Anything can happen on a long nature walk without a bike or stroller.

We took our first real nature walk (no stroller, bike, wheeled helper) while Adam played tennis last Sunday. We were gone for 1.5 hours walking along the bluffs and through the deep, dark forest. Kate is big now. While getting ready for the walk by opening the garage and setting up the stroller, she turned to me and stated, "I walk now, mommy" and with that I parked the stroller and went for it, without a phone I must add. It was a success and just now I got back from a three hour adventure at the Oakland zoo without a stroller too. It is quite a sight to see me corral and chase and interact with two kids and no stroller...but I love it and look forward to leaving the stroller behind more and more.

Here is what can happen during a long nature walk:

a little girl can get off to a slow start while learning to use her new adorable rain boots. Charlie and I watched her for a good minute while she tried to get her foot up this booby trap.

Our idea was to go puddle jumping, but one day of sun dried up all of our puddles. Lucky for us a huge amount of goats had passed through our bluffs eating the weeds, so we got to goat poop jump instead.

A little girl can come alive, talking left and right, asking what's this, and who is that, running to keep up with her bro

And then that same girl can have a break down and decide pretty far from home that A. she is too tired to hike and B. she doesn't want to be held. GREAT, here is where the frustration came in for me. But how can one stay frustrated when surrounded by such beauty and such a happy boy....

Take a nature walk with kids and you are bound to see plenty smiles like this.

And of course you will find animals alive and dead. We saw egrets, hawks, dead worms, and more.

And the ultimate leaf blower, weed whacker, fire gun...

And of course after hiking for so long, you will find sweet spots to take rests together...