Trails and Tots

I have a terrible habit of attempting to rally together friends for kid outings at the last minute. While I want to take the boys on fun adventures, I get a little nervous doing it all alone. Sometimes the rallying works, and sometimes I end up alone. I know I'm not really alone because I have my boys with me, but I tend to picture it as me taking on the boys rather than taking the boys. On days like today, I find that alone time with the boys can be really sweet, which is always encouraging after major flops like the time Daniel screamed the entire time we were in Lowes to pick up an order at Christmas.

This morning I attempted a major act of bravery. I did a double errand trip with a hike and picnic in the middle. This was after spending an hour in the garden with Daniel lining up bricks. The outdoor excursion was a 1.5 mile round trip on the greenway in between our two grocery stops. Daniel really seems to be in his element when we are outside. While he opted to ride on the canopy of the jogging stroller rather than walk, he did climb trees, jump creaks, and sit on stumps.

Right now there is so much attention on the baby as the world is opening up for him, but I love watching Daniel's enthusiasm for learning about nature, tools, and basically any subject that he can tell us about. This morning our neighbor was drilling at his shed and Daniel ran into the garage to get Joe's drill so he could work too. Watching him develop his understanding of the Bible can be quite amusing. At one point during lunch, he saw a lady jogger and yelled, "There's God!" I'm not sure what inspired that. Perhaps it was the sun beams coming down over her on the running trail.

Today has been a reminder to really see my kids. It's hard enough to just go through the motions of the day and arrive at the other end not feeling worn down, but to be present and connect with them, listen, and really hear them takes a whole new level of energy and sacrifice. Sometimes I have to put down the bricks I'm lining up in the garden and hold the end of the measuring tape for Daniel just because.