Phelan Family Fun Day

With Kyle working and travelling so much, sometimes we feel like two ships passing in the night.  So last Sunday we decided that it would be great to have a little adventure and spend some quality family time together.

First up, a few pictures before heading off to church

I am kind of amazed at how grown up they are both looking.  Also, their hair is so much darker than it was this summer.  I wonder if it will lighten up again this year or if our blond days are over.

my little prepsters

this is what joy looks like to me

smiles like these make my heart happy

After church we went home, changed clothes, grabbed a quick bite to eat, loaded up the dog and headed east towards Multnomah Falls.  Thankfully the weathermen were wrong (again) and the rains held off.  It was the perfect day for a hike...a little chilly starting out but just right as we made our way up the trail.

Carter and Kennedy - March 25th,. 2012

I cannot count the number of times I've been to Multnomah Falls, but it never ceases to amaze and impress me.  It is such a beautiful spot.

Being that it was the first weekend of spring break in Oregon it was quite crowded, but funny enough the crowds thinned out the closer we got to the top.

Carter was jazzed to be outside and pretty much ran the entire way up. 

Our usual photo spots

Can you tell how happy Carter was?  He had a permanent smile on his face the whole time.

A nice lady offered to take a family picture (while wrangling her own dog) and I am so happy that we took her up on her offer.

I think this was before another "close call", our second of the week.  Kyle was walking Jake and he and Carter were up ahead a bit (Kennedy's 3 year old legs can only go so fast).  All of a sudden I hear screams/shouts and look up to see Jake dangling over the side of the path.  He had fallen right off the trail.  There are some pretty steep drops going along the path and we were lucky for a number of reasons.  #1 - I'm so glad it was our dog and not one of our children who had slipped over.  At least Jake was attached to a leash.  #2 - I'm so thankful that Kyle was walking him and not me at that point.  He easily could have pulled me down with him or else I would have let go of the leash.  #3 - dogs act on instinct and Jake definitely aided in his own rescue.  Kyle did great, didn't panic, and pulled/lead him over about three feet where he was able to get footing and walk up towards the trail.  It was all over in less than a minute but I was very shaken up and held Kennedy's hand a bit tighter for the remainder of the hike.  They say things happen in groups of three, I'm praying that isn't true in our case.  My nerves can only handle so much!

my nearly-six-year-old boy

love the little dimple in his cheek

I was so proud of the kids and how great they did on the hike.  On the way up, Kennedy made it past the mile marker and then rode on Kyle's shoulders for the last 10 minutes or so.  She made it down about a mile, as well, and then was back atop Daddy for the last couple of turns. 

As we were walking down, a couple passed us, each with a toddler on their back and a big dog on a leash.  I heard the husband comment, "look honey, someday soon that will be us.  It will get easier"  I'm pretty sure he was referring to the fact that we had our two kids and they were walking independently.  It doesn't seem so long ago that we were packing Kennedy up this same trail.  And he's right, somethings are easier now that the kids are older...kind of makes me sad to realize how quickly it's happening, though.

love.

be still my heart.

how i wish this is what it was like every single minute.

breathtaking

It's so easy to appreciate God and marvel at His creation when you look upon something as beautiful as this...amazing, really.