Good Bye 2020

It’s Over!

If asked, I would describe 2020 as being akin to natural childbirth. It started out easy and I naively thought “I got this”. But before long the intensity ramped up and soon I was pleading for someone to give me some drugs. Now that it’s all over I am grateful for the experience but not quite sure if I want to do it again. And in time I am sure the bad parts will become fuzzy and I will only remember the good stuff.

While that analogy may not ring true for all of you, I think it is safe to say that we all relaxed a little when the calendar turned over from December 31, 2020 to January 1, 2021.

For me (and probably for most of you) 2020 brought LOTS and LOTS of change! Some good, some bad and a lot of in-between.

While there were definitely some hard parts during 2020 (Dustin being furloughed from his job, Emma having crazy food intolerance issues, so many many elimination diets for me, and my mom getting sick) I want to focus on the good parts of 2020.

What I LOVED about 2020

I know seeing the words “loved” and “2020” in the same sentence sounds like an oxymoron, but honestly looking back I have some great memories from the year. Here are some of my 2020 highlights!

We Spent SO Much Time Outside

At the beginning of 2020 I decided to do the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge. Being pregnant I was a little worried that we wouldn’t be able to get all our hours in. Little did I know that we would be spending more time outside in 2020 than probably the past two years combined.

*For other fun family outdoor challenges check out my post 7 Challenges to Get You Outside More

When everything closed down in March there literally was nothing else to do but play outside. At first, I really missed all the things we used to do. But it wasn’t long before I was trying different activities out to see what worked.

The first thing I tried were busy toddler activities. You know the ones where you fill a container with shaving cream and allow your kids to make designs using food coloring. Let’s just say they were an epic fail.

Exhibit A: Madic turning my makeshift water table into a swimming pool

But I was not to be deterred. Thankfully my sister suggested taking a weekly field trip. I loved the idea and before long Madic and I were traveling around exploring our beautiful home state of Utah. Below are some of my favorite adventures we took in 2020:

Layton Commons Park

For locals, you might be looking at me funny when I say that going to Layton Park was one of my 2020 highlights. While it definitely isn’t anything fancy it still made for a fun outing. Madic got a kick out of feeding the ducks and geese and seeing the baby goslings.

We spent most of our time exploring the trail that circles the pond. Then we found a place we could sit down and have a picnic.

But if I am being completely honest, the main reason I loved it is because Layton Park is right by my favorite cookie shop, Twisted Sugar. That alone makes it worth the drive! Cookies are, after all, my love language!

Baby Animal Days

In April, American West Heritage Center has their annual baby animal days. Toward the end of 2019 a mom in my Free Forest School group mentioned how awesome it was. Going into 2020 I was really looking forward to taking Madic. But when April came around the best AWHC could do was set up a drive-through baby animal days. I knew that Madic wouldn’t enjoy that as much so I bagged the idea of going.

Luckily when some of the COVID restrictions lifted they offered another baby animal days in May. While the animals weren’t really babies anymore I jumped at the chance to go, social distancing and all. It took a bit longer to get through but Madic loved petting all of the animals

If you want to attend this year’s Baby Animal Days it will be held on April 1-3 and April 7-10. AWHC will begin selling tickets on February 1st. They are restricting the number of people that can attend so you will want to pre-buy your tickets.

Oak Hills Rock Path

Another fun (and FREE) outing we did was go to see the painted rocks along Oak Hills Drive in Layton, Utah. To do the path, park at the LDS church on the north side of Oak Hills Drive. That is were the path begins.

I don’t know if this was something that started because of COVID or if it was already around but either way it is a really fun family outing. Some things to keep in mind is the path has very little shade so it would be best to do it during cooler weather, or in the evenings in the summer. The path is paved which makes it perfect for kids to bring scooters, bikes, or longboards. You could even paint your own rocks and add them to the collection!

Farmington Creek Trail

Farmington Creek Trail (or sometimes known as Lagoon Trail) starts at Farmington Pond. This little gem is perfect for hot summer days as the trail is very shady. We loved the vibrant green of the trees and enjoyed listening to our echo in the tunnel that goes under the road. If you follow the trail long enough it will eventually wind around Lagoon (the amusement park in Farmington) and you can get an upclose look at their animals. They have some elk, buffalo and even a camel. The trail continues on after that, but for us that was a good turning around point. There are also picnic tables along the way if you want to stop and have lunch.

The trail can be a bit tricky to follow so here are some tips: Follow the trail down the hill past the pond. As you get close to the bottom of the hill you will see that the trail dead-ends into a road. Right before you get to the road there is a trail on the right that you can take. This will lead you to the tunnel that goes under the road. As you exit the tunnel you will enter a large paved area. The trail picks back up towards the end of the paved area on your left. You will follow that trail for a while until you come to another road. Follow the road for about 1.5 to 2 blocks and until you find the trail again on your right. This is the portion of the trail that is considered “Lagoon Trail” as that is where you start walking the parameter of Lagoon amusement park.

I would definitely recommend checking this trail out! It is a great four-season trail and is perfect for strollers, balance bikes and skateboards.

Dripping Rock Trail

Dripping Rock Trail is a paved path that follows the Spanish Fork River. It gets its name from a section of the river where there is water dripping out of the rocks along the bank. Finding the trail can be a bit tricky if you haven’t been there before, so I would recommend using the link above for trailhead directions.

We did this outing with my mom, two sisters and their kids. The older kids loved wading and playing in the dripping water. As for Madic and me (and my mom) we found the hike down to the water to be pretty steep. Mind you I was 33 weeks pregnant at the time, but that aside it still would have been tricky to carry a toddler down that slope. Madic is pretty sure-footed and he still had a hard time making it up and down on his own.

So here is my piece of advice if you decide to check out this trail and have littles (or are extremely pregnant). You can see the dripping rock from the trail so I would save yourself the hike and just check it out from there. Then follow the trail to the suspension bridge where you will find a nice accessible spot where you can take your kids wading. Also, you will want to make sure to bring water shoes (or in the case of Madic, snow boots) to protect your kids’ feet from sharp rocks.

Wheeler Historic Farm

We loved our outing to Wheeler Farm. Not only is it free but there is so much to explore! Madic loved seeing the animals and sitting on all the different tractors they had scattered around the property. You can even do a wagon ride or a cow train ride (those do cost money) to get a more extensive tour of the farm.

Our favorite part though was playing in Little Cottonwood Creek. There is shallow section with a nice sandy beach that you can explore (thanks Denise for the tip!). Madic and I had a picnic on the beach and then had fun wading. Just be aware that the water is pretty cold. To find that section of the creek head east from the parking lot and cross the bridge. Then head south on the path and you will soon see the beach on your right.

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In addition to our little field trips, here are some of my other favorite memories from 2020:

Puddle Jumping

Horseback Riding

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Hiking

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Other Main Events of 2020

In addition to surviving a global pandemic, we also moved into my parent’s basement, renovated and sold our rental property, and added a new member to our family (Emmalene – or Baby Emma for short).

Here’s to 2021

Even with all the good times, 2020 was a tough year. I am embarrassed to say that there were a lot of times when I lost sight of the light and joy that surrounded me. My hope for 2021 is that I can focus more on what is going right. I don’t know if 2021 will be an easier year but I hope to face it with gratitude and optimism. Here’s to a new year. What were some of your 2020 highlights?!

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