Impromptu is Best

Friday evening was one I'll remember for a long time. I had just seen my husband disappear over the hill when I grabbed the camera and the dog and we followed in hot pursuit

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Belle and I reached them to find the big kids quickly sketching their whereabouts and excitedly discovering new things. Of course every mother should be happy to see this but immediately I thought, "Oh no- those aren't their nature books!" Talk about control issues...

We have this fabulous tire swing made by the landowner that hangs underneath an old tree house (more like tree platform). It's really, really high and it looks completely dangerous. I started to climb it when my husband began to hem and haw. "Come on, honey, think about what you did as a child. And if you saw this on your property don't tell me you wouldn't be up there in a heartbeat". That did it- he tested it out, smile and all.

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A highly reluctant girl followed him and to her ultimate joy- she did it.

By now the dog was going insane. Her master was up a very big tree and she tried with all her might to do the same.

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And of course, the toddler wanted in on this too. Oddly enough, he climbed up the fastest- just took off like a rocket and had to be pulled down by daddy. Do you think he liked that?

We set off for more adventures up through the trees. We happened upon some unsuspecting antlers, a hawks nest with a baby hawk flapping his wings while mama squawked loudly overhead, some slugs and best yet some views that only God could create. At 7pm we realized we had been out for hours and not one child complained of being hungry, what a success!