Hiking, Houses, and Horticulture

We had such a fun-filled weekend!  On Saturday morning, I cashed in my Mother's Day wish to go "hiking" with the girls at a local state park.  I say "hiking" in quotes because -- by hikers' standards, I'm sure the trails aren't very challenging -- but for a couple of three-year olds and their [over-protective] parents, it's quite the workout!

This was our second time at the park, and it was even more enjoyable than our first trip, in April.  For one, we recognized most of the trails, so we could be a little more carefree [meaning, not so worried we'd get lost with too-few graham crackers to sustain us].  And second, the butterfly habitat was open, and we were the only ones inside!  The girls got a lot of up-close-and-personal time with the butterflies...one even lit briefly on B's nose!

This time we braved a little tougher detour up and around a small waterfall.  We carried the girls across the bottom, stepping on rocks.  It was only a short ways, and the water was only a couple of inches deep...but it was enough to make this mama's heart race just a bit.

In addition to the butterflies, we saw three really cool frogs and the biggest crawdads I've ever witnessed in one of the blue holes in the park.  The frogs were just hanging out, but the crawdads were pretty active and very easy to see.

It's just awesome that the girls are to an age where we can begin to enjoy such family adventures.  There are few things better than good, clean, and FREE family fun!

(I didn't take my camera so I would be sure to "be" in the moment on our outing, which was wonderful...but there were a handful of times I wish I'd had it.)

Saturday afternoon, a friend of mine brought by a playhouse that her boys had outgrown.  We'd been thinking about something along these lines for the girls -- as they LOVE a similar house at our local orchard -- and I was so glad to have been in the right place at the right time to snap up my friend's offer.

Here are the proud new homeowners...

 Here are the girls playing lemonade stand...or special delivery, one...
 

On Sunday, I gave the girls a sale paper.  They played "mailman" with it...

...and then here's B, looking very intent on scouting the very best prices for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend!

Sunday also brought the girls' first time to plant flowers.  This was on my "bucket list" for last summer, but we never quite got there.  A few weeks ago, the girls and I found the cutest little gardening gloves, and I was determined not to let another season go by without putting them to use.

We went to the garden center and let the girls choose flowers.  We agreed beforehand on petunias, as we've been admiring some on our walk for the past couple of weeks.  B chose pink, and A chose purple.

Here are B and A, showing off their new gloves.  (They were a booger to get on, though!  The girls have only ever worn mittens in the winter, so I guess it was a new experience for them...and a funny one for me!)

Here the girls are, preparing the dirt for the second pot.  (There aren't many action shots, as Mommy was elbow-deep in potting soil most of the time, trying to manage the mayhem...and not let our little petunias get squished from all the "attention".)

Afterwards, the girls watered their new plants...

...and here they are, talking to their petunias, and admiring their hard work.

So thankful for adventure-filled weekends with my baby girls!!!