OY! KRISTEN

Guys, it was harder than I thought it would be.

A lot harder.

Ascending to the top of Amicalola Falls is no simple feat. This 729-foot waterfall is nestled atop a cliff in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and is considered the southeast's tallest cascading waterfall. While my little family was enjoying a mountain getaway in Ellijay last weekend, we decided to hike up to the Falls that I had previously heard so much about. I knew it would be strenuous, especially with a toddler in tow, but we were just crazy/enthusiastic/high on mountain air to gleefully attempt such a feat. And while it was obviously worth is and totally beautiful, I will say that it wasn't easy. Okay, it was downright hard. There, I said it.

Stevie wore Everett in a hiking pack (ours is from REI and is no longer available but see similar here) and I wore a Camelbak (similar here) with all our snacks, water, and of course the camera, and we found ourselves seriously huffing and puffing to get to the top. The 2.1-mile trail begins like a normal hike and then turns into a series of steep, winding staircases that lead you to the top of the falls. I didn't do a great job of photographing the actual stairs (because those were the moments that the camera stayed put away, because well, I was wheezing for the life of me), but now I really wish I had a shot of those rickety stairs that looked like they were leading up to a forest of Heaven. It was quite an experience, climbing those 600-ish steps. Everett did a zillion times better than he did the last time we hiked (thank goodness!), so at least his kicking and screaming wasn't an issue this time around. But even though the trail was seriously challenging, my two boys were happily chattering, singing songs and making animal noises the whole time. Stevie asked Everett about the sounds that really obscure animals make, like giraffes and zebras. Who even knows? But Everett made up some really hideous screeches that he found thrillingly entertaining and proceeded to die laughing and then make more of the same sounds. These two are just peas in a pod these days.

This pack stands up on it's own, even with a kid inside! Such a great gift that we got from our buds Travis and Liz :)

We found a crazy tree. What could possibly have caused it to grow like that??

The pinnacle of the hike was getting up to the falls. However, it was crazy crowded at the top (we are talking swarms of people, children, dogs and trail mix), so we didn't manage to get a good family pic of the three of us at the top. It was actually kind of claustrophobic. But we decided to continue the hike up above the falls and managed to take in this view:

Getting to see this sweeping view of the valley below from up above the trees was incredible. Watching the eagles soar at our eye level was a little eerie and wondrous all at once. We stood there for a long time, drinking in the view and enjoying the lack of swarming hikers. It's moments like these that I'm reminded of just how GREEN the state of Georgia is. And I don't really mean eco-friendly green, I just mean GREEN green. It's the greenest, leafiest, kudzu-iest state.

This is kind of a bad photo of us, but I still love it because this was when we finally reached the top of the mountain and Everett and I plopped down in the middle of the trail and ate fruit snacks. Which he calls "fruit sans". I love how he carefully watched me dole out each bite would immediately demand, "more!" before he even finished his bite. He's something, that little guy. Also, his hat plus tank top just kill me. I bought him more of these tank tops this week.

We came, we hiked, we conquered. It was an awesome experience, one that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in hiking to a gorgeous view and can handle the 600+ stairs that lead up to the falls. I'm sure Stevie would agree that without a toddler on your back screeching "duck sounds" at the top of their lungs, this gig would be much easier to accomplish. But then, what's the fun in that? :)

P.S. - If you into other hiking/camping adventures, check out the time we went glamping with our toddler, and the time I road-tripped and camped across the U.S.

I've got my hands full these days. My 19-month-old son Everett is busy. Busier than ever. He's exclamatory, opinionated, hilarious, and recently - he's slightly frenzied about the next time we're going outside. He always, always, always wants to play outside. With the polarizing weather that's come to our little town this winter, it's been an interesting experience, teetering between making my son happy and staying comfortable. Because I don't necessarily always want to be outside. It's been cold! But he always wants to be outside - playing on his swing set, running around the yard with his football and especially his new favorite - making mommy play basketball. Because he can't dunk (yet). My game has actually gotten pretty good.

This new season of frolicking outside for hours a day has left me with the curious task of attempting to properly dress Everett to keep him warm enough for all the 40-degree weather play. When Cozey7 reached out to me about trying out the Trailhopper, I pretty much looked to Heaven and gave thanks. After browsing the Cozey7 site for just a few minutes, I had a dumbfounding feeling that this product was the answer to so many of the problems that we have encountered with our little guy. For example, when he was a baby, he would gladly sit cozy in his stroller with a blanket wrapped snug around him while I jogged (okay, walked) outside to get some fresh air. However, as he has grown into the toddler stage, his signature move is to strip off the blankets (and hats, mittens, even shoes!) in his stroller. One day I felt like passersby were looking at me like, "What a bad mom, taking her son outside and so under dressed!" That may or may not have been true - but he has been under dressed all too often. Because he's getting opinionated about what he wants to wear and not wear.

Until now, that is. The Cozey7 Trailhopper has been the answer to our cold-weather problems. Not only does Everett love putting it on (because he knows it means he gets to play outside!) but it's extremely thick and durable, so he can be as rough and tumble as he likes and I don't have to worry about his clothing. It's made of a performance-grade Polartec fleece, and the feet fold up and down to adjust the size, allowing him to wear it for as long as possible before switching to the next size. Surprisingly enough, I did a little research and there is almost nothing like this on the market - unless you want to dress your kid in a full-on snow suit. I love that my son can wear this as a final layer over his normal clothes and enjoy the toddler life most abundantly - he's worn it camping, during the Snowpocalypse, and even riding around on the golf cart (because in our town, there is more golf cart path mileage than actual road mileage). We've been testing this product for months now, and I must say - I'm a believer. I wouldn't share this with you if I weren't. If you're an outdoorsy family (or if you aspire to be!), this outwear layer will be just as important as shoes and a hat. Check out a few pics of our little guy in his Trailhopper - and scroll below for a promo code and to enter a giveaway to win one for your kiddo!

Everett is wearing the Trailhopper, C/O Cozey7 in frost blue.

Check out the Cozey7 site to learn more about the mission to educate parents on getting outside with their children, browse the product line and economical subscription box options, and learn more about the amazing mother-son duo that run this Colorado-based startup. When placing an order, make sure to use the code oykristen to get $5 off! And follow the instructions below to enter to win a Trailhopper in your choice of size/color for your little one! The giveaway will run for a week and the winner will be notified via email on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Good luck, friends! And happy adventures to you :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Many thanks to Cozey7 for hosting the giveaway. Other than being gifted this product to try/use, I was not compensated for this review. The opinions represented are entirely my own. See my Advertising Disclosure for more information on my product collaboration policy.