We're trying out early church on Sundays, which is a bit of a planning feat for the adults and requires our family to be somewhat of a well-oiled machine in order to be dressed, out the door, and on time.
So far, the payoffs seem worth it: the kids are in a better mood, and we have the rest of the day for family fun!
This past weekend, we visited Morris Arboretum. Peter wanted to see the train exhibit and Lucy wanted to see the treehouse, but our favorite parts of the day were not even on our to-visit list.
Like: dipping our feet in the cold, cold waters of the creek.
Or: spotting at least nine snakes sunning in the swan pond. None were venomous, but all were pretty big. We walked away from our snake-spotting perch on the bridge with eyes that were on the lookout for even more snakes. (If there were nine in plain view, how many were hiding? Nine hundred?) No more snakes were spotted that day, although it's almost certain we walked past several more.
And: pumping water and playing in the log cabin.
Of course, there were the model trains and the treehouse. We hadn't visited Morris in quite a while, and I was surprised by how different this visit felt, first at how much attention and curiosity Peter gave the trains (always quite a bit, he managed even more thoughtful observation this trip), and second at how quickly we made it to the log cabin and then back to the treehouse. In my mind, it was miles of hiking - until Sunday. Then, I realized it was at best a half-mile.
(The walk back to our car was miles and miles, though. It always is, no matter what your tape measure may say. Miles, I tell you.)
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