Hiking in the East Palisades

We heard from a friend that there are many trails along the Chattahoochee River that are gorgeous.  This afternoon, we drove to the East Palisades which was about a 40 minute drive for us from home.   They had fun skipping stones into the river before we started hiking the trails.

Almost right away, the kids found a fallen tree to climb and walk across.  Bean was a bit scared and Owen very kindly helped hold onto her and guide her back.

The longer they were on it, the braver Chloe got.

To the point that she was almost running across it to stay ahead of Owen.

This was a fabulous afternoon.  The kids were getting along so well, being kind and helpful to the other.  Made us so happy to see them working as a team and best friends.

They were also freely offering up opportunities to pose and smile for the camera.  That was awesome!

When Chloe's shoe came untied, Owen was quick to help her tie it.

It was a chilly day and she stole my gloves early on to keep her little hands warm.  :)

But gave them back later and started peeling off layers as the sun (and hiking) warmed us all.

There was even a rock wall that they tried climbing.

Really loved how sweet they were being to each other.

And giving hugs and smooches.

Until Chloe decided to lick her brother.

And grossed him out.

And she couldn't stop giggling.

Can not wait to go back and hike here again!

An Afternoon at the Creek

It feels like it has been weeks since we have had sunshine.  And it probably has.  So much of our winter has been consumed with grey skies and inches upon inches of rain.  I'm just thankful it isn't snow.  This afternoon we headed out on a walk.  Just the three of us and a foot long pencil.

Such a gorgeous day to be out and the temps weren't too chilly.

It was later in the day and with all the trees, it might as well have been sunset by the creek.  Chloe just loves to dig in the dirt.

And the boy just loves to throw rocks.

It became a game.

Throw the rock fast and see how quickly Momma could focus on the splash and snap a shot.

It tested my tracking and reflexes.

Especially using just my 50mm lens.

I was pretty pleased with myself.  Owen thought it was pretty cool to see the splashes on my LCD screen after each snap of the shutter.

I even got a few of the stones he threw, although there isn't much focus on the stone.

He wanted me to photograph more stones being thrown and the splashes.  

The arms got raised when I didn't follow the stones or splashes and continued to just photograph him.

Chloe played in the dirt the entire hour at the creek.

Perhaps she will be a master gardener when she grows up.

For as much rain as we have gotten over the last few weeks (and even the day before this walk), it was surprisingly NOT very muddy.

I love watching these two work together.  They can play so nicely and be such good friends.

And I loved the light coming in through the trees.

They were working together to build a hole that would hold a small tree upright.

But it was time to go before they could get it to stand up on its own.  Momma was getting cold.

The boy was having fun dancing around me.  

He thought he was funny, not standing still enough for me to really get a good shot of him.

He was moving fast.

I loved listening to his giggles.

Then we finally got up the hill and on the trail back home.  Owen high-tailed it out ahead of us.

More awesome sunlight coming in and covering us.  Chloe was being sweet and turned around to wait for me.

And give me one of her goofy grins.

And so, for an afternoon, we forgot this was the middle of winter.  We enjoyed each other's company and temps in the mid 60s.