Learning About the World

Across the highway from us is a HUGE park preserve. It has miles and miles of well-groomed trails, and there is lots to see. Angela was with her dad for the weekend, so while Dean was busy digging out the back yard from a winter with four dogs, Axel and I took a walk. I wanted to show him the beauty that is Minnesota. I'm sure he was beginning to wonder if we just live in the snow here all.the.time. It sure was beginning to feel like it!

First, he donned his frog boots. We'd be finding some mud, for sure! These boots are FAR too clean.

We stopped to look at the lake. We could hear the frogs, but couldn't see any. They've just started singing this week! 

Axel told me he wanted to "go more walk" and enough of the pictures already. Yes, I took his brace off so I could get a couple of pictures without it.

And then I did a terrible thing. I told him to lean against a big rock while I took his picture. Ummm... apparently that was asking too much. He cries like this often. Pretty much any time he is told to do something he doesn't really want to do. Like writing. Or sitting on a rock.

Then I found him a stick, and he was happy again. I saved the day.

All was good until he walked around this bend in the trail. That's when he turned to look at me instead of looking where he was going. 

See the mark under his eye? That's from the stick I saved the day with. The one he was holding when he went around the bend in the picture above. Notice falling on the stick was not anywhere near as scary as sitting on the rock.

Splashing a stick in the water is FUN!

Especially if your feet don't get too close to the water. There are some things about being a child...a boy child...that we will have to teach him. Like, splashing your feet in the water is FUN too! (but don't tell Angela that, since I just finally got it into her head that she needs to keep her feet out of the water!)

We found evidence of spring FOR REAL!

Except for the tears, and nearly poking his eye out with the Mama endorsed stick, we had a good time! We walked nearly two miles. Next time Angela will be able to come along with us, which will be fun, I'm sure, especially if she's complaining about how far we've walked, how tired she is, and "When are we going HOME?" Still, we will have fun.