Attempting to Beat the Heat.

My kids don't care that horses pee here!

We have had record breaking heat here in Southern California this week.   So if I didn't get the kids outside as early as possible we were trapped inside the house.   And those of you who have small children (or teach) know that kids being trapped inside can sometimes be a recipe for disaster.

Snack on the "big flat rocks"

Hayden has been asking to go for a hike so Tuesday morning I found a local hike and off we went as early as I could rally the troops.   It was hot at 8:00 in the morning when we arrived but we were loaded up with water and Rehydrate and didn't let that stop us from having an adventure.   Our original destination was an old 1900's water tower off a horse trail in Norco.    It looked like an easy hike with a cool destination, but also lots to see along the way  in case we never got to the end point.

Our new friend Cheryl!

Which we never did......

The trail is a horse trail that backs up to several horse properties in Norco and a local nursery.   We spent about an hour wandering about and observing all the animals in the backyards.   As we do, we also made a couple of friends.   Even though we never saw the water tower, we had a great time and both kids got to do a little impromptu horseback riding offered up by some super kind ladies who had a heart for children.   They were both in heaven!

Alice's first time on a horse.

The highlight for Mommy was Cheryl.   We had chatted with her on our way past her property and a bit later she was out riding her horse.   We were enjoying our snack on some large rocks and getting ready to head back to the car.  She had been worried about us out in the heat and came out on her horse to see if we needed any help.   My kids were over the moon to get the chance to ride back to our car on a horse.  It was such a blessing to have a total stranger care enough about us to take a moment out of her day and check on us.   

Once we made it home we took our hot sweaty selves out back to splash in the pool.   As Hayden has also been requesting glitter (Side note:  This Mommy hates glitter), I decided this was a good time to bust it out.   So we glittered, painted,  and splashed in the pool until we just couldn't take the heat any more.