How we got our start

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. My girls have not always liked hiking. An even bigger secret? I  have not always liked hiking. I mean I never hated it, but I was definitely not a super outdoorsy nature loving girl. 

When we first moved to Alaska I was 35 weeks pregnant with my oldest, then became pregnant again just 6 months after having said oldest. So basically I was pregnant for 2 years straight and I lived in a place that was cold, dark, and far far away from family. My husband traveled, my kids cried and I was unhappy. Like, break down to my husband weekly, unhappy. 

Then I found Hike It Baby. I didn't go to a ton of the hikes but it was so nice seeing other moms getting out and having a love of the outdoors. It was a great resource for finding good carriers for my kids, kid friendly hikes, and how to keep little ones warm in the snow. It really was such a blessing for me. I can't say I made super close friends in the group but I did have a new lease on life and that was most important for me. 

Flash forward to new town, new house, new baby and new dog later and I kind of felt like I was at ground zero. Luckily the same dog that I was cursing at under my breath was a dog who needed a ton of exercise that forced me out of the house, a lot. This in turn made me remember just how much I enjoyed getting out with my kids. It was such an empowering feeling being able to take all 3 kids and our lab out by myself. It wasn't always pretty but it seemed to not only help me but all the sudden I was noticing changes in my kids. It was then that I really threw myself in hiking, camping, "mushing", basically anything I could do with my kids outdoors. 

I am not going to {at least try not to} sit here and tell you that the solution to all of your problem is getting outside, but I know the solution to a lot of mine was nature. In the same breath though I want you to know that this is not something that has always been in my life. I have really only found my love of nature in the past couple years. I hope that when you see my photos or read my posts you know that it is all a work in progress and that you are capable of all of this as well if you just make the decision to give it a try. We started out on winter hikes that barely made it out of the parking lot and now my girls are able to hike 5 miles. Not because we are different or special but because I decided to make it a priority in our lives and have it be a part of our weekly routine. If you want to be able to go on hikes, climb mountains, soak up truly breath-taking views with your kids, start today. Start small. Start slow. Just start. It might be tough at first but it is amazing at how quickly you can progress! If you get intimidated by the thought of getting your kids outside please, please  feel more than free to email me and ask me any questions. I would love to either share what has helped us or try and point you in the right direction. I hope that through our posts and experience we can uplift and encourage you. I hope you feel my love and belief in you. Most of all I hope you find confidence in yourself!