To Creek In The Woods

Of all the things I listed to do, Burl chose to go to the creek in the woods for our midweek adventure.
I have to say that I was hoping for this.  

The kids are anything but cooperative with self-timer pictures lately, and I think it's SO CUTE! 

One of the regular things my dad did with us on Sunday afternoon visitations was take us to the creek.  It became a thing.  We built dams, drank water from the spring, hunted crawdads and always tried to go a little bit further down the creek, a little further for adventure.  There weren't many things magical or picturesque about my childhood, but creekin' was definitely a highlight.

Chambray top and matching ruffled bloomers screams woodsman, or in this case woodsbabygirl, right?

To take the kids to a tame babbling brook to throw rocks, splash in the water, and explore with (supervised) freedom is not just good for them, it's great for me as well.  Burl was brave and got into some deeper water (think 1 1/2 feet deep). Fern dug in some muddy gravel.  We had our fare share of adventure, toddler style.  Walk across this log, climb up the mud, jump in that hole...all wild things for a 3 year old and his baby sister.

At one point he decided he wanted to follow the creek a little further, so I carried Fern and the camera and we went for it.  Thank goodness I had on my adventure hat-it helps me enjoy all the fun, forget all the challenges, and just go for it.  Of course, for all the ways we slipped into nature, we kept it real too.  Two steps forward, one step back kind of thing.  A few tears, a few soaked through clothes, the buzz of the interstate, and the first Wednesday of the month test of the nuclear reactor's sirens that made it feel like Lost.  Oh, and the several bunkers in the woods and the VW and Amazon plant right there-those things gave our trip to the creek a unique feel.  

If I'm painting an outdoorsy picture, I just want to keep it real.  We're city slickers in need of some mother nature on a regular basis.  When Mama puts on her adventure hat, I keep it calm and giddy through some of the more difficult parts of the trip.  A few bumps in our road trail don't keep us from seeking some wild times.  I choose to let the great parts sink deep into my memory bank.  Those are the parts that will stick with us.  Those are the parts worth remembering.  Those are the parts that drive us out of the house and to the creek in the woods.