One perk of traveling on your birthday is you get to celebrate twice! Our 4th kiddo, A, turned 4 while we were in the Virgin Islands last week and has been SOOO excited for months. Like, I’ve never seen a … Read More
One of the things I felt most uncertain about when we started out with van life was where to stay when RVing! Could we stay in campgrounds? On the street? In National Parks? In trailer parks? Were they even called … Read More
It’s been a little while since I’ve shared some favorite things. Here are a few things that have been helping me out, especially with back to school! Exercise Skort I knew we’d be doing quite a bit of hiking this … Read More
I almost can’t believe the school year has started already! After a year and a half of no school, homeschool, part-time school, and a mix of other options, it feels surreal getting back to a bit of “normal” life. What … Read More
Four and a half years ago, our family visited Hawaii. It was incredible, of course – stunning sights and weather, pristine beaches, and the most welcoming people. We fell in love. Living in California, we know many people who travel … Read More
I love ice cream. I don’t have a particularly active sweet tooth but if I’m going to have a treat, I’ll choose ice cream 9 times out of 10. Cherry chocolate chip ice cream is one of my favorites, and … Read More
I’d heard so many things about Olympic National Park for years before we visited – its beauty, its diversity, and also how confusing it can be to navigate. All proved to be true! I just really wanted an Olympic National … Read More
I’d heard of Mount Shasta pretty much since we moved to California. But in my mind, it was just a place for very experienced climbers looking to summit a high peak. I had no idea there were so many things … Read More
Visiting the Galápagos Islands has been on our family bucket list for several years now. With several kids who adore marine animals, it has been one of those destinations that was always in the backs of our minds. As we … Read More
One of the questions we get most is how we manage to work while traveling in an RV. While working in an RV definitely has it’s challenges, it’s also doable with the right setup! Internet connection is one of the … Read More
I am SO excited about this Passport to the Parks free National Parks coloring book printable for families! Each park includes a coloring page plus 5 short & simple activities to go along with it, with a focus on indigenous … Read More
Last year, I started a tradition for Father’s Day. This simple and best Father’s Day gift ended up being our favorite Father’s Day gift we’ve ever given! This year, we’re continuing that tradition and it’s just as fun. We’re big … Read More
One perk of traveling on your birthday is you get to celebrate twice! Our 4th kiddo, A, turned 4 while we were in the Virgin Islands last week and has been SOOO excited for months. Like, I’ve never seen a child more excited for their birthday. At least once a day, he’d ask about doing something fun that we were doing (riding a bike, going to the park, eating ice cream, snorkeling, hiking, playing in snow, etc.) on his birthday. It was sure to be an epic day!
While we didn’t manage to fulfill EVERY request of his (kinda hard to find a place that has both a warm beach and also snow sledding…), it was a pretty terrific day. We played in beautiful white sand and went snorkeling & swimming and went on a short hike and went swimming in the pool with a waterslide and went night kayaking to see sea turtles. It was pretty amazing.
Since we didn’t take his gifts with us and I wasn’t interested in making a cake while on vacation, we’re celebrating again this weekend. He’s requested an orange princess torta with a marzipan dinosaur on top!
We also have a few little gifts for him to celebrate his special day. We try to not go overboard with birthday gifts around here and try to give things that fulfill a need, along with a couple of just-for-fun things. Here’s what we’re doing for him this year!
We’ve had these kids hiking backpacks with water bladders for several years now and they’re the BEST. They help our kids hike for much longer since they have ready hydration, and help us keep up a better pace because we’re not stopping every 5 seconds to pull out a water bottle. They’re the perfect size for even younger kiddos (so many are too big) and I love them so much.
A has been asking for one of his own for a while now, but wasn’t quite ready since he was still getting carried on good portions of longer hikes. But in the last few months, he’s built up his stamina so much and has been working so hard. He can comfortably do a 4 mile hike now, so I think he’s ready for his own pack! He’s going to be absolutely THRILLED. (Also available here and here!)
My kiddo, like most 4 year olds, loves tactile activities. This slime kit has a bunch of colors of pre-made slime, beads, glitter, balls, cutting utensils, and more. There’s even some glow-in-the-dark powder!
It’ll definitely be a somewhat messy activity, but he’s going to be delighted out of his mind. It’s currently on sale, too! If you’d prefer something a little more basic, this kit looks terrific and while smaller, still has several add ins.
There’s not much my 4 year old loves more than books. Ever since he was a tiny toddler, he’s wanted to sit for hours and hours to hear books read to him. So of course I had to include one for a birthday gift!
I’ve wanted a copy of this picture book for our family for a long while now. So when I saw it in the gift shop at Crazy Horse Memorial, I knew I needed to get it and support that indigenous community directly. I’ve been saving it for a couple of months now and can’t wait to give it to him – I think he’s going to love this incredible story.
Available on Amazon, Bookshop, Target, Walmart
While we were in Virgin Islands National Park, we told him he could pick out something from the visitors center gift shop. It was a perfect way to help him feel really special on his actual birthday, and also support the National Park Service. Win win!
He chose a cute little t-shirt with a big sea turtle on the back and a little one on the front – perfect since we swam with sea turtles multiple times while there. It’s also his favorite color, orange. He loves it!
My kids all think pinatas are so dang fun – probably because they are! But I’m not super interested in having tons and tons of candy in a giant pinata. These mini pinatas are perfect for just our family (and there are tons of different patterns). We can fill them with one small bag of candy and everyone can have some and we can call it good. (I may be extra fun and do ring pops this time.) Perfect for my treat-loving little guy.
While we were on an RV trip this summer in midwest, we stopped at an indigenous American shop. It had a number of items crafted by members of local native tribes and was a great way to support indigenous communities while enjoying their lands.
One of the items was some toffee covered peanuts that were jokingly labeled “bear poop.” I think he’s going to get an absolute kick out of it!
That’s it! I think he’s going to be so excited. Have you given any 4 year old birthday gifts recently? I’d love to hear any winners!
