Adventures in the Desert

You will typically find our family adventures are surrounded by an ocean or a large body of water. Our family’s happy place is playing and exploring what the ocean has to offer. This time however, we decided to jump out of our go-to locations and explore somewhere new – Joshua Tree National Park!

Brody’s Eleventh Birthday

We spent a few days in Joshua Tree National Park as a family. Brody’s eleventh birthday was planned during this time. We collectively decided to have an early dinner and head back into the park for the evening to watch the stars and enjoy a bon fire in total silence. We pulled over to sing happy birthday on top of our rental! Once the day came to an end, Brody told us that this birthday was the best one yet. Of course this made my heart burst with so much love and gratitude.

No Limits Climbing

Our boys climbed higher than I would ever feel comfortable with on a normal day. Our children love testing their personal limits. My husband was born as an adventurer and feels much more confident than I do supervising our children in more risky situations. I am so grateful that my fear doesn’t hold them back from exploring what the world has to offer.

Our Toughest Family Hike Yet

Joshua Tree National Park was an incredible experience for everyone. We climbed some of the most challenging hikes our family has attempted to date. There were several times we wanted to turn around but with my husband’s gentle encouragement, we kept climbing to the peak. It was a very rewarding experience to work together as a family to accomplish difficult tasks.

The Big Surprise

We ended our ten day California trip with a surprise for our boys! We decided since we’ve been obsessed with the national park, that we’d pull over to the side of the road and let them open their “surprise boxes”.

Inside their surprise boxes were little Disney trinkets like toys, candy, an autograph book and t-shirts for the park. It certainly didn’t take them very long to realize where we were headed!

Future Family Travel Plans

With the world in the midst of uncertainty, it is difficult to really say when and where we will be headed next. Our family bucket list continues to grow. If you typically travel with children, we’d love to know where your favourite places are to explore!