Kickin' it in SA: Enchanted Rock

Image Via

Since we're getting ready to move, we spent last weekend checking things off of our bucket list.  One of those items we wanted to check off was hiking Enchanted Rock.  Enchanted Rock is a giant batholith  (which is essentially the top part of a giant rock, the rest of which is buried in the earth) that is located north of Fredericksburg, about an hour and a half from San Antonio.  We'd heard great things about Enchanted Rock since we moved here, but between Peter's residency and being pregnant, having a newborn, etc., we hadn't had a chance to get out there to hike it until this last weekend.  But I'm definitely glad we made the time to do so before we left!  It's a fairly short hike; the Summit Trail, which goes straight up the to the top is .6 miles.  This is the easiest of the trails and very doable for kids.  However, don't be fooled!  It's still quite steep and will get your heart pumping!  Will, my 4 year old, though, is apparently in stellar condition and he pretty much ran straight up to the top.  He kept telling me I was walking too slow :)  Clara (2 years old) probably would've been able to make it, but we put her in a hiking backpack which I'm sure saved us about an hour of time that we would've spent waiting for her and chasing her from taking off down the side of the rock.  Plus, it can get a little slippery walking back down the steep slopes, so she was much better off being carried.  And then, little Benny was of course happily strapped in the Baby Bjorn.

The top of the rock is incredible.  The views are beautiful, there are unique plants growing out of the rock, and there's plenty of room for kids to run around and explore.  There were also a bunch of small craters in the surface of the rock that were full of water.  Clara and Will had a heyday jumping over these puddles everywhere.  There are also some caves on the backside that are supposedly really cool, but we didn't have time to go down and explore them.  All in all, if you're in the area, make sure you take a day to drive up and hike Enchanted Rock!

Kickin' it in SA: Guadalupe River State Park

Last weekend, at the recommendation of some friends, we went to explore Guadalupe River State Park.  The Guadalupe River runs nearby San Antonio, and people often go tubing or kayaking down it.  Right now the water is very low, which is unfortunate, but it makes it perfect for a day of swimming with toddlers and young kids!  So, we packed our bags full of snacks and sun and water gear, and we made the hour drive to the river.  The water was still a little cold (but in a month or so when the temperatures are 100º +, it will feel perfectly refreshing), but we jumped in anyway, and a had a great time!

If you decide to make a day of the river, here are some tips:

- bring beach/camping chairs!  the beach is completely rocky--no sand, so if you're going to be sitting a lot while your kiddies swim, you'll want a chair in which to sit.

- have water shoes (or shoes that you don't mind getting wet) for everyone.  because it's so rocky, it's pretty uncomfortable to walk around and play in the water without them.  

- bring water toys (this might be obvious to most people, but we forgot and our kids, who like to splash around near the shore more than swim, were wanting more to play with)

- bring tubes or floats.  the water is pretty shallow and there's a slight current, but it's really perfect for lounging

Kickin' it in SA: Strawberry Picking at Marburger Orchard

As I mentioned in my last post, last week while my brother was in town visiting, we went strawberry picking!  We went to Marburger Orchard which is near Fredericksburg.  It's about an hour from where we live in San Antonio, but it's a beautiful drive so we didn't mind at all!  

There are several "pick-your-own" farms around the San Antonio area (like Love Creek Orchards where we picked apples last year), but we had heard great things about strawberry picking at Marburger Orchard so we decided to give them a try!  And they didn't disappoint!  The owner was nice, but he was strictly business :)  He had lots of rules to follow (many of which pertaining to keeping children from yanking the plants out of the ground), but we didn't mind--I'm sure there have been plenty of situations to warrant the creation of all his rules!  We kept an eye on Will and Clara, but they did great.  They had more fun just putting the berries into the basket than picking them, so my brother and I ended up doing almost all the picking ourselves!  It turned out to be a pretty good system :)

The nice thing about strawberry season is that it's not sweltering hot!  It was a pleasant day in the beautiful orchard and we had a lot of fun.  Peach picking in a couple of months, however, might be a different story!  But I'm sure they'd be worth it.  (FYI blackberry season starts around next week and peach season starts the last week of May and goes through July.)

We filled our basket and ended up with a little over 7 pounds of strawberries!  That's more than enough for our little family to eat, so at that point we called it good and went and sat at a picnic table on the property and pulled out the lunch we had packed, which was complemented very nicely with fresh strawberries.

