Hike to Laurel Falls (GSMNP)

 

The weekend before Christmas found us in Gatlinburg celebrating our anniversary as a family. As part of that trip, we took our boys hiking on the Laurel Falls trail, located about 4 miles past Sugarlands (toward Cades Cove) in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

 

The hike is paved and *only* about 1 mile point-to-point, but it isn't without challenges. The very first thing we noticed at the trailhead were signs that warned that the use of strollers was dangerous and not recommended. Since our Bob Revolution stroller is more like an all terrain vehicle for children than a typical stroller, we decided to press on.

We knew the trail was mostly uphill, so we initially planned on pushing Isaac with the back up plan to push Jack and carry Isaac in an Ergo. Jack lasted about 5 minutes before he said his feet hurt. So we shuffled the boys around and I carried Isaac while Daniel pushed Jack.

Other signs warned to hang on to your kids because of the steep drop offs and cliffs you encounter on the trail. Truthfully I felt better having Jack strapped in our stroller than running along it!

On the upper part of the trail Jack kept telling Daniel that he was making him nervous and that they were too close to the edge.

We made it to the falls in about half-an-hour. The temperature was chilly, so we were glad that Jack was bundled up under blankets and Isaac was snuggled close to me for extra warmth. The boys did great (except at the waterfall when Jack decided he didn't want any pictures taken!).

On the way back, I moved Isaac to my back instead of my chest so that I would have a better sense of balance on the way down. Carrying him on my back is so much easier than my chest. He is such a big guy!!!

We thought Isaac might fall asleep on the return trip, but he was so excited to be on my back that he just chattered the entire way down. I think he enjoyed being able to see more from this new position. 

Laurel Falls is a great hike for kids, though don't plan on a stroller unless you have a Bob Revolution that you are comfortable pushing up and then down a hill. Jack could have hiked the trail if we had started earlier in the day and it wasn't quite so cold. It is just over 1 mile each way, but it does gain some elevation. The best part is that this trail delivers on views of mountains as well as an 80-ft waterfall at the end. The worst part was that there were quite a few people on the trail, even though it was a cold winter day.

We had a great hike and are looking forward to more hikes this coming year. One of my goals for 2016 is to get back into the habit of regularly spending time outside as a family. Having little kids makes that hard, but not impossible, and I hope that this year will find us sharing our love of the outdoors with our boys on a more regular basis.

Hidden Hills Farm Tractor Play Day

Today marked our second visit to the Hidden Hills Farm and Saddle Club for a play day. It's hard to believe that Isaac was only a month old for our first visit! Thankfully Daniel was off of work today (after working the last 10 days with only one day off) and we were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather and a farm full of tractors to play on.

This play day was made for Jack and Daniel. They were in a truck heaven. Hopefully in a couple of years, Isaac will be enjoying this experience just as much.

There was a skid steer that Jack got to drive (and then ride in the bucket of).

There were tractors to sit on and play with all of the controls (and Daniel gladly patiently answered every question Jack had about every lever and button in every tractor).

There was a backhoe to operate (Daniel was in his mid-twenties before he got to use a backhoe, and may have been a teeny bit jealous).

There was a bucket on the backhoe to ride up in the air in (you just had to trust the operator working the bucket).

There was a Kubota utility vehicle to drive in the back field. Jack had fun steering it any way but in a straight line.

 

 

And of course, there were horse rides again.

This was little boy heaven (and I have two little boys and one big one if you count Daniel).

The Cow Milking day that we attended in May was a fun event, but the Tractor Day is going on our calendars as a family day for the future.

If you missed this week's Tractor Day, they are having another one next Thursday, Sept. 24. The cost to visit the farm is $10 for your first child and $5 for subsequent kids (babies are free). Tractor Day is definitely worth the visit. We had a wonderful time!

Jack gets to help drive a skid steer, then take a ride in the bucket.

Jack and Mommy ride in the Backhoe bucket.


Jack and Daddy play with the dump truck, while Isaac gets up close and personal with the skid steer and Mommy almost has a heart attack.

