Girls Hiking Trip

I've been wanting to go hiking for a while, but Jeff's knees still aren't in the best condition to come with me. So, I decided to plan a girls trip to Banff to hike and also to relax at the hotsprings and get some dinner together! It ended up being Breanne, Lena, Jennie and I who could make it and we had such a fun time. We debated which trail to do, and finally decided to go with Johnston Canyon and Ink Pots. It starts with a lower waterfall that isn't very far to get to, which includes this cool cave you can go through to see the waterfall closer up (and get a little wet too!). We were all talking about how we want to bring our kids to this point because it's so beautiful and very easy to get to. Then we continued to the Upper Falls which was even more gorgeous! After that a lot of people stop but we continued to the Ink Pots, which are a group of 7 spring-fed pools that are all different colors. It wasn't too bad of a hike, although Lena carried Gus the whole way so I'm sure she was feeling it! It was absolutely gorgeous at the top, and we continued a little ways to find a cool bridge where we took some of our pictures. We ate our lunch up there and then headed back down. 
After our hike we were starving so we went into Banff and ate at the Maple Leaf. So good! Then we headed to the hotsprings only to find that it was insanely busy!! So, we headed to the rec center in Banff instead and swam in the pools and sat in their hot tub. It was way nicer because it was so calm, only a couple of other people were there! 
Afterwards we drove home to our husbands and babies! It was a lot of fun and great to get away for a whole day. As a mom I've realized how important it is to take these breaks from the kids so I don't go crazy and lose it on them! It really helps when I get my me time and Jeff is so great about letting me do that.

 While I was gone, Cindy had taken some of the kids to Heritage Park and sent me these photos. It's so nice to see them having lots of fun and knowing they are in good hands. Deacon must've had a blast because he was sure tuckered out!!