Exploring!

The month of April went by so fast.  I can't believe where time goes!  We had a very busy month, seeing lots of different people, and doing many different things.  It's been a month of new experiences!... well, I guess it's been 3 months of new experiences, huh? lol.

The kids had one Friday off from school for some holiday that I can't remember.  It was a beautiful day, and Wes and I were going to be away from the kids on Sat, so we decided to just take the whole day and go out and explore!  I packed a picnic lunch, and we set out.

We headed for the mountains.  We thought maybe we could find a place for the boys just to run and play while Wes and I relaxed a little bit.  That is one thing that's been difficult for the boys.  Since we are in an apartment, we do have to be quiet... especially from 2-5, during siesta.  It is a 'building policy.'  Kinda funny, huh?  We thought we'd give them a chance to get some energy out.  We sure did find some amazing places!

We drove up the mountain, and we found a little creek with a waterfall, and this incredible view.  The crazy thing was that it was COLD!  We left Caceres in 75 degree weather.  The farther up the mountain we went, the colder it got... until we found SNOW!  How crazy!  The boys were ecstatic.  They had a blast throwing snowballs and slipping and sliding.  They weren't dressed to play in the snow, b/c I had no idea that we would still find it up there!  They didn't last real long... their hands got cold, and of course, their pants got all wet.  But it was FUN! :)

Once they were done with the snow, we headed back down the mountain and decided to try to find this little lake that we could see from the highway.  I was so astonished that we passed several lakes, and there wasn't a single boat on them!  I mean, it was April, 75 degrees, and a holiday!  In the States, those lakes would've been packed... well, at least a few boats, anyway!  It looked so tranquil (I'm craving tranquil, these days!) that I really, really wanted to see if we could get there.  The highway was pretty far off, but I could see a little road that went around the whole lake.  My husband was amazing!  We just drove until we found it!... I really don't know how we did.

It was pretty hilarious, though.  We found the little road that went around the lake, and it started off as a paved road.  We thought we'd see what it was like around the other side of the lake.  Well, things deteriorated very quickly.  The paved road was gone and we actually got trapped by COWS in the road!  lol... we sat there debating whether to just sit there and wait to see if they moved, or to try to move very slowly forward to see if they would get out of our way.

The road you see in the picture is actually (other than the paved part) the best part of the whole lake.  As we kept going, the road got tighter and tighter, and at times was UNDER WATER.  It was a little freaky, but we had no option except to go forward.  The road was so narrow, there was no way to turn around.  The boys thought it was the greatest!  lol... I was a little nervous that we were going to get stuck in the mud, but Wes handled the vehicle like an expert!  When we were done, it looked like we had gone off-roading!  Shhh... don't tell anyone. ;)

About half way around (before the road got really, really bad) we found a little grassy/rocky area and we let the kids get out and throw rocks.  You know... for a boy, that's the greatest thing ever.  The hilarious thing is that Carolina enjoyed it just as much!  When she first started, she would throw and watch the rock hit the water.  As time when on, she would just throw it and immediately look for the next rock.  You can see it in the second pic of her throwing a rock.  The rock has just left her and, and she's not even looking at it anymore! lol! (yes, that's a rock in the air, not sticking out of the water.)

All in all, we had an incredible day!  The kids loved getting out, and to be honest, so did I!  Since we live in the heart of the city, I feel very closed in... and there's concrete everywhere.  I mean, it really is pretty, especially now that spring is here.   But I miss those wide-open green spaces!  It was a memorable and relaxing day for all of us!