Rounding out the bucket list...

We've had a summer bucket list the last several years. The kids love it, and I think it helps them see just how much they do each summer. It also gives them a chance to choose activities they've been hoping to do and helps us to follow through with them.

Grace's contribution to this year's bucket list was to go hiking, so we headed to the mountain with the Mayes family one afternoon.

I couldn't tell you where exactly we were hiking, but it was breathtakingly beautiful as well as a bit rocky in some areas. The girls decided that they would have more traction if they removed their shoes and walked barefoot.

A quick family photo op.

Helping kids over the water....from the looks on their faces, this may have been the highlight of the trip for them.....

Bandaid break.

Where there weren't rocks, there were wildflowers galore.

(I'm not really sure what Emma was trying to accomplish in these pics, maybe tallest? Lily already had the title for craziest.) 

On the hike back out, Ava squirmed and squawked until I put her down on the ground. Once she was down, she removed her shoes and socks and began filling them with dirt. Weird.

 

 
I swear the girls ran the whole way in and all the way out, in spite of us telling them they were going to trip if they didn't slow down. Some spots were steep, but they were troopers and enthusiastically ran most of the way.

I was not quite as energetic, I passed Ava to Chris at the end when I was starting to get a little tired and she was not happy about it. Tears and snot ensued.

 After our hike, we found a campsite and cooked up some dinner. We had hobo dinners and were introduced to the beauty that is the dutch oven. Kristin and Eli treated us to some yummy dutch oven blueberry cobbler.

We didn't bring our camp chairs so we improvised by pulling the seat out of the van......we may as well embrace our redneckness at this point. The evidence is overwhelming.

The Ava babies played a game of peek-a-boo through the headrest.

Of course, anytime there is a campfire, one must make s'mores.

Ava 1 opted to skip the s'more and go straight for the chocolate,

while Ava 2 munched on graham crackers.

Just as we were loading up to leave, Owen found a big kettle someone had left behind. He blew in it and covered himself in ash.

And Mayes fam, if you're reading this, we miss you already. Please come back next summer so we can have another adventure. We promise to bring camp chairs this time.

And Walker fam, if you're reading this, we've put slide rock on next summer's bucket list AGAIN. Let's not fail a third year in a row. M'kay?