Going to Marburger Orchard was a lot of fun.  It's a special outing that's out of the ordinary, it provides a great opportunity to teach kids about where our food comes from, and of course there's the fact that fresh berries are just about the best thing ever!  After this little adventure, we ate strawberries with every meal for several days, I made our family's version of strawberries 'n cream (simple recipe below), and we made a batch of homemade fruit leather!  We definitely have had our fill of strawberries this season and we've loved it!

Strawberries 'n Cream

- Slice as many strawberries as you need and place them in a bowl
- Cover the strawberries with milk (to make it extra creamy, substitute half the milk with half and half)
- Add a tablespoon of sugar at a time until it's sweet enough for your liking
- Add approximately 1 tsp of vanilla extract (more/less depending on your quantity)
- Enjoy!!!

For me, eating strawberries 'n cream like this brings back wonderful memories from growing up.  Plus, I think this is the perfect sweet treat in the springtime or for brunch!  And feel free to experiment and use this recipe with other fruits as well; it works well with all other types of berries, but I particularly like to make peaches 'n cream this way!  And if you try peaches 'n cream, don't forget to add a dash of nutmeg as well!  YUM!

Kickin' it in SA: Hiking and Geocaching in Government Canyon

Today we went hiking in Government Canyon, and the entire time we were there, I just kept wondering why it has taken us so long to explore such a beautiful place that is literally only minutes from our home!  Since we had our kids in tow, we decided to hike the Savannah Loop, which is a really easy 2.5 mile loop.  We had Clara in our hiking backpack, but not because it was too difficult, just because we knew she wouldn't last if she had to walk 2.5 miles on her own!  And, we pushed Bennett in our BOB jogging stroller and it worked great!  I definitely recommend this hike to anyone with young kids or if you're just looking for a nice, flat trail to go walking/trail running.  It's really pretty, and a lot of it is shaded by all of the trees which was really nice.  But, if you're in the mood for a tougher hike, Government Canyon has plenty to choose from.  They also have campsites, of which we are hoping to take advantage before we move in a couple of months!

While I was initially looking online at the Government Canyon website, I clicked on the Activities link at the top of the page and I noticed a link to Geocaching.  This term was knew to me, so I clicked on it find out what it was all about.  And I'm glad I did!  Many of you probably already know what geocaching is, but for those of you who are like me and had no idea, it's where people leave small items in nature for others to find.  Usually, once you find the box with the hidden treasures inside, you sign your name, take a little treasure, leave something in return, and then put the box back where you found it.  There are apps and maps to use to find geocaches all over the world.  We downloaded the app Geocaching Intro onto our iPhones, which was super easy to use and it led us to two different geocaches near our trail!

Here's a picture of where William found the hidden geocache.  Inside we found a little notebook and pen (where we signed our names) and some stickers and other little toys.  

Will and Clara decided that they wanted to keep the small, plastic watering can toy, so we took that and left a little blue, plastic, ninja figurine.  We hope that whoever visits that geocache next likes what we left!  After we made the switch, Will went and put the can back where we had found it.  It was all very exciting for William; I think that he's going to be wanting to go geocaching a lot more in the future :)

It ended up being a really fun morning, complete with a little exercise, quality family time, geocaching success, and even some tree-climbing!

Kickin' it in SA: San Antonio Botanical Garden

The San Antonio Botanical Garden has been one of our favorite spots that we've frequented since we've lived in San Antonio.  So, this Kickin' it in SA post is a little picture heavy since we've been so many times :)  We love the San Antonio Botanical Garden, especially this time of year, when the weather is perfect for walking around outside.  It's a great place to go if you have a spare afternoon and want to give your little ones a chance to run around, or of course, if you just want to go and enjoy some beautiful flora and fauna :)  In the picture above (taken about a year ago--it's crazy how much Will and Clara both have changed in the last year!!!), Will is posing by the Old Fashioned garden, which I think is the prettiest area of the whole place.

Will and Clara love the gardens because there are plenty of grass fields in which to run around, ducks and turtles to feed, old-fashioned log cabins and homes to explore, and even an awesome antiquated-looking amphitheatre where we like to play hide and seek.  

Look how little and hairless Clara looks!!!

And, in warm months, they oftentimes have rubber duckies floating in the fountain for kids to play with.  What could be more fun than watching rubber duckies float down a fountain that would usually be off-limits to play in???

