The Road Less Travelled

We are in Tahoe and after a lazy morning yesterday, we packed all 17,000 kids into two cars (there are only 4 kids, but when they are that young and/or have such a variety of needs it feels like so many more.) and headed out to an area which is designated for Off-Road vehicle use.

I never expected that I would be in a 4X4, dodging trees and crawling over rocks. I always saw myself doing those things with a pack on my back and boots on my feet. I think I used to look down on people who "went 4x4ing", as if they were lazy or something. Once again I realize that you just never know why people do the things they do, just when you begin to pass judgement, well, life with Jake has changed us in so many ways. We still go camping, but hiking on rocks and boulders up and down steep hillsides is not happening (maybe it wouldn't anyway with a near 7 year old?) and now I find that I am one of them. and by the way it is really fun and requires a crazy amount of mind agility to figure out angles and such.

Jake LOVES to go off road. He loves the jostle and bump of the car....he loves mommy shrieking if the car seems just about to roll over, and he thinks it damn funny if mommy drives the LandCruiser... especially through dry creek beds and such. We hadn't been in awhile, not as a family, since before Lucy was born. It was nice to discover that it is still one of Jake's favorite, most giggly things to do on Earth.

Lucy was a little concerned when we started, maybe because she was jostled abruptly from her nap. She had a decidedly better time after we put her dolly on the dashboard, and said "Whooooaaaa there goes Dolly" whenever we went over a bump and Dolly flew to the floor.

The lake we circled was very low. The snowpack was only 40-55% of average last year, so hopefully it will be a flurry filled winter this year.

It was chilly this morning on the deck at my sister's house.. warm coffee, chilled mountain air and great conversation..these are a few of my favorite things

...and happy kids. I love happy kids.