Broughton Hike Four

Last but not least, I'll share Max's adventures from our recent hike. After hanging out with me and Laini while the disc golf got rolling,

he was anxious for a turn with the grasshopper that Bella had caught.

She passed it on gladly, and he giggled as it tickled his hand.

He spent some time pointing out these fun mushrooms that we found. They were all over the place, and I'm still trying to find my field guide to ID them, as I can't find a website that's extensive enough to help out.

But the most fun was had in the creek. While the rest of us were salamander searching, he was having a blast tromping, sitting and splashing in the water.

The it was on to filling up his Frisbee with water.

And after that, BeeBee got to join in the fun.

Mama: "Max, are you dunking your BeeBee?!"

Max: "Yeah! Fine BeeBee wet, Mama!"

There is never a dull moment with Maxwell around.

Broughton Hike Three

While Laini was chillin' and Bella was exploring, Kaney was leading the way. He likes to be the leader all the time, and I struggle to keep him from being the rude, pushing-in-front-of-everyone-else kind of kid. But as soon as he gets the chance, he leads the way. He was the first down the paths with his Frisbee for disc golf.

After Bella led the way into the pine grove, he quickly made his way to the front of the line to lead everyone to the creek.

And he lead the way flipping rocks for salamanders. But along with being a leader, he is a big helper, and volunteered to road-block the salamander for a picture.

That's my boy. And we got a good shot of our salamander with his help. This one was a Norther Two-Lined Salamander, one of the most common that we have in this area. We also had a bunch of tiny mud puppies, but they were way too fast to photograph even with Kane's help.

He's my laid-back, quiet boy, but he knows how to have fun.

Broughton Hike Two

While Laini was nursing, napping, and enduring tons of smooches at Broughton Nature Preserve over the weekend, the rest of the kids were hiking away. While still in the field disc-golfing, Bella took her first try at catching a grasshopper and succeeded.

True to her recent nature, she said, "Mama, I liked the way it felt to hold that grasshopper. I like the way he wiggled!" Really, until this summer, she was freaked by bugs, worms, spiders, which was totally opposite my love of the above and the way I was trying to raise her to love them, too. So I was surprised when she dove right in to capture him when I suggested it. She did, however, do the girly squeel and jerk back the first few attempts, but I'm so proud she went through with it.

When we got to the wooded part of the course, Bella went off-trail for a bit, through the luscious, yummy undergrowth, and posed for a couple of shots.

B: Here Mama, take my picture!

B: You better put that picture on your blog, lady!

See, dear daughter, I promised I would.

Bella lead our party into the small pine grove that we've been wanting to explore. But the mystery of the pine grove wore out quickly, as the creek is just below it and all were sweaty and dirty and ready for some stomping and rock-flipping.

The rock-flipping brought an ample supply of slallymanders and even a little group of mudpuppies, which I so tried to photograph, but man are they fast.

Although the frigid water felt wonderful on my feet, I wasn't up for the wading into deep pools, but Bella lead the way happily. That's my girl.

Broughton Hike

With today being another beautiful mid-80s day, we went to Broughton Nature Preserve, our favorite summer-time haunt. Adam took the frisbees to do some disc golfing, and we spent hours hiking and playing. While he and the older two climbed to the first tee, Laini and I hung out with Max for a bit while she nursed.

Not the best composition on this pic, but I had to share it, because of the look on Max's face. Right at this moment, he is saying, "WOW! MOON!!!" because the light reflecting in the lens opening looks like a moon.

Helena did a little bit of napping...

...a little bit of putting up with Mama's relentless head-smooching (a direct result of being in a wrap all day)...

...some riding through murky, mucky water, thanks to big brother's ceaseless stomping in said water...

...and loads of finger chewing.

Ah, that's the life.

