I hope they remember

Colorado

When I was pregnant with Alyx, I knew he was going to be a great adventure in my young life. I dreamed of all the incredible things we would do together, the places we'd go, the memories we'd make. I dreamed we would some day say we've visited the seven wonders of the world. That's still on my bucket list by the way. I knew I wasn't going to get to be one of those people who got it all out of their system before they had kids. I was going to do it all with them. I haven't always had the most supportive family, so I mentally prepared for tackling this journey on my own. And a journey it's been...

And I have. I teach my children to go with the flow. If I say, go pack a bag for two days, they'll be downstairs and ready to go in 5 minutes or less with everything they need and more, and big smiles on their faces. My parenting style is unique, to say the least, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Living in the Pacific Northwest has fueled that fire of wanderlust and truly allowed me to take it to the furthest extent possible. Adventuring. It's what we do.

With that, are all my hopes of what this lifestyle teaches my little ones. The places we explore, how to respect nature, allowing the world to truly be their playground, and those we share these moments with. Will these be the things their memories are made of? I hope so.

I allow them to enjoy every place we go and everything we do. They take it in and without hesitation make that space their own, if only for a moment. They play, they laugh, and they listen when I give them boundaries. It's when they listen best actually. We bring snacks, we take breaks, we play by the water, they race with our dogs, we slow down and we hold hands. This is how we adventure.