I had a Happy Mama Day!

Life is good... and my family makes it perfect. On Sunday, also known as the Hallmark Holiday of the Year... we took some time out of our busy schedule and explored some new places.

We were going to meet up with my dear friend Dawn, and her family- but after her daughters' prom last night... they were just exhausted. It was also forecasted to rain, but we grabbed our rain coats and headed north... with directions and the GPS. (The gps didn't help because it didn't even show us driving on a road!)

We were headed up to Table Mountain to go on a neat hike. We searched high and low for the path, but couldn't find it. Instead we found a fish hatchery... and although it wasn't open- we had fun exploring.In September there are fish 'ladders' that the salmon climb... and they have windows under the waters' surface that you can see them through. Nothing was in the windows, but all of the 'waterfalls' were enough to be excited over. Then we noticed a nature hike... and headed up the path. It was beautifully landscaped with native plants... including poison oak. (Hmmm... lets keep our fingers crossed we didn't touch that!) The great thing was when we got to the top of the hill... we were next to a train track... and as luck would have it- a train came by! Then, Zach spotted a loose spike- so he was a happy hiker!

We were having such a good time checking things out, we grabbed some sandwiches, and headed up again to try and find the trail. This time we noticed about 15 cars parked in a little parking area... it was empty our first drive by... and that's why we didn't notice it!

So we grabbed the wagon... and headed out in some of the most gorgeous land I've ever seen. Some of it was a big meadow, with a small creek that ran though it. There were still tons of wildflowers... and the sound of trickling water was magical.

We had to cross back and forth over the creek a couple of times... which didn't pose a problem for Batman...or Robin...
This is why we kept zig zagging off the path. I kept finding the most incredible places to take pictures. I was kicking myself for not having the tripod... and I was thinking how I was going to drag my friend out there next time. Sleep deprived and all... lol.

The boys had fun throwing rocks... which is part of their DNA makeup...And who could blame them.... there was only a million rocks to throw...We found paths that wound around to another section of waterfalls...And somehow we avoided anyone "falling" into the water!It also gave me an opportunity to take some neat pictures of things around us. This flower was planted high atop a nasty looking thistle plant. But it was just gorgeous...and I loved the way the algae was dancing around in the water...And all three of the boys loved all the 'Rocky Mountains' they kept finding. The trouble is the wagon is getting so old, I was afraid one of them would pop through the rusted bottom. When the terrain got a little too steep I made them get out and hoof it!And each time they complained about having to take ANOTHER picture... I just reminded them it was MOMMY day... and what she wanted more than anything was pictures of her little Baers. (Worked like a charm... today.)As usual... some of my favorites weren't posed shots... After a long hike, it was starting to get a little too cloudy and cool. It had been perfect weather up to that point, so we didn't want to push our luck. Zach was so tired he decided to 'surf' in the wagon... and Kyle walked...But after a little while, Kyle was worn out. Zach refused to move to make room... so as usual Kyle took matters into his own hands....
and rode his brother like a horse. Zach must have had enough jackets under him for cushion, he didn't seem to mind... or maybe Kyle finally weighs enough it didn't matter.
I guess 'riding your brother' is one more victory for the little guy. Whatever the reason, he was happy about something... lol.


And I know this is the longest blog post EVER... but I have one more story I don't want to forget about.

While we were driving home, I was complimenting the boys on their 'good listening' today. I told them while on a hike, it's important to listen... just in case we had seen something dangerous.

Zach asked what could have been dangerous...

I said- "I don't know... maybe a bee, or a snake. Or even if you were getting to close to the edge of the water... either way it was important for safety... and they did a great job today!"

Zach replied... "Mom... you know what was really dangerous? If a Bear was out there..."

Daddy said the only dangerous bear out there was Zachary Baer.

Zach said... "Dad- I'm not a dangerous bear... I'm the cutest bear ever!"


It was such a fabulous day... and it didn't cost a dime. I know some of my friends had all sorts of gifts, and I wouldn't have minded getting them either. However, my second most favorite thing in the world is taking lots of pictures of my most favorite little people in the world.

And that makes for a Happy Mama's Day!