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A Family Hike in the Blue Hills

Last weekend while out running errands we decided to avoid the highway and cut through the Blue Hills to get home, as we often do when we are trying to lull a certain toddler into a weekend car nap. Maddie wasn't really falling for it, and it was super gorgeous outside, so Matty had the great idea to take a spontaneous little hike on one of the easy trails. It turned out to be the best random idea of the day and provided us with a much less cranky toddler after all that fresh air.

One of the many things I love about living in Boston is the close proximity to some pretty amazing outdoor spots that always seem to amaze me with the way you feel so out of the city (but really it is just right there!). The Blue Hills is one of those spots; hike to the top of the Great Blue Hill lookout point and you get a great view of Boston and beyond. It is seriously just a few miles outside of city limits, but it feels like you are in the middle of a wonderful, quiet nowhere. 

Maddie is in an awesome phase where she is so thirsty for knowledge and absorbs things like a little sponge, so she was loving that Daddy was explaining the types of plants to her and letting her put her little hands all over the moss and tree trunks. I asked her to help me gather up some leaves, careful to have her choose different sizes and colors, which we then took home to make a poster out of. We had so much fun looking up the types of leaves on the iPad to identify what kind of tree they fell from and I was definitely proud of my little perfectionist who wanted to arrange them just so.

This week was a doozy and I am hoping that the rain (and snow) hold off a bit so we might be able to sneak another visit in before winter really takes over in New England! 

So many pretty leaves and one super cute toddler!

Learning about moss and other cool things with Daddy.
Using her airplane arms skills from gymnastics class!
This kid sure loves adventures, and it makes this Mama so happy!
Our foraging poster - paper, glue, a pen, and an iPad were all we needed!



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