Having a baby around has really forced the two older boys to become more independent. Things they usually would have asked mommy for help with get done in very interesting ways. For example, picking out their PJ's. Matching tops and bottoms are not a priority in a 4 years olds eyes. Tristen has even been mixing sizes, wearing a top from Everett's drawer and a bottom from his own or vice versa. A tight top makes him look pretty studly, tight bottoms on the other hand...
The boys and I made a summer calender with activities they can look forward to every day. The first activity was a hike out to Deep Lake. The morning of the hike I had to take care of Porter and again the boys got very impatient and therefore very independent. They dressed them selves, packed their backpacks and even got their own lunches. This is what Everett packed: A tomato and five slices of lime in a glass mug. Yummy!!
The hike was an absolute blast. The boys took turns being leader and at one point we started going in circles because of their path choices. Every time we came to a fork in the road they had to stop and discuss whether the path led to danger or safety. 
Everett is not only "potty" trained but can now pee in the woods like a manly man.
This is the best picture of Porter I could get. He slept the entire time in his baby carrier. He is a very easy baby to take out and about. I guess you could say Porter is very portable.
The hiking trip plan did not originally include Ki, but as we were going in and out of the house packing the car he snuck out. We found him cruising the RV park and decided we would take him with us. This is a picture of him post swim cooling the boys off with a big shake. He's not wearing a leash because Tristen threw it into the lake. Of course every time I hiked past someone with two toddlers, an infant strapped to me and a dog in toe they had to make the comment,"My...looks like you've got your hands full." I've been hearing that a lot lately and I'm not convinced it's a compliment especially when it's over the phone and they say, "Sounds like you've got your hands full." We ate lunch by the water, enjoyed the beautiful day and survived our first outing for the summer. Here's a few more pictures until next time.
