Hiking Providence Canyon

On the way back from Alabama, we took a detour to Providence Canyon State Park.  This canyon was created by erosion due to poor farming practices in the 19th century.   We hiked the 2.5 mile canyon loop trail- which felt like way more than two and a half miles because of the elevation change.  The kids love to hike, so they were thrilled.  They pretty much left Gigi and I in a cloud of dust.  We didn't mind too much though.  The scenery was spectacular, and the weather was great- a perfect day for a hike!   The first half of the trail was a hike from the top to the bottom and then back up.  The going down was easy, the coming back up- not so much.  

 There was a small stream of water at the bottom of the canyon, so we had to be careful not to get too dirty (you can see how careful the kids are being).

 I like this one of mama in the bed of the canyon pointing to the rim.

The last portion of the trail was a hike along the rim.  There were some good views here.  

Olivia acting out the bridge scene from Lord of the Rings

After hiking for about an hour and a half, we returned to our car and began our journey home.  I have no doubt that we all slept soundly that night.

Around Montgomery

We decided to do a little sight-seeing while in the Montgomery area.  We saw a brochure for the First White House of the Confederacy in our hotel, and decided that might be interesting.  It took us awhile to find, but we did (eventually).  Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived.  We were still able to get some pictures on the front lawn, we just couldn't go inside.  Right next door was an Alabama history museum, so we decided to check it out since we couldn't go into the White House.  I'm so glad that things worked out as they did, because the Alabama History Museum was awesome (and free).

Inside of the museum, we learned about the history and geological make-up of Alabama.  When we walked in, the lady at the front desk gave the kids a little scavenger hunt booklet.  The kids LOVED looking for all of the items in the booklet.  In the past I've had to drag the kids through museums.  That was not a problem here.  I actually had to get them to slow down because they were so anxious to find the items on their lists.  This little booklet also made the kids pay attention to the exhibits.  They noticed other things in the cases and asked questions about them.  I certainly got a lot out the afternoon, and I think that the kids did too.

Olivia hard at work on her scavenger hunt

Owen checking off an item on his list

Zachary's Graduation

This past weekend the kids, Cassie, Gigi, and I drove to Prattville, Alabama (outside Montgomery) to attend my cousin Zachary Cook's high school graduation.  For those of you who don't know Zachary is the oldest son of my first cousin, Pam.  He was also the ring bearer in my wedding.  Zachary is a smart young man and has done a marvelous job in high school.  Because of his hard work, he has earned several scholarships and will be attending the University of Iowa this fall.  We are all so proud of the young man that Zachary has turned out to be.

Here is a picture of the Cook clan. We were  happy to get to spend time with them before they move this summer.

 The kids were excited to see their cousins.  We had a get-together at Pam's house on the day following the graduation.  Olivia and Owen spent lots of time playing video games with Benjamin (while the adults stuffed our bellies with all of the delicious food).

The Georgia crew with the graduate.

The grandparents

Memorial Day Picnic

For the past couple of years, the kids and I have gone to Laura Walker Park for a picnic on Memorial Day.  We continued that tradition this year.  Hannah and the girls came with us last year, but Hannah had to work on Memorial Day this year.  Gigi was keeping her girls, so she brought them for the picnic instead.  We had sandwiches, bananas, chips, and granola bars.  While Gigi and I set up the picnic area, the kids played on the playground.

 After eating lunch, the kids wanted to go down to the lake.  Last year the kids did not want to do much in the water because it's not clear.  This year was a different story.  They played in the swimming area of that lake and had so much fun.   There were quite a few other kids in the lake that day, so they had plenty of playmates.  It wasn't long before they struck up a game of "Marco Polo".  There were also several boats / skiers out.  Whenever a boat would pass the swimming area, it would create a wake.  The kids got really excited when the wakes came.  They would run out and jump or body surf the little waves.  Needless to say, the lake was a hit.

 Julianna thinks that she is as big as the other kids and tried to go out in the lake, but she was just not tall enough.  She ended up having fun by "floating" (laying on her back) in the lake and by trying to splash Gigi.

Gymnastics Recital

 Ava, Olivia, and Claire all took gymnastics lessons at the same studio this year.  Their end-of-year recital was held last week.  Knowing that seating would be an issue, Owen and I arrived and hour and a half early.  This worked great because we ended up being able to score seats on the second row.  There were no seats left when the show started (people were standing and sitting on the floor), so I was really happy that we went early.  Even though our seats were good, a lot of my photos did not turn out well due to lighting and lots of movement.

Claire's routine, "Aladdin" was first.  She did a great job.  She hit all of her marks and did well with her tumbling.

 Following Claire's routine was Ava's "Pink Panther" number.  Ava is a really good gymnast, and she did a great job (as usual).

 Olivia's routine was later in the show (after intermission).  She was in the "Olympics" number.  She had been working hard on her bridge, cartwheels, and headstand, and she did well on those.  Even though I enjoyed the recital, I felt that it would never end.  It started at 7:30 and didn't get over until about 10:30.  It was a long night, but the girls did well and had a great time.

You Don't Work, You Don't Eat

If I had a nickle for every time I heard "you don't work, you don't eat" growing up, I'd never have to work cause I'd already be rich.  This expression was not only said constantly in the Walker home, but it was backed up with lots of farm work.  Not wanting our kids to miss out on all of the life lessons that a farm can provide, Hannah and I are eager for our kids to participate whenever a farm-work opportunity presents itself.  This past Saturday morning, for example, the kids helped dig potatoes.  The kids have helped with this chore for the past couple of years, and they are getting better at it.  There is still a little whining- mostly about bugs and heat- but they are learning that those things don't matter when there's work to be done.  Once we got out to the field, we realized that the squash, cucumbers, and onions were also ready- so we gathered those too.  The reward for the hard labor was a delicious lunch cooked by Gigi (using the fresh potatoes to make fries), and a chance to get to play in the irrigation gun.  The irrigation gun is always a favorite.

Not Our Cat

 About three weeks ago, this cat showed up on our carport.  She had a collar with the name "Purr" on it, but no address for her owner.  We ignored her for several days.  We didn't want to feed her because we were scared that she wouldn't leave if we did.  She didn't leave, though, and she was so thin.  We decided to just give her a little food until we could find out who her owner was.  This was a good plan, and it worked for about four days.  The next thing we knew, Purr was carrying her five kittens (that we didn't even know she had) up to our house.  This gave us even more motivation to find her owner.  The kids, however, could not have been more pleased with this turn of events.  Olivia is absolutely in love.  Hopefully, there will be a happy pet/owner reunion in the near future.