A Very Happy Birthday to Me!

We went to Hendy Woods for my birthday...a few days of camping in the woods. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Our trailer was next to an enormous redwood that had fallen down. The stump was big enough for the kids to play house in. There were several empty sites around us with redwood stumps and a tree that arched so the kids could climb on it. Someone had also put a rope swing from the arch. It was a big playground! The first evening we went for a hike through Little Hendy. My birthday began with a trip to the bathroom with Trey, where he exclaimed in delight over all the moths. He blew on them trying to get them to fly. When we reentered the trailer, we were greeted with 3 smiling girls and Carl--they had set the table with cards and gifts. Maggie and Lily had picked wildflowers. It was all super thoughtful and sweet. Some of the cards and gifts actually caused me to tear up. :)

We had a leisurely day, going for another hike down to the Navarro River. We went from redwoods to the river bed--with a view of the vast hills and sky. There were such unique stones in the river bed. The kids wanted to immediately go in (of course) even though it wasn't really warm. They all did! We roasted hot dogs and marshmellows. The kids really enjoyed feeding the chipmunks breadcrumbs and watching them dart around with big cheeks.

The last day we went for a hike to Big Hendy. There were enormous trees and roots from those trees that had fallen. It started to rain, but the peace and stillness was intense. We hiked back through a meadow with wildflowers in every color imaginable. Glorious! I so enjoyed the beauty of God's creation and sharing it with those dearest to me.



My rock for Carl:

The Navarro River



Our campsite:



Hanna en pointe as Templeton in Charlotte's Web with Lily as a baby spider.