I am always trying to find balance in learning and growing for my little girls. I firmly believe that the best way to learn is to experience something first hand, but I am also not going to knowingly put my girls in harms way. When I started to post this first picture on Instagram I thought about this balance and what other's would think about me letting my baby up on the railing like she is. Would I get flack? Definitely. Would people express their opinion and call me a negligent parent? Probably not. Would anyone agree with my choice to let my girls test their limits a little? Hopefully. 

I love that my girls try new things and that they are always testing their abilities to see what they are capable of. That being said I definitely don't let them do things I know they will get hurt doing. We have found a good balance, well at least I feel like it is a good balance, in how we let them try new things. Especially with my youngest, who I am certain will be a professional rock climber one day, we make sure that we are close enough to grab her if she loses her balance or gets scared but not totally hands on the entire time so that she feels like she is accomplishing it on her own. After a few tries, if she is successful, we take a step back and let her do it on her own. Always close enough to keep her from harm but far enough so that she know, for sure, that she is doing it on her own. 

I am not saying that this is the best way to go about raising your children, just that this is the way we have found. I was very much one of those children that needed to do something for myself to learn (insert touching everything that was hot to make sure my mom was right when she said it was hot) and I think a lot of that comes from my desire to feel in control. I don't want my girls to feel like I am trying to take all of the control away from them or for them to feel the need to over correct and go crazy. My hope is that helping them feel this balance between doing it on their own while I am right there to save them will give them a sense of control yet safety. 

How have you found that balance in your parenting? I would love to hear any suggestions you have on helping your little (or not so little) ones flourish! 

I have to say this was a hike that ended up a lot harder for the girls than I was expecting it to be. It was so much steeper than it looked like from the bottom. They are such troopers though, after about 10 breaks we finally made it to the top. I'll admit though, the breaks were pretty nice. There are so many times I find myself just wanting to get to the "end" to bask in the views, but all these breaks teach me the great life lesson that if I just slow down there are great views all along the way! Man, kids really are so good at teaching us how to live life in the best way possible!! If you want to do this hike with kids just make sure you have plenty of water and snacks because it is work to get to the top. We hung out at the top to have lunch and it was so amazing. There were also a ton of fresh blueberries to snack on!
The next time we do this hike I will allow for a lot more time up at the top to walk along the ridge. It was so beautiful up there! If you take the marrow trail all the way through the pass it connects you to Rendezvous Peak. I'm not sure how long of a hike that would be in total but it seems like it would be well worth it and is now on my ever growing list!!
I have to say this was a hike that ended up a lot harder for the girls than I was expecting it to be. It was so much steeper than it looked like from the bottom. They are such troopers though, after about 10 breaks we finally made it to the top. I'll admit though, the breaks were pretty nice. There are so many times I find myself just wanting to get to the "end" to bask in the views, but all these breaks teach me the great life lesson that if I just slow down there are great views all along the way! Man, kids really are so good at teaching us how to live life in the best way possible!! If you want to do this hike with kids just make sure you have plenty of water and snacks because it is work to get to the top. We hung out at the top to have lunch and it was so amazing. There were also a ton of fresh blueberries to snack on!
The next time we do this hike I will allow for a lot more time up at the top to walk along the ridge. It was so beautiful up there! If you take the marrow trail all the way through the pass it connects you to Rendezvous Peak. I'm not sure how long of a hike that would be in total but it seems like it would be well worth it and is now on my ever growing list!!

The only way we can get out as much as possible with 3 little kids is with baby carriers. Let me tell you, much to my husband’s chagrin, we have tried many MANY different carriers. The carrier that we discovered most recently, and absolutely fallen in love with, it the Onyababy Pure. ​

Out of all the carriers we have tried this one has done the best at keeping our little ones high up on our back, which, if you have little ones who ride on your back,  you know that is key, kids want to see what is going on not just next to them but in front of them! There was also a lack of sagging in her seat. Even after hours of hiking baby K doesn’t sag or feel uncomfortable to me. Our middle daughter is 3 years old so some of the hikes we still have to up in a carrier and she feels just as light as our 18month old. A bonus of the Pure model there is a panel in the front that can be unzipped and rolled up to let more air flow though the mesh base layer if the weather warms up.

Since getting our Onyababy a couple weeks ago we have logged 30+ miles on it and honestly they have been some of the most comfortable yet. Most of the time when I wear my baby on my front my lower back hurts like crazy after just a short time, but with our Onya I can not only wear her on my front again but I enjoy it! The arm straps can worn like normal backpack straps or cross at your back for added support. Do yourself a favor and give this carrier a try!!
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If you have any questions about the carrier please ask or head on over to the Onyababy website to check it out for yourself!

As y’all know we have 3 little kids and 3 dogs. One of those dogs is a Labrador, Mila, so really she is the work of two dogs. She is the sweetest dog, so intensely happy and full of love but at the same time so completely full of energy. We are a high energy family for the most part but I just am not able to give what all she needs. There are days when I am so overwhelmed by everything else that is going on in my life I can’t even imagine spending the time or energy on dogs. We have gone back and forth  (honestly for me, since we got her) about whether or not we are going to keep her. We have really good periods where I am  not overwhelmed with everything else and giving her the attention she needs is not a problem. The plain fact of the matter though is those times are way outnumbered by times when I just can’t. I keep thinking that the energy will go down, but you know what, it won’t, and that’s okay. She is a lab, she is a lab with a LOT of energy, and that’s okay. She doesn’t have to change who she is, we just might have to find her the right home. A home where she has a job, land, and an owner that does not have 3 kids 4 years and under that consume their day. Right when we get to the point of really being okay with the decision to find her a new home I chicken out.




