Monday

We went to the library for storytime today. We have a really great leader here, who uses music, movement, and rhymes as well as stories to teach and engage young children. Afterwards, he brings out a few toys for the kids to play with. Usually I am bored stiff during play time, but today was really fun. Some time in the last school year, Gabriel has learned how to catch a ball. Hmm, maybe PE at school actually helped him... We had so much fun playing catch. Annika reconnected with a little girl she has played with before, and they took turns going down the soft slide. They got pretty creative with their sliding.

After we checked out a large bag full of books, we walked home through the forest. It was misty and cool, dark under the trees. I could feel myself relax, breathing the fresh air and feeling the space around me. Maybe part of the yearning I woke up with this morning was from a disconnection from nature?

The kids enjoyed some red huckleberries, and I let them get down into the little stream that runs through the green belt. Of course, Annika couldn't resist the ooey, gooey mud. How lucky we are to have this little bit of nature right behind our home!