Nature Walks

One of the reason blogging is so light in the fall is that it is one of the best times to live in Minnesota. This year our fall has been odd - though I don't know what I am really comparing it to when I say that. Still we have had cool crisp fall weather and hot 80 degree weather, lots of rain and lots of sunshine. So you never can tell. Well we grab on to those great moments and get outside as much as we can.

We go on nature hikes a few times a week in the fall. We pick a local park and go for a good walk, draw nature sketches, catch wildlife, or geocache. Some days we do all of these things and others we just end up strolling and enjoying the view. I love being outside with the kids, I love it even more when Serona can join us in the evenings or weekends but we just enjoy being out as a family.

The kids have learned to be flexible and we told Sirah the other day that she will have a strong constitution for all the walking she has to do for a child her age. I would say the minimum time we spend walking is about an hour. Sometimes we walk one mile in that time somedays we walk three in that time or just a little longer and majority of the time she has to walk on her own. \

Yes more than once I have to remind her that we do not speak "whinese" in our family but for the most part she really is great about it. Unless she sees another child in a stroller then she will pitch a fit that she needs a stroller or backpack or to be carried - otherwise she is content to walk and be one of the big kids. Besides our accidental 7 mile walk at the beginning of the summer kind of set the bar unreachable and we can always use that to remind the kids that they in fact can walk a mile back to the car themselves. Usually though our walks are pleasant, relatively short and filled with lots of nature stops.

Lately Rhiannon has begun classifying our walks. "Does today have to be a weight watchers walk?" or "Can we just have an explore and appreciate God's creation walk?" or "Can we go geocaching while we walk?" Often our walks overlap all these kinds of walks but it is interesting to listen to her describe the different kinds of walks we typically take with her bent on which she likes better.

We had a great walk last week just the kids and I at a favorite Nature Center. We saw an osprey, leopard frog, red-tailed hawk, bald eagle, ducks, chipmunks, squirrels, and caught a garter snake. We stopped to examine many different types of fungus including a puffball which was larger than a softball. We stopped for a rest and listened to the wind in the trees and appreciated the perfect 70 degree and sunny day we were having. The kids asked if we could pray and sing, so we did. It was not contrived at all it was simply from their heart as they had spent the day in God's creation they wanted to thank Him in their own way. It really was a special moment to be a part of.

We returned to this nature center a few days later to take Serona on a walk. We walked different trails but eventually came across the spot where we stopped for that special moment. The kids remembered and talked about it as we passed through the space. This time at the end of a longer and hot humid walk with temperatures in the 80's and the sticky heaviness right before a big thunderstorm you know needs to come. Serona caught a garter snake on this walk too and we enjoyed the fall leaves and the kids found some fun trees to climb. As we held hands and walked along the path with the kids running ahead of us I was so thankful that this is part of who we are as a family and I love this part. I can even deal with the "whinese" and the need to go to the bathroom at the precise moment we are atleast 2 miles away from any sort of bathroom option because to see us as a family outdoors is worth it.

Nature walks are easy to build into your day. They don't have to be long or complicated. They are a nice way to pass an afternoon, a morning or even just an hour in the middle of your day. Often you don't need to go very far to have a place you can get out walk around and appreciate nature. Some days we bring our sketch books and enjoy that time. Other days we bring a field guide or our GPS. Still so many days we just walk with a bottle of water and see what we see making snapshots without a camera as we build those memories into the lives of our kids and ourselves. So if you haven't taken a nature walk lately I encourage you to do it and have fun with it.

Perfect Summer Day

Today was a perfect summer day in every way. Third day of our long weekend and what has turned into a mini family vacation.

Recap of the weekend so far. Thursday night Serona and I kicked off the weekend with a late night viewing of the new Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Friday was spent planting trees, doing yard work and catching up on housework, the evening held a family movie night to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. Saturday was spent enjoying our home and yard. Rhiannon and I played a long game of Rummy 500 and the kids entertained us with dances they created. We went for a 3 mile hike at the arboretum and enjoyed all the new flowers and shrubs in bloom. The evening held a kids movie while mom and dad had some time to play games on our own.

Today we slept in, Serona and Ciaran made a wonderful pancake breakfast with some fresh fruit on the side. We took our time enjoying breakfast and relaxing a bit afterwards. Today was a perfect temperature day with not a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze but no real wind to speak of. We knew we wanted to spend the day outdoors but doing what we were not sure. We left the choice to Sirah who decided on a family bike ride. Serona pulled her in the trailer and the rest of us were on our own bikes. We started down a trail and just kept going until we arrived at a point that would be difficult to navigate without trail or sidewalk and two young bikers. It was perfect timing as Ciaran was starting to tire and we needed to go back the way we had already come. Everyone encouraged and supported each other on the way home and we arrived home with a feeling of accomplishment for what we knew was a good trek.

