Spur-of-the-Moment Adventure

After church, lunch, and rest time, the kids were ready for some action.  I had tried, without success, to upload some photos - thanks to two camera batteries in need of charging and some issues with my scanner.  I have plenty of recent things to blog, and I'm way behind in blogging the 'normal' stuff, too, but I knew I wouldn't be able to make any progress today.

 The kids were anxious to get out of the house, and I couldn't argue with that.  I wanted to get moving, too.  I decided to put on some play clothes, print a map, pack a snack, and hit the road.  The kids weren't quite sure what to do without toys or books - I told you it was spur-of-the-moment!  Mister J and I enjoyed the scenery - corn fields, vineyards, sunshine, back roads, and more - and Miss M ended up napping for the majority of our drive.

We arrived at a nearby state park and set out on a short hike down to a river.  Miss M was a sport and carried the snacks and juice in her backpack.

When we reached our destination we took a couple of photos, snacked, played and relaxed a bit, and then headed back to the car.  The hike back was steep, but Mister J declared it easier than going down since it didn't seem as slippery. 

I don't know if it's because their eyes are closer to the ground or because the are just more curious, but the kids noticed a lot of things on our walk - including a huge mushroom.  I saw plenty of grandaddy longlegs as we walked, but the kids didn't notice those until we were on the way back up.  Miss M pointed out a few bugs on my shirt: she was pretty insistent that I flick them off.  No one but me seemed to notice the bee (or whatever it was) that followed me for good minute plus, buzzing around my left ear, then my right ear, then back to my left.... 

I was pleased that the kids enjoyed the hike as much as they did.  I had a great time, and only carried Miss M for the very last stretch of the hike.  Mister J was very sure-footed and Miss M only needed help (a hand to hold on to) on the steep inclines, mainly because of the washed out crevices due to heavy rain. 

On the way home, we picked up dinner and took it to Big J (who was working).  We hung out with him for a quick dinner, then it was home for baths and bedtime.  They were still talking about our adventure at bedtime and I know they'll be talking about it for a few days.  I'm already excited about our next adventure - maybe a day trip since school will be out soon!