Hike to Rainbow Lake II

Daniel is currently working long hours. He is at the end of a large project and it looks like things could be hectic for the next 6 months. We are trying our best to carve out family time whenever possible. Right now that means taking advantage of my OB appointment days.

This past Saturday Daniel left work early to get the tires rotated on one of our vehicles. This meant he was home by 5pm (which is pretty early for him). We had an hour before sunset, so we decided to do a quick hike down to Rainbow Lake.

The round trip hike to Rainbow Lake is 2 miles. Going down there are some steep switchbacks, but it is doable with our Bob Revolution Stroller (which is basically the equivalent of a mountain bike for small children). Jack walked at the very beginning, but it was cold and he hadn't napped, so it wasn't long until he was ready to ride.

On the way down, Daniel handled Sophie and I pushed the stroller. We passed several people coming back up. One lady (on the steepest section) asked if I had done this before. The implication being: do you know what you are getting into? I have hiked it before with the stroller, and I had every intention of making Daniel push the stroller back up to the top.

The temps were brisk, but it was nice for all of us to get out together as a family. At the lake, Jack insisted on walking down the steep, rocky trail by himself. I offered my hand, but he kept telling me, "I can do it myself."

The poor guy was freezing, so I gave him my vest. On the way back, we covered him up with an extra coat and he conked out. We could hear him snoring as we walked back up.

This was our first hike in almost a year, hopefully we will be finding time to get out on the trails more often (especially once Daniel's big project winds down). Until then, short hikes here or there are to be savored.

Jack was so little the last time that we went to Rainbow Lake!

Hike to Rainbow Lake I

We are staying at a cottage on Signal Mountain and enjoying the benefit of being close to our friends, the Reynolds (who we have known since our Charlotte days). Signal Mountain also has the added benefit of having easy access to Prentice Cooper State Forest. Our cottage is actually located a very short distance from the Rainbow Lake trail and parking lot.

Yesterday I had plans to run to the bottom of the mountain to grab groceries for the week. On a whim, I googled the Rainbow Lake trail to see if I could find a description of the trail (we don't have our backpack carrier with us, but I did have our BOB stroller). I came across this video on YouTube that gave me confidence that I could get down to the lake with the stroller.

So instead of grocery shopping, Jack and I ventured down the Rainbow Lake trail to see what we could see. At first the trail wanders next to the golf course before heading down to the lake. It follows a small bluff before zigzagging down to the water. 

There were three fairly steep spots. I rocked the stroller back so that I would have more control and we made it down without any problems.

Once we could see the dam with the water spilling over, I took Jack out of his stroller for a break and climbed down closer to the water. But not too close. After we checked things out, we headed back up.

Pushing the stroller back up the trail was tough. My calves were burning and I had to stop to catch my breath after each little climb. Thankfully it was a short trail. 

We did pass a couple of other moms hiking down with their older kids. I am sure they thought I was crazy to be out there with a stroller, but the BOB is great for this kind of trail. It was easy to push on the terrain – even over bigger rocks (and one log). 

We hiked around 2 miles (out and back). I had to turn around at the end because of a couple of trees blocking my way. It was a pretty walk. I think that Jack enjoyed the ride down. He fell asleep on the way back. So much for grocery shopping that morning!

Being so close to a forest definitely has some perks. There are so many trails to explore and they are all within minutes of most of the houses on the mountain!

Thursday Things: 10 Products We Regularly Used for Jack (3-6 Months)

About the time Jack turned 3 months, I wrote a post outlining our top 3 things we needed for an infant. Basically our little guy needed a place in our room to sleep, warm clothes to wear, cloth diapers, a good carseat and mama's milk to thrive {ironically I don't think I included any of those things in my original list}.

As a follow up, here are the top items we used for Jack during the 3-6 month phase of his life on planet Earth.

1. Crib – we moved him to his crib around 4 months. We were thrilled to be able to get a good, modern crib at a steal of a price from IKEA {we chose the SUNDVIK and painted and stenciled the ends}.

