Autumn Equinox 2013

It's that time again!  My favorite day of the whole year (ok, well maybe except for Christmas).  The first day of Fall.  So late this afternoon, we packed up and headed for the Mountains to celebrate and witness the beautiful Earth we live on. 

I have this really strong desire to teach my children to have a passionate love and gratitude for the beauties of nature.  And over the years as we celebrate this change of seasons, I hope that they know that being in these beautiful places can help them find themselves, and find God.

I have to say, this was one of our best.  The kids played, and explored, and got so dirty and stinky.  There was minimal whining, and a plethora of camping spots to choose from (since there was rain in the forecast, and it was a Sunday night).  The rain never came, the temperature was nice and crisp...perfect for a campfire.

Some of my favorite moments from the night:

-Watching Charlie walk around and hug the trees.  He did this totally on his own, without any prompting!  It was the cutest thing I've ever seen.  Warmed my heart right up.  He also found a tree branch that was the perfect height for swinging on.

-Aubrey eating.  Normally Aubrey has a really tough time eating.  Her attention span is too short, and her medication affects her appetite.  So normally meal time is a nightmare.  But oh my word.  Tonight she sat there, and gobbled everything right up and asked for more.  Plus she ate two s'mores.

-Watching the kids play and explore independently. 

-The beautiful Fall colors that are just starting to show up.  It will be a few more weeks until the leaves are at their peak for color...but it's fun to see them starting to change the higher up you go.

It was a perfectly lovely evening, spent with lovely people.  I'm thankful for this little family, and for this little tradition.  Now, for pictures! (P.S. Some are from my phone, so ya know.  Not as good)

 

 

P.P.S.  Our soundtrack for the evening was the band called "The National Parks".  I heard of them from the famous blogger CJane, and oh they are so good.  It is the perfect music to accompany a day in the mountains.  Check them out here.  You won't regret it!