Good things come in small packages: Old neighbors and big families

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Old neighbors and big families

Before Casey went back to work last month, we were looking to take a little day trip. Partly because Colorado is absolutely gorgeous and alive with fall color, but also somewhere to go because our kids are - finally - old enough not to be carted around on a hiking trail. Well... with one obvious exception.

We thought we'd put their legs to good use and soak in one of those awesome mountain adventures people from Texas move to Colorado to experience.

As we were debating where to go and what kind of trail would be appropriate for two people with legs less than two feet long, we remembered that our beloved neighbors, who once lived right across the street and with whom we used to play outside for hours every week, had moved about an hour and a half away to Grand Lake.

It was the perfect time for a visit!

They introduced us to the world's best hiking trail for children - just the right amount of hills, rocks and incline to make it challenging but totally doable, but also decently ambitious for the adults, decked out in all its colorful fall glory. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful little waterfall that ultimately trickles out to the lake.

There were tons of great places to stop and climb, and even Logan was able to get in on the action.

One of the best parts about their family is that they're made up of two older girls and a pair of twin boys - one of only a few families with four children that we count among our close friends. And I have to say, it is so nice sometimes to be around other big families (big here meaning upwards of two kids, so all things relative)! We don't get a lot of opportunities to see how other families function, to hear and see the chaos and mess and love and energy it takes to successfully manage multiple small-ish children, and it's certainly helpful when you're on that path too.