We Wandering Walkers: Late Spring is Utterly Delightful

I've been a bit absent from my blog as of late.
Last December, we moved from our beloved home in Germany back to the US. I have drafts of unfinished blog-posts about how we wrapped up our time there, how much we loved it, and untold adventures, all just waiting to be finished. They will indeed be finished at some point, but in the meantime, my desire to record those experiences in a way that was to my liking was keeping me from documenting our new adventures.

So the long and short of it is this: life is good. We love Germany, and we also love our life now. And I'd like to remember the little, delectable things of life that have been happening, so here we go:

What a fabulous couple of weeks we had. I've really been enjoying life, so I'd like to recap a few of the highlights:

Tuesday morning, sitting in the grass outside with Stella. It was gorgeous out. We'd just dropped Juniper off at preschool, ridden the bike home, and in our yard the flowers from the neighbor's blooming tree were floating down all around us in a gentle breeze. Stella was mesmerized, as was I. It was just some quiet, delightful time with just the two of us.

Tuesday evening: Bridger started T-ball. I've been roped into coaching. Throughout the entire practice, there was a lot of screaming excitedly, and simultaneously running different directions, none of which was the right way. 3 of the 4 bases are missing on the field, so kids literally had no idea where to go...but even if the bases were there, I doubt much would change. I coerced the children into picking the yellow team shirt "because bananas are yellow". Needless to say, now we are now Team Banana. They love it.

It's enjoyable chaos. For now.

Wednesday evening: HUGE Thunderstorm. Buckets of pouring rain came down on us just as we were getting home from gymnastics. We all got soaked, simply from running from the van to the front door. The air was brown, the wind was CRAZY, and I was all sorts of excited. Stella was clinging to me like a terrified monkey. Juniper was wide-eyed, following Bridger around, and Bridger was discovering that we'd left the bathroom window open, soaking the bathroom floor.

It was all very exciting, and made for a late bedtime.

Thursday morning: Field trip to Busey Woods and Anita Purves Nature Center with Juniper's preschool class.

Juniper was SOOOOoooo excited I get to come along. She put on her hiking sandals, and held my hand the whole time. She was curious, and observant, but still delightedly wiggly.

We stayed, and played at the nature playscape, which was still muddy from the storm the night before. Stella got filthy. She eats a lot of dirt, and this was no exception. I didn't much care.

"Observing the birds..."

Friday evening: Family Fun Fair at Bridger's school.

I spent $12 for enough tickets that each family member could do pretty much anything they wanted. Upon arrival, Bridger and Juniper went straight for the cupcake walk. It's set up so that everyone wins a cupcake, but you should have seen Bridger's face when he looked down at the stone he was standing on and realized he'd won a cupcake. Sheer joy - adorable.

Bridger and Juniper spent the rest of their tickets buying painted sea shells, tossing rings onto Gatorade bottles, getting a bubble wand for the bubble station, bouncing in a bounce castle, and eating ice cream. Stella inhaled an entire piece of pizza, and was obsessed with the bubbles. Before we left, Juniper had a unicorn painted on her face, and Bridger...an egg. We finished things off with a quick bean-bag toss, winning them a small space man and a torpedo. They were the most played-with toys for about a week.

Saturday morning: Hiking at Turkey Run State Park.

Let the Magic Begin

I recently bought Bridger and Juniper hiking boots, and strapping them on their feet is magical. They instantly transform into these little hikers, ready for any adventure.

We had to harness that magic.

So off we went to Turkey Run State Park, an hour and 15 minutes away, and chock-full of great hiking for kids. Perfect hiking for kids, actually. Instead of straight, flat paths, the trails at Turkey Run wind through rocky canyons, across streams just deep enough to have to step on rocks, but shallow enough that it's no tragedy if you misstep. Bridger spent his time scrambling up every scramble-able rock imaginable, and Juniper was close behind. It was beautiful and FUN. By the time we're done, the kids were filthy and everyone fell asleep on the ride home :)

That evening, we headed over to Jane Rose's home (a previous neighbor). It was fun to reconnect, and we helped her with her gardening. The kids got to eat ice cream and watch cartoons (i.e. visited kid-heaven) while we worked. Jane's Rottweiler, Riley, is a perfect gentleman, and was so attentive to the kids, while respecting their space. Love him.