Sweet Woods Relief

Ah, this was the day I have been needing. Being 46 degrees helped the situation, because it was less work getting us all out the door and there, but had it been 20 it still would have had to happen. We've spent plenty of time lately outside, in the snow, at our house, building a lean-to against the swing set, sledding, building snow men, sliding and swinging in the snow, gathering sticks for kindling... Somehow it just hasn't been enough, though. My soul has been needing a good, long romp in the woods, and our in-town life doesn't lead to that unless we go there. Some of our best friends moved to New York this last autumn, and with them went our easy weekday hiking trips, because I just can't be taking the kids out in the woods by myself at the end of a pregnancy. So it comes down to weekends, and we've been spending those other ways. Not today. The kids played in the yard for a good while earlier today, but after Max's nap we headed off to Broughton Nature Preserve to go "mudding." Our idea of mudding???

Running in the mud:

Tromping in the mud:

Throwing things in the mud:

Digging in the mud:

The high creek volume sent us off of our usual hiking trail and up over the hill to explore part of another trail. We had a blast climbimg on and digging in a fallen tree,



then went off of the trail at the suggestion of Kane and ended up spending the rest of the time climbing, as Adam's quick climb up a favorable pine

sent us into a full-blown "how to climb trees the proper way" seminar by my awesome husband.

After the initial run-through, it was hard to keep Kane down long enough to give anyone else a turn.

And he wasn't the only one to take right to it. Max got his lesson, then spent the rest of the time climbing up and down a set of limbs he found easy enough to navigate himself.

Bella got as far as Papa's hands could take here then said she just couldn't do it anymore. She is a world of difference from those brothers of hers.

But in the end, when we headed for a fallen tree to climb and balance on, she found her long arms and legs worked pretty well to get her where she needed to be, and when she was done we had her changing from "I can't do this!" to "I think I can," which went right along with the lessons we've been working with her on optimism and having a positive attitude.

We had a wonderful day, everyone was much happier as it all ended (yes, including me, perhaps even especially me), and I just had to share it on here. The smell of detritus, fungus and good old dirt was invigorating, and I've caught myself several times this evening breathing big sighs of relief and relaxation. Tomorrow I believe it is supposed to rain, which will smell good, too. And we'll be working on finding the baby's cradle a spot in our room. I can't wait to strap the new baby to me, all warm and cozy next to me in a wrap, and take nice long hikes this spring. A new baby to play in the dirt with this summer.... Heaven.

Hiking, Peas and Shrooms

For the past several days I have been trying to get a hold on my house. Everything seems like a blur of laundry, cleaning, gardening and cooking, and I feel like the kids and I have been left out of the picture. I have also been dealing with the 700-some pictures that I took at my cousin's wedding nearly 4 weeks ago - oh, I had planned on getting them to her within two weeks, but it has been a year since I have managed any photos on this computer (and I'm pretty sure it has a virus that makes it cantankerous), so the download of those pictures onto my computer used up all of its memory, nearly crashing it. So for weeks I have been wading through old pictures, deleting shots by the hundreds, trying to get to where the wedding photos can be edited and burned to disc and trying NOT to lose my computer. I am almost there, but tonight I really felt like I just had to get the kids out of the house, and the events ended up needing to be blogged. I miss my blogging outlet, and as soon as the wedding pictures are done I will back on more frequently, but they have been my top priority. I'll share some soon. It really was wonderful.

We're having a little soft-soled-shoe-ordering party here tomorrow (combining shipping for several friends and me will save us a bit!), so after dinner we ran to the store to get a couple of things to make Stephanie's Sweet Potato Chili for lunch tomorrow and Friday after our local La Leche League meeting. A 15-minute run to the store ended up being an hour because the kids were C-R-A-Z-Y!!! So we came home at 7:15, grabbed my home-made Mei Tai carrier and a hand-full of wormwood to help keep off the mosquitoes, and headed for the Kroger Wetlands just 2 minutes from home. It's a quick and easy hike for us in the middle of town and the kids love it. And boy did they need it tonight. It is amazing what a 30-minute hike can do just before bed. There were no absolute fits about getting washed up for bed (that has become a usual for Kane - a screaming, kicking tantrum in the bath), everyone went right to sleep, AND Kane willingly jumped in his OWN BED and went to sleep, which was one of his punishments for his absolute refusal to stop running at the store. And if you don't know Kane, he NEVER sleeps in his bed. He starts in Bella's room, either with her in bed or on their little foam fold-out couch, and works his way in with Adam, Max and me in the middle of the night.

