Sore Legs and Wet Feet. .. Great day!

My basic components to a great day involve getting outside and being active, doing something with friends and family, and a ton of laughter. Earlier this week, we had a day like this.

We travelled to a nearby state park called Devil's Lake that is well-known for its high bluffs that people climb and its pretty lake for swimming. The boys and I joined forces with one of Brendan's best friends and his family and decided to go hike and swim.

Our first hike involved climbing the high bluffs with two adults and a group of seven enthusiastic kids. I am always amazed that my children who will complain because I make them take out the garbage or brush their teeth seem to have no problem climbing up a huge stone wall.

As they hiked, we all were sweating, but the kids kept talking about how much fun they were having. Evan commented that his legs were sore, but I asked him if he wanted to stop and he told me he was having too much fun.

We did have a couple of heartstopper moments as we got to the top and had to tell our adventurous children to veer from the edge of these beautiful bluffs. Unlike Little Bo Peep, we didn't want to have to hunt for these little sheep. And fortunately, they obliged.

Everyone was hot and sticky after the hike, so we journeyed to the lake and let them spend an hour or more trying to catch the little minnows that were all over the lake.

To add to the day, we also decided to do one more hike to a waterfall. At first, the hike seemed a little anticlimactic as the promise of creek crossings and a waterfall seemed to be inflated, but we were pleasantly surprised to come across more climbing on the rocks and a perfect sized waterfall for the kids.

We ended our day crossing the ferry and enjoying a little ice cream treat.

It was truly a great day.