Isaac's First Hike

Practically located in our back yard, The Green Gorge Trail on Signal Mountain is becoming our go to for a quick family hike. 

It is 2 miles long, but by crossing bridges you can easily do one of two 1-mile loops. One mile seems to be the max Jack can handle on his own right now.

One of the biggest difference between a first baby and second baby is how quickly you get on with life as usual. When Jack was born we had a steep learning curve and it seemed to take forever to do anything.

The first hike we took Jack on was when he was 5 months old and it took a ton of gear. Granted it was a longer hike and we did it on a Sunday after church, but with Isaac, we just get in the car and go. We didn't even take a diaper bag!

With Isaac strapped to me in the Ergo carrier and Jack walking, we made our way through the woods. Jack insisted we walk in the creek for a ways (he would have stayed in the creek the entire time if we let him). 

Initially just Daniel and Jack walked in the creek, but Jack wouldn't leave me and Isaac behind: "Come on Mommy, you need to stay close!"

In the woods, it wasn't too hot. When we reached the swing bridge, Jack wanted to go longer. Since it was our half-way point, we told him that we needed to head back to the car. 

Jack was not excited about the prospect of going back to the car so soon and didn't understand that we still had to walk a ways. 

Overall it was a great little family hike. Jack got to stomp around in the creek, cross the swing bridge, get muddy and walk on logs. Isaac slept through the entire walk.

Daniel tracked our route with Map My Run and we did a 70-minute mile! Ha! Hiking with kids is definitely a slower endeavor than walking without (Daniel and I normally average 20-minute miles on the trail). 

But hiking with kids offers a slower pace where you focus more on the scenery and enjoy being together. We talked about what plants not to touch and answered all kinds of questions. 

We are looking forward to doing more activities with our boys as they get older and stronger.

Hiking While Pregnant: Green Gorge Trail

When I was pregnant with Jack, we hiked quite a bit: Walls of Jericho, Mount Tom,  Mount Washington, DeSoto State Park and Cloudland Canyon. 

Hiking during this pregnancy has been a bit more of a challenge due to winter weather, all of us being sick at various times and Daniel's crazy work schedule (he's been working 12-15 hour shifts with no days off).

Earlier this year we did a quick hike to Rainbow Lake and yesterday we embraced the sunshine and took Jack to Green Gorge Park behind our house. 

The last time we visited Green Gorge was a year ago and I was actually in the early stages of pregnancy before I miscarried. It's been a long year.

Anyways, it was a blessing to have Daniel home all weekend and the sunshine was calling our names, so we did a short 1-mile walk in the woods with Jack. 

I am so proud of our little guy, he walked until we were almost done.

He had a blast balancing on rocks at various cross water crossings, blazing his own trail, being the leader and stomping int he mud.

Every time we stopped, he wanted to know if we were going to have a picnic. Next time we will have to remember to bring snacks.

His favorite thing was crossing the swing bridge. Which translated to us crossing the "wobbly bridge" multiple times.

I am so thankful that he enjoys the activities that we enjoy and we look forward to more hikes after baby #2 gets here.

Love Where You Live: Independence Day Festivities

One of our favorite things about our new town is the sense of community. From gathering together for the local Easter Egg Hunt to meeting new people at the local parks, Signal Mountain provides a community like we have never experienced before.

After our late night in downtown Chattanooga for the fireworks, we set alarms to make sure we were up in time for the local bike parade. We met friends at the parade and got settled on a picnic blanket. 

Anyone can join the parade, along with the local fire engines and ambulance. There were plenty of politicians, but also lots of kids riding their festive bikes. We even also saw some ambitious boys on pogo sticks.

We had a blast seeing everyone come out to celebrate the fourth. Jack was really excited about all of the candy – once he figured out that he could collect it from the grass in front of us. As Daniel pointed out, parades are like Halloween for lazy people. 

After the parade passed us, we packed up and walked behind the parade about a mile to the local country club. 

The kids played on the playground there and the local Lions Club had BBQ for sale. We enjoyed a picnic lunch while listening to a local band play. Have I mentioned we love how community-oriented this town is?

When our bellies were full, we headed home for naps. 

After naptime, we headed to our friend's house to enjoy a cookout before the fireworks. It was so nice to visit and Jack had a ton of fun playing with the other kids. After supper, we cleaned up and headed back to the country club to play while we waited for it to get dark.

I grew up thinking of the country club as kind of an elite thing. You don't go to the club (much less out on the golf course) unless you are a member of the club.

Just like in February when we joined the locals sledding down on the hills of the golf course, I felt a little bit like a rebel breaking the rules by setting up camp chairs and blankets on the golf course.

It was so fun to visit and play and watch the kids run around burning off their energy. Before dusk, we got out the watermelon and our friends got out glow sticks for the kids.

Once the kids were decorated with glowing necklaces and bracelets, they hunted for fireflies until the fireworks started.

The fireworks display was a great show. This time Daniel had the foresight to bring ear plugs for Jack and he didn't seem to be bothered by the loud booms. 

Overall a great night. We feel so blessed to live where we live, to be able to celebrate with friends and to remember the sacrifices that allow us the freedoms we have today.

We definitely love where we live. I hope you had a great Independence Day!