Hiking fun...Timpooneke trail

My mini scout troup. We enjoyed hiking this little trail so much. It was peaceful and relaxing.

We hiked for about 45 minutes and came to this beautiful meadow. It was just like the meadow in Bambi. We sat down to enjoy a sandwich and listened to the stillness, the whisper of the waterfall further up the trail and watched the clouds roll by. Yeah, it really was that nice. Surely some part of this scene has been in the movies...it seemed to be taken straight from a picture....only better.

You can't see it because of the mountain shadow but there is Scout Falls. We didn't make it all the way. We will have to go back and make that our main hike. Dad was a bit tired after hiking Timpanogos. ;-)

What a great way to burn all that energy from the boys. Another fun activity marked off our Summer list.

If you haven't taken your family on a hike this summer DO IT! Ranger stations are great resources for maps and planning what hike will fit your family. It doesn't have to be long or hard. Sandwiches and water are a must! You will get up the trail and want to just sit a bit and enjoy all that God has created. After that, you will know of the Divine Creation that brought all this to us.

Industrial boys decor

We finally got the railing put up in Mr. T's room. I love how it brought the room together. I was always nervous of the boys climbing up the ladder to get to the loft. Now they have a little more protection. They love LOVE! this little nook. They plan, imagine, read, and if mom doesn't catch him, naps up there. It has been great to burn some of that never ending boy energy.
Check out what we did with the rest of the room HERE.

Home Depot has become my second craft store. I am always looking for fun and creative ways to use something different to decorate the boys rooms. You never know what you will come up with down the plumbing aisle.

My next Home Depot inspired project is the deck....Gonna build and tunnel and slide into a relaxing and function outdoor retreat. You'll have to be patient to see it though. It won't be until fall. ;-)

Pasta and Bean Mosaics

I had to work the night of the 4th so we kept things a bit low key around the house. We enjoyed the parade then went home for activities with just the boys and their dad. I got to help plan the activities then take a nap while dad spend valuable time with his boys.
We picked items off our 100 Activities of Summer list. There were so many choices to chose from!

Dad was excited to see the pasta and bean mosaic idea.

Take a few white beans, red beans, and black beans....add some bowtie pasta, elbow pasta and rigatoni pasta.....

And VOILA!

You'd be amazed at what you can create.

We are not big artists at our house but I was impressed when the older 2 boys came up with this portrat of our puppy.

Not too bad if you ask me.

They had great fun! The best part was just quiet 1 on 1 time with dad!

Hiking Timpanogos

We did it! All 6 of us! Including little man!

Yep, we hiked that 1 hour....straight up to heaven!

Then 1 hour in the cave and another hour back down.

We were wiped and needed the brief break when we got to the cave but it was all worth it.

We took breaks on the way up.

Enjoyed the view as we caught our breath.

Of course the 3 older boys didn't have too much trouble.

If the walking didn't take your breath away the view promised to.

The hike was steep....don't get too close to the side and don't stop in the red zones...they are warnings for falling rocks.

Some of it was shade....some more sun than not.

We climbed up, up, up....then down, down, down....

Mom got the best workout. Mr Matthew couldn't walk the whole way up. He would have loved to have a piggy back ride the whole way but we had to make a deal 50/50. Mom is just not in THAT good of shape yet.

He was thrilled when mom let him ride the whole way down though. By then he was tired and HUNGRY!
Take your family and enjoy the views. Find a hiking trail and enjoy nature.

But don't forget your water, neck coolers (gonna post this later), a jacket (thecave is 50ish degrees year round), and a little trail mix. My boys would have loved to have a snack along the way. We were in a bit of a hurry and didn't grab a snack. They were certainly ready to eat when we got back to camp.

Fluffy Cheesecake...

This lovely delight is all thanks to Pinterest.

Easy to make.

Lovely to enjoy!

Fluffy Cheesecake

1 package cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

whip together, pour into graham cracker crust and chill 3 hours.

Top with your favorite cheesecake topping and enjoy!

mm-mmm-mmmm!

I like cherry but dear hubby likes blueberry....oh shucks, that means I have to make 2.

Give it a try. Betcha can't eat just one piece. ;-)