#SummerTuesdayHikes {Part 1}

Every Tuesday this summer, Sophie, Cameron, and I go on a hike! We conquer new trails, explore old favorites, and sweat our booties off! There is a ton of dust, a few tears, and a lot of silly antics.

Hike #1:

Hike #2:

Hike #3:

Hike #4:

Hike #5:

Staying COOL.

Pants are overrated. Boise temperatures have been greater than 100 degrees this past week, and it appears our extreme heat wave will extend for at least another 10 days!

We have been extremely creative in ways to stay cool.

I mean, if this isn't cool.... what is??

Hours have been spent on our new playset.  Sophie had the brilliant idea to turn on the sprinkler while she swings.  Genius. 

sopping wet swinging diva

We also beat the heat by exploring Bogus Basin one afternoon this weekend while Gramps visited. 

And here is a final shot of the coolest of the cool:

{Doug-- on the back of a truck transporting pieces of the new playset back to our house. He is so cute!}

Camping: Redfish Lake

Last weekend, we joined several other families for a weekend of camping at Redfish Lake.  The weather was perfectly warm in the days and cool in the evenings.  Sophie is now an expert bike rider and Cameron finally loves to ride his bike with training wheels.  So all of the kids rode around the campground like a bike gang from campsite to campsite.  We roasted marshmallows, ate heaps of junk food, and sat around the fire sharing potluck meals.  Sophie and Cam loved playing and reading in our tent, and they were both surprised with how much independence Doug and I let them have from riding their bikes around the loop to playing in friend's tents to climbing up rocks and digging in the sand.  This was the quintessential camping experience, and both Doug and I were overjoyed with how much they loved peeing in the woods, sleeping on the ground, and staying dirty for 48 hours straight.  The weekend was a great balance of time with just the Whitfield 4 and time with some of our favorite friends as well.

Highlights included: Cam saying that Daddy forgot to turn out the lights at nighttime (bright evening light of summer solstice even at 10 PM!).  Doug jumping into the cold waters of the lake numerous times. Sophie politely asking Daddy, Mommy, and Cameron to be quiet and stop being silly in the tent because she was trying to sleep.  The kids testing out their new fishing poles on the edge of the dock.  Sophie, Cameron, AND Mommy using the potty training toilet at night.  Cuddling next to Cameron in the tent for two nights. Watching our kids be cautiously adventurous buddies.

Until next year, Redfish!