As you can see, Clara stepped a little too close to the fountain and took an accidental dip in the water :)  She spent the rest of this particular trip to the garden in just her diaper because her clothes were sopping wet!

I've been especially impressed with these gardens because they really strive to offer activities that appeal to both the young and the old.  During spring break, they offer kids activities, including a huge sand pit to dig in, crafts for little ones, and scavenger hunts.  They also offer "dog days" where you can bring your dogs to enjoy the gardens, fun family activities during San Antonio's Fiesta, movies and bands in the park when the sun goes down in the spring and summer, Halloween activities and parades at Halloween time, summer camps for kids, adult education classes, and a children's vegetable garden program where kids are allotted their own garden plot to grow their own vegetables.

We enjoyed the Garden's Fiesta activities last year; here Clara and I are decked out in our Fiesta apparel enjoying the live music and performances at the Gardens.  Will had a blast in the bounce houses, and then we all joined in on a fun Fiesta parade through the garden.

And here's a picture from my Instagram from last May of probably my favorite activity at the Gardens: Starlight Movies in the Garden.  It's so fun and romantic to be out watching old movies as the sun sets . . . We've seen "Roman Holiday" and "Casablanca" and both were amazing!  Both classics, but they were made just a little better because we were scarfing down on Popeye's Fried Chicken as we watched :)  What can we say???  We got hooked when we lived in Mississippi and now it's our go-to picnic food!  So, while everyone around us enjoys their fancy wine, cheese, and Trader Joe's delicacies at a romantic evening in the park, we get our fingers greasy and slurp up cajun mashed potatoes and red beans and rice!  So high class and fancy, I know :)

Getting a season pass to the Botanical Garden last year was definitely an investment worth making--and it was pretty reasonably priced at that.  We've gotten more than our money's worth, and I really like that we've been able to bring our kids to experience the beauty of the Gardens.  It's a different type of cultural experience that I'm glad my kids have been able to enjoy.  Whether you're just visiting for the day or interested in a season pass, I definitely recommend the SA Botanical Garden!

Kickin' it in SA: Bakery Lorraine and The Twig Book Shop Storytime

I love an outing that's partly for the kids, and partly for the mama.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to chill all morning at the zoo or Kiddie Park or at a children's museum, but it's extra nice when there's a little something for mamas to enjoy as well.  And that's why today's outing was so great--I mean, can you say pain au chocolate, macaron, or morning buns without your mouth watering and jumping into your minivan to get those beauties in your belly?!  

This morning, that's exactly what we did.  We met up with friends to get some tasty pastries at Bakery Lorraine and then we went on to the fabulous Wild and Wacky Storytime with Miss Anastasia at The Twig Book Shop. 

 

Clara sitting on the porch of Bakery Lorraine

Bakery Lorraine is the cutest little bakery, located near the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio, that sells the most delicious macarons, among other delicacies.  From the outside, the bakery looks like a quaint gray home with a white picket fence and a garden in the backyard, but get a little closer and you'll begin to get wafts of delicious sugary pastries!  This is definitely a spot to take your friends and family that appreciate the finer things in life :)  But that being said, my 2 year old can pound those macarons like nobody's business!  Today's flavors were: pistachio, black current/dark chocolate, and lemon or lime and olive oil.  The pistachio was PERFECT.  I want to eat 20 more!

Image Via

Image Via

So, after we indulged in almond tarts, morning buns, and macarons, we went around the corner to the Pearl Brewery for storytime with Miss Anastasia at The Twig Book Shop.  Miss Anastasia is hands down the best storyteller ever.  Ever.  Check out the many faces of Miss Anastasia that The Twig posted on their website:

Image Via

How could she not get you excited about reading???  Will ate up every word that she read, and to be honest, so did I!  (Now, if only I could get Clara to sit still for more than 90 seconds at a time, then I really could have enjoyed it!)  And not only does Miss Anastasia always read more than 1 book (today she read 4!), there are always crafts and treats that follow!  It's pretty much what Will would describe as the perfect way to spend an hour.  He loved it.  Below are pictures of Will enjoying storytime and getting involved with the hand actions (I think he was the only kid to participate :)), and then showing off his gold medal craft that he made at the end.

 Sorry about the blurry iPhone photo!

 So . . . in short, GO TO BOTH OF THESE PLACES!  Seriously.  You won't be disappointed!  Storytime at The Twig is every Friday at 10:30am, which is the perfect time if you want to stop at Bakery Lorraine beforehand for a delectable breakfast :)