An Adventure in Nature

Good morning friends! Yesterday was a wonderful day in which Gavin and I built bunk beds, ate lunch together, took the girls out for a hike, got bubble tea and cleaned the house. 

Well, it was supposed to be a hike. Our area isn't exactly known for its trails but I found a bird sanctuary and thought that might be entertaining for the girls. We never ended up finding the entrance but the mostly-paved path surrounding it was nice enough. We still filled Evie's nature basket with a bunch of beautiful treasures for her to study and learn about. She also brought her field notebook (actually a journal I was given when she was in the NICU! It still has her medical sticker on the inside) and drew pictures of the things she saw along the path. 

Mabel was thrilled to be free to run about since the path was somewhat enclosed due to the sanctuary and/or possibly the nearby railyard. She found her own collection of sticks, flowers, moss and leaves and mostly kept up, but she's transitioning away from naps and it was hard for her to stay upbeat the whole walk back. A few pep talks and we finally made it to the car. We made a pit stop for bubble tea at our new favorite local spot where the girls played connect four and shared some tapioca balls. Mabel held out for bubbles and chatting with Evie in the backseat of the car, but the little munchkin fell asleep two minutes from home. Sigh.

Our plan had been to take the afternoon to clean the house, but I ended up cleaning my car out while Mabel napped. Once I was finished and brought her inside she was in a better mood and played nicely with Evelyn while Gavin and I rearranged the living room! It's amazing how a shift in the furniture can make the whole room feel so much more cozy. I love that the girls have more room to run around, there's now enough seating for everyone when they come to visit and with the new bunk beds the girls' room has a lot more room to play. I haven't taken any photos because we have mountains (plural) of laundry that I need to fold and hang up and put away, but I'll try to remember to post some photos! It really is warm and inviting! 

Evie adores her new bed!

Nature treasures!

Field notes

I hope you have a wonderful week! Take some moments to look around and appreciate the little ways your children see the world differently from you. Their perspective is sometimes quite enlightening, so ask them questions! Make sure they know they're a part of the conversation and are able to be heard often!