I will be honest

Lucy and I had a sort of pissy morning today.  I take almost all of the blame.  I did NOT want to engage.  I didn't.  I wanted her to play with a toy or something (ha good luck me).  When lunch came and went I knew I had to follow through on our nature center plans or I would waste this Sunday away and just set Lucy up for a terrible Monday at school. 

So we went and I can say that I pretty much rocked the parenting think from 1pm -5pm (a brief intermission of whiney guilt inducing parenting over the dinner hour) and again from 6pm til bedtime.  Here is some photographic evidence.

get a cranky, wild, sensory-seeking girl out in the woods and the sun

stay for 2 hours

Watch her spirit soar like it was meant to.

Enjoy her like a mom should.

see her challenge herself.

still those gasps and those "be carefuls"

(as much as you can)

extend that city length leash

watch her enjoy that trust

try not to completely FREAK OUT

when she catches a snake, and holds it like

she's been catching and handling snakes

her whole life (she has not)

enjoy the solitude of just us two

watch her imagination run completely wild

and beautiful and amazing

see her turn a leaf into a treasure map.  i see the treasure,

i am looking right at her.

quickly mourn that this seems to be the year

that rolling down hills turns a little "gross" to her

let her climb as high as she can

watch her turn logs into a "stairway to heaven"

and then curse as that song gets stuck in your

head the rest of the night.

Thank you Mother Nature.  Once again you came to our rescue.