back to nature + temescal canyon

this was not the plan.

josh and i had gone out the night before. my mom had the kids so we could check out our friend’s play and drink a bunch of margaritas. we knew we’d be tired in the morning, so we planned on taking the boys to the park before meeting friends for an early dinner. but our dinner plans fell through. and josh and i woke up grouchy and a tad hung over… the last thing we wanted to do was get it together and be parents again, lol. couldn't we just pretend we were in our early thirties, eat breakfast at m chaya and go back to bed?

that was not an option. instead, we lounged for as long as we could on the sofa... peering out the window as we yawned over our coffees. i commented on how nice and fall-like it had finally become, despite threats of another santa ana heat wave, and how it was late enough in the morning that it would probably stay that way. and then it just seemed like the perfect day for a hike. we had been wanting to for months but the weather had been too hot. so this was the day. we quickly did a search for kid-friendly hiking trails ( the beginning of most of my searches these days... most overused parental term, FACT ). we decided on temescal gateway park since it's been on our list for some time, and neither of us had ever been. it's also just a 30-minute drive away and a gorgeous one at that. we took sunset boulevard the entire way there. josh especially loves the curvey roads :-> we got there and really just had the best time. it was so beautiful. hangovers gone. a few photos from our last-minute adventure...

mind the drop! sections of the hike were tricky to maneuver with the wee ones. i was so thankful max + knox were in the stroller or backpack while we passed the high elevation areas.

i definitely think cheeky had it easier with the backpack!

finally, crunchy leaves!

knox can be a tough audience. but when you get him to crack that smile of his... well you have made it in life is all i'm going to say.

there it is :->

off-roading with the bob stroller! this was a hell of a workout. still sore from it! max eventually wanted out of it, as two-year-olds do, and proceeded to scare the crap out of me as he ran down the trails screaming. sigh. that kid of mine sure knows how to have fun. oh to be two again. i would yell so much more.

on our way back we passed this beautiful meadow. i do believe it was the prettiest time of day to see it. the clouds had parted just enough to let the sunbeams cast it's light on the green grass... something we don't see much of anymore, stupid drought. we had a great time running around, stomping on leaves and taking a bajillion photos. i really tried to edit them down :->

i can't wait to come back to this spot. perhaps with a glass of wine? the boys immediately took to the open space, running this way and that before settling down for a bit of toddler talk with each other under an old tree. it kind of made my heart melt to watch them. no toys, no tv, just us and nature. the day also made for good trial run for our first camping trip as a family of four in the next few weeks... i am now more optimistic than terrified :->

and then a switcheroo. max grew tired and climbed into the backpack while knox was happy to take a ride in the bob. this is one of the best parts of having kids so close in age: the gear. they can share just about everything right now except shoes and diapers, though we could make it work if we had to! with that in mind, we predicted knox would be happy in the backpack and max in stroller, and then they'd switch midday way through. the worse case scenario would have been if they both wanted to walk, in which case it would have been a much longer visit. that has totally happened to me many times. or even worse, sometimes they both want to be carried while i push an empty stroller. kids man!

oh don't mind me while i sneak away :->

knox + i missed out on this but josh + max took a detour off the trail to check out a few trees that had fallen over and made themselves into bridges. even from where i stood it looked really neat. you could hear kids screaming and laughing but couldn't see them. when m+k are older they are going to love this place even more i hope :->

so this wasn’t what our sunday intended to look like… but i am so glad it did. this plan b really hit the spot. gave us cheeks the collective jolt and recharge we needed before facing the week. thank you temescal canyon. we can't wait to come back! maybe after we finally get more rain, please? oh and good job fall. you looked mighty fine today. besos. we are over + out!