Aspen didn't have school today so Eric took the day off and we headed up to the foothills for a short hike. The weather was great and the kids did really well. Zero complaints about being tired. Aspen brought her Beanie Boo, Spells (a Beanie Bear Owl with huge eyes; they are all the rage with Aspen and her friends), all snug and tight against her backpack. And Oakley had his new cop car in his pack, so they were good to go. (I guess we know the secret now to a successful hike).

We headed to Upper Hull's Gulch, which is gorgeous in Springtime but was still very pretty even though it's February. There's a cute little bridge about .6 miles away, so we passed it and then turned around a bit later.

On the way home Aspen wanted to know all about each war the U.S. has participated in, so we had a little history lesson. She is really fascinated with war; I'm hoping it's out of a love for history, but I think it is a combination of knowing that each of her great grandfathers fought in WWII, coupled with her trying to understand why war even happens. I love hiking with the kids for that very reason: the conversations and questions that come up ;)