We got in our car to measure the distance we had travelled and discovered that round trip we had taken a 7.5 mile bike ride! The kids did great and we were proud of them. It was also our first long family bike ride of the year, so we will see how we all feel tomorrow. Everyone commented on how much shorter it seemed than our 8 mile hike of a few weeks ago. We decided to reward the kids with a treat. We headed to a local grocery store and each child got to pick one item to share with the family from the fresh produce aisle. We have very little restrictions, basically you have to be able to eat it as is (so no watermelon, pineapple, etc) but otherwise it is fair game. Ciaran chose cherries, Rhiannon blueberries, and Sirah grapes. We paid for the items and headed to a lake to enjoy our snack watching the boats and people go by.

It was a perfect location, perfect temperature, perfect food and perfect company. Everyone was in a great mood and getting along well. The snacks were enjoyed until they were gone and everyone was sufficiently serensified. We walked along the shoreline, climbed the rocks, talked about the boats, ran in the grass, pet dogs, rolled down hills and just enjoyed the abundant sunshine.

We arrived at a beach and watched the kids take off their shoes and roll up their pant legs to wade in the water. Serona and I exchanged looks and discussed the possibility of them actually jumping into the water. We quietly decided it was fine either way. We were not going to encourage it but if it happened that they decided to swim in their clothes we were not going to say no. I think Serona was secretly hoping they would decide to swim.

They slowly got braver and braver and had more and more fun exploring the water and just before we were getting ready to leave Ciaran said "I am going to get my whole body wet!" and he looked at us and we did not say anything. He did not ask, if he had we would have said ok but he was clearly waiting and looking for us to say no (expecting it really) when he did not get what he was expecting he looked mischievous and headed in, looking back one last time before getting his shirt wet then running out cold and encouraging Rhiannon to join him. She looked at us to make sure it was okay and headed in. She made it about halfway as far as him and headed back to shore. Ciaran however decided it was all or nothing and he sunk down to his shoulders than just started swimming in a long sleeve shirt and 3/4 shorts. Rhiannon decided it was fun and joined him in her full length pants and long sleeve shirt. They had a blast! Sirah waded by the shore careful not to get her own dress wet and content to make sand pies. After letting them enjoy the water some we headed back to the car with dripping but very happy kids in tow - clearly the beginning of summer for us. It really was a perfect fit to a perfect day.

We arrived home for an informal lunch, playtime in the yard for the kids and an afternoon of playing games for Serona and I. The kids chose to watch a movie and then we shared a dinner that Serona also cooked (yummy Sesame Udon Noodles) and then we read from our current family read aloud - a Bobbsey Twins book. We ended the evening with another short family walk, with the older two taking turns on Ciarans scooter and Sirah riding on Serona's back, and swinging her arms walking with us. Ciaran and Serona had a catch in the yard while Rhia rode her bike up and down the neighborhood as Sirah and I played house - she was the mom driving to bible study and getting me a babysitter because she had to take a two day airplane ride. It was a perfect cap to a perfect day. We headed inside right as the sun was setting and the mosquitoes were heading out. We ended with a call to my brother to sing Happy Birthday and a family prayer praising God for all the wonderful things we did today.

As we tucked the kids in tonight both Serona and I were overcome by how blessed we are and how great our family really is. We have great kids who love one another and encourage each other (course they can fight just as well when they want), a peace in our home and we enjoy spending time together. Tonight we talked about inviting others over and decided we just wanted to enjoy our family - that is what we have been doing all weekend and we did not even have to go away to do so - we have been enjoying each other here at our home and at some of our favorite places - a perfect way to start the summer. Days filled with being outdoors together, biking, walking, oreos, potato chips, ice cream, lemonade, grilling, yummy berries, sunshine and all the special things that set summer aside for us.

Summer is a time of "Yes!" for us, a time of enjoying the extras and the little special things. A time of drawing together and exploring God's creation, of being more athletic in all we do, of late bedtimes, flexibility and fun. If this weekend sets the tone for our summer I can say it will be a great one! Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend as much as we are!

Blessings,
Tenniel

One Never Knows...

We have a kind of family motto - a way we answer the kids questions "Where are we going?" or "What are we doing?" or any other question about upcoming activites - we have been saying it since they were little. We always respond with "One never knows what this crazy clan will do!" We say that and sometimes we are just running boring errands and sometimes we are going to Disney World. We say it when we they ask and our desitination is the library or when it is an all day drive just to reach the nearest state because we can. The thing is this family motto sometimes leads us to be spontaneous.

