Swan Creek

We have been making a point to visit a differnt park or trail every couple of weeks, simple task here in the Pacific Northwest. Even better, so many of these places are within a 10-15 from the house. Lately Bubs has been wanting to visit a waterfall. We've all been a little under the weather this past week and weren't feeling like making much of a drive, So we found the next best thing. Swan Creek is a fantastic little hike! It was more dificult than any we have done as a family, and Bubs loved it. Until now we have tried not to stray too farr off of the beaten path, unsure how well our tot would manage, but he did very well and asked to come back again next week!

What's neat about Swan Creek is that it isn't a park in the sense of paved walking trails and crowded playgrounds, but because it is part of Tacoma's Metro Parks all of the bridges, etc. are very well kept.

We're linked up with Chestnut Grove Acadamy for the Field Trip Friday Blog Hop!

Discovery Trail

I'm pretty sure I have posted about Ft. Steilacoom Park (aka: the castle park) before, but there is a whole other aspect of this place that we have been overlooking for months; It's called Discovery Trail. There are acres and acres of hiking trail, the biggest dog park I have ever seen, and a huge lake; arom my understanding the grounds were once home to the old Washington State Mental Hospital. Our intention was to take Daddy out for a day at the boys' favorite playground, but once we discovered this little gem even Bubs was happy to "explore the forest" :)

Bubs specifically asked to take this picture. He was so excited about these barns, and talked for hours about the different animals that live in them and the sounds they make.

Adventures are always more fun with daddy! (and daddy is always happy to wear the babe for me :))

Here we learned that a labyrinth is not a maze, there is only one path. Also, we learned that monks often walk a labyrinth as a form of meditatio. Definitely interesting!

The lake. Sadly, like many lakes we have found here in WA, it is has been overtaken by toxic algae and is not safe to play in.

There is a paved walkway that goes around the entire lake. Bubs thinks the trees are "thiiiiiiiis big!"

And lastly, the trailhead. After this I put the camera away and just enjoyed the outdoors with my three boys.
                                                                         

Nature Hike

Over the weekend we decided to get out and get some hiking in while the weather is still nice. I am so grateful for our time here in the Pacific Northwest, because never have I lived somewhere where you can take a walk through the mountains and come out at the ocean!

I am really not much of a photographer, so this picture doesn't do justice. I will say though, that I cannot wait for the fall!

Very rarely do we have any kind of agenda when we're out communing with nature, but today we were actively looking for walking sticks. This one was, "perfect Bubby-doo size".

We talked a lot about sounds today. Bubs was a little confused by the different bird sounds, but he was so excited to pick up on the sound of a stream, and be able to actually see how it was being made. After this,  he told everyone we passed!

"The tunnel' is absolutely Bubs' favorite part of the day, we use it to motivate him to walk the whole mile and a half down. It doesn't hurt that we almost always see a train! :)

And THIS is my  motivation to be patient: The view just on the other side of the tunnel.

Berry Picking

Just up the street from our house is a place called Blueberry Park, where there are acres and acres of blueberry bushes. I took the boys, not expecting too much, but Bubs was SO excited about picking berries. It's a shame we didn't find more that were ready to be picked and eaten, but we will hesd back sometime in August. The plan is to get some exercise while we pick enough berries with which to make a pie.

Independence Day!

The Tacoma Nature Center was REALLY cool! Outside there is about a mile of trail to hike/walk through, as well as the Discovery Pond, which is basically a playground made to look like the outdoors. Inside there are books, puppets, animals, and a beaver habitat where kids can play. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my two and a  half year old was able to find lots to do, and it was really not crowded at all, despite being the middle of summer.

Walking on the train with Nana, (who was in town for the week). We saw some turtles basking on a log and talked about why they had shells, and picked out a bunch of different colors of flowers. :)

The beaver habitat inside was a hit! There were some costumes and puppets hanging around, but the kids got too involved in climbing and crawling to be interested in much else!

I was really impressed with the Discovery Pond play area. There is so much room to run and play, and so many opportunities for learning. Bubs found a well to pump and a rock to climb that I would have completely overlooked, and was able to get all of his excess energy out! Win/win

Taste of Tacoma?

Well, We had big plans to go to last week's Taste of Tacoma festival, but when we got there Saturday afternoon the crowd was just insane. Both of my boys have a really hard time in big groups like that, so rather than stay we decided to go down to the pier instead. Best idea ever! Bubs has been near the ocean a few times since we have been in Washington, but he's never actually been in the water. It was FREEZING, but we had a blast splashing in the waves. Jam was super happy to just be out and about, being worn by his daddy, and was all smiles all day. :)



We never miss an opportunity for an impromptu dance party!

It took him a few minutes to conquer his fear, but once he did, Bubs couldn't get enough of the waves!



This one is my favorite. I'm really bummed that this picture got so over-edited, and the original deleted.

Tiptoe Through Tide Pools

This was a really neat event sponsored by Tacoma Metro Parks and the Tacoma Nature Center. There was a handfull of naturalists and workers from the nature center gathered at Titlow Beach to explore the shore, and kick off the lowest tide of the season. It was pretty crowded so we didn't have a ton of opportunities for pictures, but we had a blast! Bubs was a little nervour about getting his hands dirty and didn't feel like touching or holding the different types of starfish and crabs we found, but he was all about looking for them. We made a day of it with Daddy, and I'm pretty everyone was just happy to be out and about despite the rain. Needless to say, we will definitely be attending the next Tiptoe event.

Day at the Park

I'm so glad the weather is finally starting to get nice! We spent the entire morning at the park talking about tress, and grass, water, and nature. We talked about colors, and learned the difference between ducks and geese, (who were all too happy to share our sandwiches). Bubs got a chance to practice his kicking while Jam and I finished eating lunch, and even got to get up close to some construction equipment just outside of the park, and talk to the crew about their digger and back hoe!
What a fun day!