It Rains in Rain Forests, B-day Fun, and I Heart Sprouts!

Hiya Bloggers!!

Yes..it rains in rain forests...interesting story. But, first off... recap from little guy's  birthday celebration (on the day of)! My son turned 5 this week! 5 years old!! I say it twice, as I am really in shock. It seems like just yesterday that he was born and having taking life by storm. He is my miracle child. Long story short (I'll include his birth story on another post). So, the morning of big birthday he requested apple muffins..okay, simple enough. WRONG! It was a flop but he didn't seem to mind. Yay! Not sure what went wrong. So, at this point the recipe is not worth sharing..but, I'll share some pics..

Happy boy!!

This week I also started sprouting my own alfalfa sprouts! Yay! I love sprouts: the smell, taste, color..the whole nine yards. There is something magical about watching them go from tiny seed to sprout. Just kinda fun! They are like little babies which grow and flourish...okay, I'll stop.  I also love how nutritious they are..so far I have only sprouted lentils and alfalfa seeds. I'm sure I won't be stopping there.

Here's some info on the benefits of eating sprouts in case you haven't jumped on the sprout-eating bandwagon YET!

Sprout Info

More Sprout Info

Right before I put them outside under the sun for 15 minutes to activate enzymes!

Moving back to birthday fun! Here is one of my favorite pictures taken from his birthday party. It was a carousel theme, but little man wanted a super hero thrown into the mix so I made him cupcakes (which didn't make the trip from home to park to well, thus no picture is included) with Spider Man on them. That made him happy..you see, his younger cousin, who has the same birthday as him was also celebrating her birthday on the same day...it was a shared party. So, carousel theme for her with a splash of super hero for him. ;-)

At the fountains, soaking up the sun

Fun times was had by all..

Now back to Rain happening in rain forests...Rocky and I did a day hike of 13.5 miles at Fontana Dam in the Smokies last weekend. It was great fun! Rocky's mom and dad watched the kids for us! Let's see...it's the Smokies, and being a rain forest that it is it rains ALOT! As I get older and become less and less high maintenance (it's true) I decided I would only pack an extra fleece. Just hike in the clothes on my back. 

So, never wear jeans for even a day hike. Let's just say that by the time we reached the trailhead my jeans were soaked and I asked Rocky if he had any scissors..to complete the hike without being tortured with heavy pants we decided to make them into shorts. I did contemplate just hiking in my underwear, but I thought other hikers might be taken a bit off guard by another hiker trekking down the trail in her skiivies.. so shorts it was...it rained and thunder stormed for about four miles of our hike. Great fun! Seriously...this was a blast as I love mud and spening time with the hubster!! I can't wait to do it again! Next time, I will pack appropriate clothing! ;-) Either that or embrace the idea of hiking in underwear. Hahaha!

No pictures were taken during the hike as I did not want the camera getting wet.  It was so fun..I love hiking! Great to get into nature, enjoy each other's company without the business of everyday life, and exercise all at the same time! We were pulling 3-minute miles, roughly. Fun times!

Have you ever not packed appropriately for a long hike? What are your stories?