It’s hard to believe this idyllic view is about ten minutes from our house in the middle of a depressed urban area. Acres and acres of wooded lands surrounding a string of ponds.
Saturday after nap time we took down the crib and put up a toddler bed for Ben. Wonderfully, he slept through the night in his “new” toddler bed. Unfortunately, however, the bed was a bit too much and on Sunday afternoon he played at naptime instead of sleeping. (My sister’s forgetting to close the curtains when she put him down might have contributed to the insomnia as well.) After a good long while of playing in his room—we heard him singing to himself—he popped out and demanded that I read him book after book after book. Finally I was nodding off and my throat was getting scratchy and I went to find Dom to give him an ultimatum: Let’s get out of here before I lose my mind. It was already kind of too late for a nap but I figured at least the car would distract him and maybe he might even doze a bit.
Sophie finds a feather!
So though we never take afternoon drives anymore, naptime being sacrosanct, we found ourselves loading the kids into the car and heading to our favorite park where we could drive through the woods, watch some ducks and geese and maybe take a little stroll. Turns out it was the perfect plan for everyone. Instead of vegetating in front of the computer while Ben napped, I got to enjoy fresh air, shady trees, shining waters, and the deep refreshment of being out of doors in a beautiful place.
Sophie watches some ducklings.
I don’t need to draw a lesson from everything that happens, but in this case the lesson seems obvious. Seizing the day meant letting go of my plans and finding that an unexpected wrinkle led to something better.
Wild blackberries!
We ended the day at the children’s request with dinner at their favorite cafe. They had mac-n-cheese and broccoli and I had some yummy salmon tacos. My sister met us there and we went next door for ice cream afterwards. Since I always seem to have the hardest time getting dinner together on Sunday nights, it was a win-win for everything but our pocketbook.
Pretty white flowers.
A fern!
Bella found this little orange mushroom.
Sticks and water. Two of the best things in the world.
The face says it all, really.
A boy and his Daddy
Ben got his walk. I got my drive. We all found refreshment and peace.
Glad to hear it was a smoother evening! Hope it continues!