Over the Mountain and Through the Woods

It's been one of those days that turned out entirely different than what I expected when I woke up. Instead of a quiet morning at home playing with the kids, we all took a looooong drive down to the Buck (a.k.a., the Boondocks, for those of you from out of the area) for a reason I can't mention at this time...never know who's reading, and it's a surprise!

Then, instead of spending the afternoon in the office formatting the women's Bible study bulletin and doing more planning for our adoption fundraiser video, I found myself packing a picnic lunch and jumping back into the car for a spontaneous family hike at Speedwell Forge.

And, finally, instead of the quick jaunt over mostly flat terrain that my wonderful husband had promised, we wound up lost (or, as Tim would say, taking a trail we didn't plan on taking, and didn't know existed until today) and spent two hours climbing up and down 3+ miles of steep embankments with our exhausted children.

Our dog Abbey, on the other hand, covered at least twice that distance with her constant racing ahead, returning to check on us, and darting in and out of the woods in pursuit of interesting scents.

By the time we got back to the car, she was ready for a swim in the adjacent pond. We heard the splash and knew instantly that we were in trouble, considering Abbey's suicidal obsession with swimming. The dog just doesn't know when to quit. A few years ago we bought her a doggie life vest, and whenever we take her to water we strap it on, tie a rope to it, and let her go until she's obviously struggling to stay above water. Then we reel her in (against her will) until she catches her breath and can stand on her own four legs again.

Today, however, we didn't have the life vest, and she wasn't on a leash. Thankfully, after enough insistent, at-the-tops-of-our-lungs, "you're in big trouble, Missy" yelling, we got her close enough to shore for Tim to drag her out. By then we was wheezing and whimpering with every breath and trembling from head to tail. Of course, as soon as we let her go she dove right back in, but we fished her out again and she's still alive. For now.

Needless to say, the rest of the day was a blur. Somehow everyone got clean from the muddy hike, I took a catnap, and the kids, in their exhaustion, made a colossal mess of the house while Tim was working outside. Upon discovery, they were made to clean up said mess, I made some pizza, and we sat down to a family movie during which Liam nearly fell asleep on my lap. The poor guy missed his quiet time on top of hiking way too many miles for his little legs! There wasn't any protesting when he and his sister fell into bed tonight. Nor will there be any from me when I follow suit after finishing this blog post.

So, all in all, it was a surprising, interesting, and fun day, in spite (or maybe because of) the drama. Tim and I were both reminded of how precious these family times are, and how we need to be more intentional about making them happen on a regular basis, no matter how busy our schedules may seem.

Here are some pics of our adventure...

Annabell and I enjoying one of the few flat portions of the hike...

Tim teaching the kids how to recognize poison ivy, his mortal enemy...

Signs of fatigue setting in...

Time for a breather and a bite to eat...

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's keep moving!"

And finally, Tim saving Abbey from herself...

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My Big Boy

I don't know what it is about this week, but all of a sudden both of my kids seem so much older! I gave Liam his first ever "big boy" haircut tonight. I just about cried as his beautiful blond hair piled up on the floor at my feet. What ever happened to those adorable baby curls he used to have? Wasn't that just last month?

Thankfully, Liam loved the experience. I expected him to squirm or cry because of the vibration of the clippers, so I had him watch while I cut Tim's hair first. Daddy's goofy faces made it look like a game, so when it was Liam's turn he climbed right up in the chair and never even flinched.

Before...

During...

After...

Introducing Tim Jr. ...

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My Growing-Up Girl

I experienced one of those "Wow, my little girl is growing up so fast!" moments when I picked Annabell up at preschool this morning.

Fridays are library day for her class, and each week she is allowed to pick out two books. Since the beginning of the school year she has picked one book for herself and used her second choice to get Liam a Thomas the Train book. Every week without fail, totally of her own volition, she has shared her book rights with her little brother. This is entirely typical of her sweet, generous nature, but it still warms my heart every Friday.

Since I volunteer in the preschool library twice each month, I've gotten pretty familiar with the selection of Thomas books. In fact, the last few times I've been on duty (which is usually on Mondays, when Liam's class comes to the library), I've looked through the Thomas box to see if there are any books checked in that Liam hasn't already memorized from beginning to end. After an entire schoolyear of Annabell's Friday visits combined with the last few months of Liam's Monday library jaunts, you can imagine that pickings are getting slim.

Anyway, the last time I was in the library I realized that there was only one Thomas book left that Liam hadn't ever read: The Cranky Day. Since it was a Monday and I knew Liam's class would be coming in for story time, I put that book in the front of the Thomas box so he would see it. I thought that perhaps he would realize he hadn't read it yet, but he ended up choosing an old favorite instead.

Well, when I got to Annabell's classroom this morning, guess which book she had selected for her brother? I said, "Wow, Annabell, you got The Cranky Day for Liam?" To which she replied with an excited smile, "Yes, it's the only Thomas book Liam hasn't had yet!"

Wow, my little girl is growing up so fast. Just look at her...

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