there but drove straight through on the way home. it took 18 hours to get home (traveling with 42 people!) i couldn't believe how well they did. no melt downs at all! i was a proud momma!
listening to 'the boss' on the road:
muleshoe, tx
buddy, meet billy, the kid that is
day 1/ hike 1
"momma, i'm a butterfly. this is my proboscis."
checking out the worm in the well
food prep was not nearly as hard as i made it out to be. i just refilled the ice chest daily and made 2 meals/day, like spinach pizza on ezekiel bread english muffins, tomato spinach/noodle soup, bean burritos, bbq chicken sandwiches, etc. it just took a day of prep before leaving to make the beans, chicken, granola, bread, muffins, cookies, chop the veg. and so on. but once we got there it was easy!
my 'kitchen'. proof that all you really need is love!
the view from look out point:
queen of the mountains:
6 comments:
great pics! i cannot wait to see you guys! -aunt sara
WOW! you the mama!
looks like you guys had a great time! glad you're back...hope to see you soon!
yay! I loved hearing about how they were in the wilderness. That really is funny about Buddy cause he really won't sit still for a minute at home. See you soon!--auntie jojo
Great Pics! What a lovely place. It's great to see the little ones enjoying the bid wide world as well. Thanks for sharing!
what adventurers you are (of course, I mean the bus ride with 46 kids) Mandi,take a week off.
Thanks so much for this. See you guys soon! Grandma J.
glad you guys had a good time. i'm also glad the food situation worked perfectly... probably because it was well planned out.
glad you're back.
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