Hilton Falls Conservation Area

Matty enjoying his first ride in the "pack"! A co-worker of mine gave it to us and we thought we'd try it out this weekend at Hilton Falls Conservation Area. Chad thought it was a nice change from carrying Matthew on the trails and Matty had a blast!

Smith family at the falls...the falls were dry...but it was still a nice hike!

Uncle Paul and Aunt Lauren finally came with us to a park!

Happy to be on board with his Dad! Matthew has been a big time Daddy's boy lately!

Lauren's artistic shot :-)

Crawford Lake Conservation Area

Today we went to our third Ontario Conservation Area - Crawford Lake. It was amazing how many people were there. Here we are at a 15th century Iroquoian Village at the park that has been reconstructed on its original site - pretty cool.

Chad and Matty at the Iroquoian Village

Me and Matty exploring a tree

Pic of Crawford Lake - it is beautiful!
There was a raised boardwalk trail that went all around the lake.

The boys taking a drink break

How Cute Is My Boy???

Come on people, really, how cute can one boy get?! Dad and Matty always have such a fun time in the bathtub - Matty loves to play and splash. This picture really shows off the fact that Matthew has Chad's chin - very masculine and square :-)

Belfountain Conservation Area

Since we have travelled to many of the local provincial parks, I have now set my sights on the conservation areas. There are many within an hour radius and most do not require extensive travelling on the 401 - whoohoo! Today we went to Belfountain in Brampton.

Matty looking very serious...but oh, so handsome!

Chad and Matthew on the suspension bridge going across the falls.

Me and Matty crossing the bridge across the river

Me and Riley along the "Gorge Trail"

Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area

After the Terry Fox Run we drove out to Rattlesnake Point - and no, there are no rattlesnakes there...It has lots of trails, beautiful views, campsites, and is a rock climbing site. When we were there, there must have been 20-30 climbers - I guess it is a popular spot. We had a great time and it's only 30 min from home and does not involve driving through bad traffic - so I think we found a winner!

Matty and Dad goofing off on the trail.
Part of the view, plus you can see the climbing ropes anchored on the trees...it's pretty much straight down from there!

One of the five look-out spots at Rattlesnake Point - the view reminded us of the Valley.

Snack break!

Cuddle break!

Matty having fun in the field

And you thought only birds and small mammals lived in trees...

Matty giggling in the tree - he loves touching leaves and trees
On the way home from Rattlesnake Point we made a quick stop at Springridge Farm to pick up some homemade apple crisp...I hope it's delicious!

Terry Fox Run

Chad, Matthew and I drove to Milton this morning to participate in the Terry Fox Run. Though we would have loved to have been running in Bedford with the Strum gang, we had a great time. There was live music, free lunch, and a community atmosphere. Chad, of course, ran all 10 km - while Matty and I ran/walked about 3.3 km. After the run, Matty and I had a picnic lunch which he really enjoyed!

The Smith family post-run. I have one of the certificates and the stickers for this year and last so that Matthew will have his own Terry Fox Run certificate on his wall. We plan to continue running in it every year :-)

Play Ball!

The pick up...

The wind up...

And the throw! Matthew's two favorite playtime activities are throwing the ball (he will chase it himself and throw it again) and reading stories. Riley seems to know he is not supposed to chase Matty's balls....at least not yet...I'm sure they'll both have a "ball" when Matthew is old enough to play fetch with Riley :-)