I know it will hurt, we will all be so sad, my girls will miss her deeply and for a long time. Then I get scared that she will miss us. I can’t even thinking about what will go through her head when we give her to another family. Maybe it will be joy, maybe she will be so full of love and excitement for this new family to love on and new land to run around on. Maybe she will be so grateful to be in a family where they don’t lose their temper on her easily. Maybe she will have a job that she not only gets to do but loves to do.



But maybe she won’t. Maybe it will hurt her too. Maybe she won’t understand and all she will see is that we don’t want her anymore, that she must somehow be bad and that we are getting rid of her. Maybe she will miss the girls and their endless snuggles. Maybe being separated from Kodi will make her sad.



That is what I am afraid of. I am afraid of hurting her. I am afraid of making her feel unloved, because honestly it is because we love her that we want to find a better home for her. It is because we love her that I want her to go somewhere that she can have more attention. It is because I love her that I want her to have the best life possible and I am just not able to give that to her right now.



I really don’t know what to do. Right when we get close to searching for a better home for her I chicken out but then the next day I am losing my temper on either her or my kids because I just have so much to take care of on a daily basis. I don’t know what is a selfish decision, or if it is even a bad thing to have a selfish decision. And honestly part of my is embarrassed and feels like a failure. Like I can’t handle it. I  mean, deep down, I know that is not the case and that this is my life and that we just have to make the decision that is best for our family regardless, but those fears of judgement are still there.

When I think about a life for her of a hunting dog or a ranch dog I get so excited. I know she would be so intensely happy, loyal, hardworking, and helpful. When I think of that kind of a life for her I feel hope, joy, love, and excitement for her, for this life she might have. I just don’t know how to go about getting that life for her. How do you know that your dog will be taken care of? Loved? Kept? Snuggled? I guess I can’t really know all those things for sure, I can just hope and pray (and screen the crap out of the family). I want her to find a family that will use her energy, that has more time than we do, that can handle her work ethic and not realize in a year that they too aren’t able to give her what she needs. I want her to have a family that she can grow old with. Honestly I so wish that family was ours, but I just don’t know if it is. 


Please, If you have any suggestion or help let me know. Also, please understand that this is a sensitive subject for us and I would appreciate everyone keeping the comments kind and positive. 

This past weekend we decided last minute to take a family road trip to Seward. To kick it up a notch we decided to do something we haven't done yet. We decided to sleep in our car. Our cousins have done this for 4 mounts now, how hard could it be?! BIG MISTAKE!!! Well, at least the sleeping in the car part...

When you cram 5 people and 3 dogs in the back of a mini van a lot of things can go wrong. In our case it was a baby that decided to not sleep, 2 big dogs that thought the entire car was theirs, our big girls flailing and punching everyone in their sleep all. night. long. and a super tired mom and dad.

A big part of us being able to get out all year long is being able to stay dry no matter the weather. This is where our Oakiwear rain gear comes in. ​

A big part of us being able to get out all year long is being able to stay dry no matter the weather. This is where our Oakiwear rain gear comes in. Most recently we have had the pleasure to use their rain boots and pants. 
Rain boots normally make me kind of nervous because most of the ones we have used in the past have been really stiff.  Right off the bat our Oakiwear boots have been comfortable, light weight and easy for my 3 year old to walk in. To top it off they have a ton of really cute styles to choose from. Of course my daughter picked out the pink and red elephant ones and boy was she excited when they arrived!! From a mom side of things it is really important for me to have kid gear that they can put on themselves. With 3 littles I don't really have the patience to get everyone dressed each time we want to go outside (maybe that just makes me sound like a bad mom...) and these boots have great handles at the top for her to put them on herself. It was a relief to me and a confidence booster for her! Another big factor for me in outdoor gear is price, I need quality products that will also not break the bank, these boots are the perfect fit for that!

The Children's Trail II rain pants have also really been a great item to have. So far they have kept her totally dry in the rain and I love that she can put these on by herself as well! At the base of the pants is a thick neoprene band to keep them tight around the boot and the waist band is a thick elastic. The seams are all sealed and there is enough extra room so she can bend and move as much as she wants without being restricted!

I have now had the pleasure of using their kids rain suits and their pants. Honestly I really like the suits because it is one piece which makes me feel like it will keep water out better but I have to say I LOVE that with the pants my girls can get ready by themselves. I have also found that my girls like the pants a lot more than their suits. I think they feel more grown up in them. No matter which way you go your kid(s) will stay nice and dry! To finish off their rain protection grab a pair of Oakiwear rain boots!

Another product that was new for me to use was their women's Monumenta rain boots. I had so much fun playing in the puddles with my girls! They are nice and tall so I don't have to worry about water going over the top of them and slim enough to make it easy to walk in. One of the things I love the most about parenting is being able to have a childhood all over again and with my new rain boots this second childhood got even better! I highly suggest you get a pair for yourself and having a puddle jumping contest with your littles!