A Walk in the Woods with LILLEbaby

One of my favorite fall haunts is skyline drive (it’s also one of my favorite spring spots too fyi). If you’ve ever seen Virginia in the fall, you can imagine why a tree covered mountain would be a big draw. Every year, I start to get the itch to drive up and see the beautiful colors over the Shenandoah valley and so we excitedly pile into the car and swing by (and if you have a fourth grader you can get a National Parks pass free, check it out!). This year, we have two slow walkers with both the Wild Thing and baby Hey J so a hike may have been out of the question. Determined, I printed out some nature scavenger hunts (just hit google for that one) and grabbed my LILLEbaby carrier. We were going to enjoy the fall if it killed me (and sometimes with four kids, I think it might). 

Baby Hey J is a pretty independent walker so convincing him to be carried is generally quite the task. But, he loves snuggles so I cuddled him in and kept up the pace and he cozied right up. You might notice he doesn’t look enthused- that’s pretty much his all the time face but especially when we wake him from a nap because he won’t want to miss the fun. I love that the carrier has a comfy back support for mama and it splays the baby’s legs perfectly to allow for good hip support. Plus, I’m loving how this all black design goes with everything. Nothing like your baby carrier matching your outfit. 

Back to the walk, the kids found most everything on their list: flying insects, walking insects, dead tree stumps, birds, butterflies, and so much more. The only thing we rarely see on our nature walks are wild animals. Why? Have you ever seen wild animals flock to a herd of elephants? No, me neither. But, that’s pretty much how my crew likes to crash through the forest. We did see a stick bug though so I suppose it made up for it. Plus, the view of the valley doesn’t get any better. 

I’m sure we’ll be up for more walks (and better equipped for the weather- of course at least one forgot to bring a coat and two more wore shorts on the chilliest fall day we’ve had yet). How do you celebrate the fall? We welcomed it in Shenandoah style with a little nature and a whole lotta walking. 

Baby carrier: c/o LILLEbaby