Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Trails and a Turtle



I feel like the boys and I have been lucky enough to have some pretty fun adventures this summer. But unfortunately, Jared seems like he has to work during so many of these times.... his job, and then always around the house with our remodeling project and then all the regular home owner upkeep... And he just misses out on way too much.



So this past Sunday morning, in lieu of church, we took the boys to the local Wilderness Center. 



We collected rocks. We hiked. We climbed. We fed the geese, fish, ducks, and (highlight of my morning...) TURTLE! 


Sometimes it seems like we don't really get too much just "us" fun, family time - where working in some way is not involved.... So as simple as this was, it was special for us.


And it was just what we all needed.







  First stop, the rock collecting pit!





 Daddys says, " I found my rock!"




 And after they each found a special one for their pocket, we were back on the trail.





                 "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." 
-Guillaume Apollinaire




 Next stop, the bat house. Wasn't too much to see, unfortunately. We get more action around our yard every evening!



 
 Here they come!


 And I'm thinking this was in the middle of another "Mom Lecture"... this time to the tune of "When we get down there, don't try to pet the geese. Throw the food. Don't get too close and don't try to touch them. They WILL bit you."






 ♥ ♥ ♥





  
The GEESE!!!





 They had so much fun.




 And this little boy is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful big brothers I could have ever hoped for. He held Graham's hand so often throughout this trip. And here he was protecting him from the geese, and explaining that he is not allowed to touch them.




 Tossing their bread





 And now for the fishies!





 Peek-a-boo




My baby is not such a baby anymore






 Trying to get the ducks involved





 
Passing out crackers... probably about half were eaten before they got tossed ;)











And our little Turtle friend!!!








 He was so fun. And he wasn't scared! He was letting us feed him!







 Mommy may have had more fun with him than the boys did...





 And onward with the hike!

Holden caught a ride :)




 And this kid stopped for a snack.



 We hiked all the way to the tower, and all the boys climbed it to the very top! 

(I am not a fan of heights, so no photos... I was pretty much ready to come down the minute we got to the top. Ha.)







 "Slow down and enjoy life.  It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."
- Eddie Cantor


 

An incredible lesson that I need so much to work on.


"Smile, breathe, and go slowly."  - Thich Nhat Hanh


Because this is it, guys. This is life. We only get one of this day. Every day.


And there is no going back.


♥♥♥

A Boat Ride & A Bite to Eat


One last post from when Megan and her family were home visiting...


A Boat Ride and a Bite to Eat!


For years, Mom and Roger have been wanting to rent a pontoon boat and take us all out for a ride... and this year, I think everyone was finally big enough!

We went out on Portage Lakes, and just trolled around. Mom packed us all a picnic and Roger was our Captain for the day - with many little assistant boat-steerers along the way.

And although it was cloudy for most of the day, we were actually pretty lucky. The weather reports made it seem like it would likely be pouring buckets on us at any minute during this trip... but it really only rained for a little bit when we were already on our way back to return the boat anyways!

And then the sun even came out.. just in time for us all to enjoy dinner out, right on the lake, at a nice, casual restaurant.


It was a really fun day, and I was genuinely surprised how well all those little kiddos did!




  
The Himes Family Portion of the Trip...  :)





They were, no doubt, getting a lecture about standing still/not jumping/not leaning over the side/not pushing on the gate/not running/etc/etc/etc... Hahahaha......Mom sucks all the fun out of everything...




Literally the best of 6 shots... my kids are allergic to smiling for the camera, clearly..



All the mini sailors!



⚓ My Three Littles ⚓



Me and the handsome Hubs





A couple of the co-captains


 
          Some of my most favorite girls in the whole world.







Taking it all in...♥







 
He claims he's always wanted to do this at the front of a ship... guess he can check that one off his Bucket List ;)




Swimming Break! Testing out the (very chilly) water...





 


 These 2 were not so cautious!!! There they goooooooo!!!!!!!!



 



                      Bridger, the lone wolf.




The professional water-babies: Joss and Felix :)





Rainy, cloudy, chilly... he never even noticed♥



All the "swimmers" .. lol..




We, however, chose to bypass on the ol' lake water swimming.




My guys





And all wrapped up, with a snack, and a sprinkle on the way back.







Didn't seem to phase the Daddies too much.









                                                                                                      This silly duo...

 




 And.. out.






 So we returned the boat, unloaded, changed the kids, and had a brief trip to the park to make sure everyone was REALLY going to be good and hungry for dinner :)





















And then it was time for some dining on the lake!!

Joe Cool. Sippin' his Sprite at the restaurant.






And me and my middle man.





My beautiful sister ♥



 The dynamic duo, again





And the man who made it all happen, Captain Pap Pap






And the ride home....

I think it wore them out... Zzzzzz.....♥