2. Bibs/Burp Cloths – our little one spit up A LOT for the first 6 months of his life. Bibs were a life saver once I started using them regularly. Our favorites were the Just One You by Carter's cloth bibs with a snap {instead of velcro} from Target.

3. Play Gym – Jack loves the mobile on his play mat/gym. He especially loved it once he could grab the little birds that were circling above his head. I liked having a place I could lay him where he could be entertained while I caught up on work.

4. iPhone – I finally upgraded to a smart phone {for work reasons} around the time Jack turned 3 months old. The iPhone was easier to use than my Kindle {one handed} when I was nursing Jack. Talk about improving my life. I could read books, surf the internet, and track our little guy's nursing/diapers/sleeping habits with the Baby Nursing app.

5. Books.Books.Books. – we read a lot of books to our little guy. As the months passed he has become more and more engaged in what we are reading. By 6 months he was reaching out to help turn pages and/or trying to eat the pages.

6. BOB Revolution Jogging Stroller – we decided to skip out on a regular stroller and picked up a used BOB Revolution via Craigslist {retail is $399, we paid a fraction of that price}. We LOVE this stroller. We use it regularly for running/walking. It fits our lifestyle to a tee. We do not own another stroller and are glad that we didn't go with a typical travel stroller system.

7. Baby Bjorn – for the first 6 months of Jack's life I used the Baby Bjorn carrier specifically for grocery shopping and doing chores around the house. It kept Jack close to me and safe. I liked that he could interact with people {especially as he got bigger and we faced him outward} but I still had control over this interaction with strangers. We picked up a used carrier at Unclaimed Baggage for $8 {this carrier generally retails for $74+ on Amazon}.

 

8. Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag – Daniel actually picked out the diaper bag we carry for Jack. Since Jack is a boy and Daniel didn't want to have to carry anything that looked overly feminine, he won this battle. We agreed on the Kelty Messenger Diaper Bag in black/gray. We really like the sleek look, durable material and the portable changing pad that comes with it. On the rare occasion I have changed Jack on a changing table in a restroom at a restaurant, I really liked being able to 1) lay our changing pad down for Jack to lay on and 2) being able to access things within the diaper bag without laying it on the ground. It is just big enough to carry several cloth diapers, a couple of changes of clothes, a couple of bibs and burp cloths, a toy or two and my phone and wallet. There is an insulated pocket for bottles, but it is not something we have used.

9. Baby Monitor – This item made the transition from bassinet in our downstair's bedroom to nursery on the second floor easier. It took us a while to get the sensitiviy settings correct. I had many a panicked moment in the first few days where I thought Jack must have stopped breathing due to our monitor going off. This item gives me a sense of security. Though having it go off due to a power outage in the middle of the night is not a lot of fun. We own an AngelCare Movement and Sound Monitor. We chose to skip on the video monitor so that we won't be tempted to always be watching him. Though we can totally see the merit in owning the video, we just didn't think it was right for us.

10. Sound Machine – When Jack slept in our room he didn't need a sound machine. He probably still doesn't actually need one since he is fine without it when we travel. However it is nice to turn it on when he is sleeping and know it will block out some of our noises and probably help him to sleep a bit longer.

That is about it. We don't have a lot of extra stuff for Jack. We haven't found it necessary to have extras. No Pack N Play. No bottles. No excessive amounts of toys everywhere. Jack's needs are met and we don't feel overwhelmed by stuff. Which for us works.

One thing I have learned since becoming a parent is that everyone does it differently. Everyone has different needs and different ways of handling this thing called parenthood. This is just what works for us... we know the days are coming where the stuff will probably take over, but we are enjoying having a limited amount of stuff at this time.

*Update: I don't want to give the impression that this is all we own for baby. Of course we have changing stations {two in fact, one upstairs and one down}. A bathtub for bathing – the one we have has a sling that held Jack when he couldn't sit up. That sling would stink to high heaven though, no matter how often we washed it!!! We own some toys and there are a handful of pacis on hand throughout the house. Teething rings and blankets are all important staples. I just wanted to focus on our top items.