This weekend was beautiful perfect weather, the kind to truly be cherished in Minnesota for the brief period of time that it lasts. Saturday morning Serona had political work to do and in the afternoon I had a book discussion group. The book we are discussing is great for conversation starters Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, ... America (or at least the Republican Party), by Rod Dreher. We had a great first meeting. We sat outside in the beautiful sunshine for 3 hours talking about a great variety of topics of interest to me. I got sunburn but enjoyed an afternoon with friends, good conversation and sunshine. Serona and the kids did some much needed yardwork while I was gone.

I returned and found them enjoying some lemonade in our yard. The kids were biking and playing in the yard and Serona and I were laying on the grass looking at the blue sky and enjoying the weather, the kids came over and wrestled with us and we were having a great time being outside as a family. Suddenly Serona and I decided it would be a great weekend to go camping. We went back and forth a bit because it was already after 4pm on a Saturday but then we just decided it would really be fun and worth it. So I called around for a nearby campsite and Serona headed to the store to pick up a few things. The girls and I packed all our supplies and we all gathered our camping gear. We were ready in just little over an hour after making our decision to go. Pretty impressive for us especially since this was the first camping trip of the year with no pre-planning.

We made it to the campground, set up camp, ate dinner and played a bit in the nearby wooded area before sundown. We enjoyed a special evening together of roasting marshmallows, talking, sharing stories, singing songs and just being together. The weather was perfect and no bugs which is to be cherished here in Minnesota. The kids fell asleep around 9:30 and Serona and I stayed up and chatted around the fire and listened to the frog calls for a few more hours before heading to bed ourselves. We woke up with the birds of course and did a 5am bathroom break but somehow managed to convice the kids to stay in the tent until 7:01 when we got up and started the fire and breakfast and the days activities.

We had a really special prayer and bible time together. We read from the book of James and talked about taming the tongue. Each family member shared a positive thing they could do with their mouths and a bad habit they had that needed work on. We shared and then prayed for each other and made a commitment to work on those things together through the day. The kids had smores again for a snack and we headed out on a family hike.

We planned on a 2 mile hike around a nearby lake. We packed water and decided against carrying snacks as they had just eaten and it was a short walk. We apparently got on the wrong trail and we must need oreinteering classes because our map reading skills were pretty lacking! When we reached the 4 mile marker we became concerned about just how far we were going to have to go. We then realized it was going to be shorter to just continue on then to walk back - but not by much! We were in a position where we had no real choice but to continue on until we reached the end. Now we do hike and walk a bit but not this much all at once with our young children! Even that much just for me would be challenging, nevermind our 7 year old!

The kids were really great troopers. They were tired and their feet were getting sore but they were really good about not complaining. Here we found ourselves with a real challenge to test our commitments for the day since they included things like: not whining or complaining, encouraging and supporting each other and not losing our tempers. This was a situation that put all of us under some stress and strain and we were encouraging and supporting one another and not complaining but making the best of it. We were so proud of all of them. Thankfully we had the Kelty backpack with us and Sirah spent most of the time in there but even Ciaran got a turn in there - Serona managed to carry all 50 pounds of him for a few miles while Sirah walked and held my hand. Only Rhia had to walk the whole thing with us but she was really great about it.

We arrived at our camp a little after 3 hours and nearly 8 miles and everyone sat down, drank water and ate granola bars. Serona and I broke camp while the kids relaxed but soon again they were climbing trees and running around again while we finished up. We headed home for a pizza and movie night and early to bed. Finally got around to seeing Night at the Museum which was fun for me especially since I love the Museum of Natural History.

Today is a relaxing and resting day for us here. Because it is true "One never knows what this crazy clan will do...sometimes even us!"

Peace,
Tenniel

The Crazy Camping Adventure

Yesterday our family went on an 8 mile hike in 3 hours and our feet got really tired! So today we are going to take it easy on our feet! I had a good time camping.

We roasted marshmallows and turned them in to s'mors we had a great time! We climbed a gigantic tree and it was really freaky. I never knew how much fun it could be to climb a big tree. It was amazing because it was cracked and bent down but still alive.

We had a lot of fun. I heard an owl during the night and when the fire was out I put more pinecones on it and started another big fire. We told campfire tales and one of them was about a little mouse who my daddy made up named Benkin. And that little mouse named Benkin had many adventures and always got caught up with our family.

I never knew how much fun camping and taking an 8 mile walk for 3 hours can be. When I came home I asked my dad a really silly question and it was "Can I go camping every weekend and take an 8 mile walk?"And he said "What a silly question, you know the answer…one never knows what this crazy clan will do…" and that’s the truth.

Signed,
Rhiannon