Memorial Day camping

 For Memorial day weekend we went camping to Westmoreland State park again.  We really enjoy it there and I think this is going to become our yearly tradition.

Caitlyn fell down and hurt her hands.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as much and we were unable to go kayaking due to high winds.  

Liam roasting some marshmallows. 

Liam roasts them and Caitlyn eats them.

We were able to go swimming and play a lot of baseball with our friends from our church ward we were camping with.   

It is always nice to be able to get away, enjoy nature and relax for a couple of days.  

Red Rock

 I took the kids hiking one afternoon to a place called Red Rock wilderness.  It's only a few miles from our house and I have been there several times to take pictures but I had never hiked the trail before.

 There are several trails that run from some older buildings to the Potomac River.  We took the trail that circled around and took us along the river bed.  Approximately, 1 mile total.

The kids loved these bridges that crossed over small streams all leading to the river.  

Caitlyn pulling a face behind her brother.

 Of course anytime we go hiking we have to take snacks and stop along the trail to enjoy them.

 The final view of the river before heading back to the parking lot.  I definitely thought it was worth it.

Although I am still partial to the landscaping in Utah I must admit that Virginia also has some pretty amazing landscape as well.

Hiking

One thing I really miss about Utah and my childhood is hiking.  Both Craig and I want our children to really appreciate the outdoors so one morning I woke up and started to look for hikes in Virginia.  I remember that around March my Dad would sit down and go through all the hikes he had planned for the spring and summer.  We would get so excited as he would describe some of them to us.  I found a book about some hikes in Virginia and started to research even more. 

We finally had a warm spring Saturday so we jumped at the chance and took the kids on one of the hikes.  This particular hike was right off George Washington parkway and you can hike down to an overlook of the Potomac river.  We packed a lunch and some water and headed out. 

We all loved getting outside and enjoying the warm weather and the beauty of the world around us. The weather has since turned cold again but I have some big plans for a few more hikes this spring and fall. 

Easter egg hunt

All ready to go

With Easter being a week away we couldn't resist an Easter egg hunt while we were camping, it's a family tradition. 

we let the little girls go first and I think they missed about 5 eggs hidden in plain sight

Liam went next and picked up what the two little girls missed

I like how it looks like he is using his compass here to find eggs, future boy scout

Alex came running down the hill next, he had been patiently waiting

Following Uncle Dan, he led them to some eggs hidden in the dirt

Finally it was Megan's turn, she was in charge of finding the really hard ones Kayci had hid

Very happy about the stash of candy she had in front of her

The sunset at the end of the Easter egg hunt

 We had a wonderful weekend with the cousins and I will admit I still have not unpacked everything from the car yet.

Natural Bridge

Beautiful K

Handsome guy, even with a Utah shirt on

Eating a snack

At the top there is a road that goes over the rock bridge

Melissa's dream property

Native American village down by the bridge

mile walk along the river to a waterfall

nothing like a family camping picture but the waterfall was so pretty we needed to snap a shot

Walking into the cavern, Liam really liked the cave

We had a lot of fun exploring this Natural Bridge area