Beetles and Blue Fuzz

Sunday afternoon is our favorite time for a family hike. We have a great route that takes us through the canyon, and if we time it just right, we're able to see one or two trains pass by. Lately we've been letting R & L out of the backpacks to do some exploring. It's fun for them, and also a break for our backs - these guys are heavy, especially Mr. Ryan! Fortunately for me, when we let the kids pick backpacks at the beginning of the hike, Lucie always picks mine.

A friend gave me good advice on wearing growing toddlers in backpacks. The key is to take the kids out in packs on a regular basis so your body adjusts with your child's growing weight. We've really noticed this to be true. Whenever we take some time off from hiking, our kids feel like a ton of bricks the next time we put the packs on and it's difficult to readjust.

This past hike Lucie and Ryan were on a beetle hunt. Ryan was super interested in them, running up the path in eager anticipation of a find. Lucie preferred to check everything out from a safe distance while holding her Daddy's hand.

We've learned that Lucie is not a fan of little creatures - squirrels, small birds and even seagulls can make her nervous. She found some tiny bits of fuzz from Ryan's socks floating in the bathtub recently and was horrified. "Mommy, I don like blue fuzz!!", she screamed. Ever since the infamous blue fuzz incident, Chris likes to joke with her:

"Lucie, do you like yellow fuzz?"
"No!"
"Do you like green fuzz?"
"NO!"
"Do you like red fuzz?"
"No! Daddy - I don like ANY fuzz!"

And there you have it. Any plans to put fuzz in Lucie's Easter basket have been put on hold. Ryan, on the other hand, just might love it.