When we got home from the Wetland (mosquito-bite free!), we went down to the garden for a quick sugar snap pea picking, loading up Bella's dress

and Kane's shirt.

I had to take pictures, if for nothing but to show my dear friend Julie that her children's clothes are right at home here with us now. Then, in the schoolyard across the road, I noticed a humongous mushroom gleaming white in the soft light, so we had to go investigate. I love fungus, but have no good field guide to ID them and no time to look online, so I'll leave you without a fun scientific name. Sorry about that. But it was a really beauty.

Of course, Max had to touch it and smell it.

Then Kane smelled it, and this was as close as I could get him to it after that...

Then it was a quick stop at one of the boys' favorite spots, the rock pile, before heading in for a late, late bedtime.

But it was a great evening, and all three are sleeping soundly now in their OWN beds. Now it's off for me to get my yummy chili in the slow cooker. Hiking, blogging and cooking - what a wonderful end to a mismatched day. I love to share these moments with all of you. There are so many to come - camping this weekend, the wedding, my niece's senior pictures... So stay tuned!

Down for the Count...

Yesterday we had a WONDERFUL morning. We went hiking with a friend Judy and her children Regan and Aidan in Vienna, WV at McDonough Wildlife Refuge. I am so thankful for that morning! We had a great hike, then headed back to Judy's house for lunch. The kids played, we ate a spectacular meal, and it all went downhill from there :-). Bella headed out to the kiddie pool while I was getting Kane's trunks on. Judy and I gathered our cookies and tea, and then I heard Bella yell out "Mama!!! Help me! Mama, somethings wrong!" over and over. When I got to her I thought she was holding her foot, and assumed she had been stung. When she stood up, though, she said, to my prying questions of what had happened, that something was wrong with her arm. As I'm sure you've guessed by now, the minute I looked at it I knew it was broken. My baby, my sweet baby Bella with a broken arm. The most heartbreaking part of the following 4 hours was when we got home and she was talking on the phone to another friend realizing what her limitations would be... "Um, Mama, I won't be able to go swimming, will I? And I won't be able to play on the swing set? But I can still jump on the trampoline, right? No? Can I still play in the sandbox?" And by now the tears were welling up for both of us. And that night, with her safely tucked in bed, her casted arm propped up over her little tummy, I finally allowed myself to break down and cry sobbing cries. I tried to explain to Adam that I wasn't just crying for the pain that she's going through with her arm broken. Yes, it will heal and she will be just fine. I was crying for all the other pain that she will inevitably go through, and all the times that she will get her heart broken. And I was crying for all of the other mothers who have ever had to see their child endure more pain than a broken arm, or who have had to survive through their child's death.... But, of course, the brain of a man can't quite grasp such silliness. So now I look at the pictures of Bella's last fun, summer-hiking, running-with-friends kind of day for quite awhile. As I'm sure every parent knows, I wish for all the world that I could take it all from her and carry it myself. But she is doing a stellar job of dealing so far. She is getting bored and a little sad, but I am so proud of how she is handling it, especially of how she did at the hospital. She is such a strong, smart, courageous little girl. After my sob-fest, Adam said something quite profound and deep - it is in these kind of times that we get to see that we are doing something right, when our children show a strength of character that we have implanted in them. And it is in this that our greatest love for them shows through. And I love her and am very thankful that we could spend such a wonderful day together with each other and with friends before we had to tackle this new challenge.