Last fall, I headed north with my three youngest. My dear friend Kristi, (@iamkristi on Instagram), takes her boys and just goes. She adventures with them. It’s absolutely inspiring. I have no idea how she does it and her trips involve crossing state lines with four young boys.

Since I am not Kristi (LOL – see what I did there?) we started off in Cottonwood, Arizona, just a few hours away. If everything went south, I figured I could just pack up the car and retreat home. The kids did great! Shower time was less than ideal, but other than that, it was incredible. I was feeling so brave, I decided to take a short detour on the way home and swing by Montezuma Castle National Monument.

Riley had been there before, but it would be Mary Alice and Sebastian’s very first time.

Yes, the view below is the view from the sidewalk. I’m so thankful for national parks that give us a glimpse into a life we would never have the chance to see.

I hope you are able to visit sometime! It really is incredible. It is a very short drive off of the main highway and an easy, short walk. The rangers are absolutely fantastic with the kids and they have a junior ranger program. My kids love doing the junior ranger workbooks at the national parks to earn their badges.

When Riley was younger, he was always fascinated by the ‘camouflage trees’. This year, I’ve been intentional about telling Riley stories about ‘when he was younger’. It’s been fun to watch his reaction about my favorite memories of him.

Mary Alice was still in her cast… her bright, electric green cast, but that didn’t slow her down for one second.

The adventure went well and the weather this week is perfect! It has me thinking it may just be time for another adventure!