winter walk

Today we went on a snowshoeing hiking adventure. Due to warmer than average conditions, our planned snowshoeing and sledding adventure turned into a lovely winter hike. No one seemed to mind.

a walk in the woods

When I was a kid my parents used to take us to a nature preserve at a nearby college. We would walk the paths through the woods, finding our way to bridges and ponds, looking for animals along the way. I remember loving our visits to the preserve as a kid.

Elia's First Hike at the Nature Preserve - Almost 2 Years Ago

Wells' First Hike at the Nature Preserve

Every so often, Todd and I visit the nature preserve and we took a hike there on Sunday. Almost two years ago, we took Elia there on her first hike. We've been back since and Sunday's hike marker our first time there as a family of four. Only a few steps into the hike, Elia asked if she could get out of her Kelty and walk. We obliged and off she went. 

As she ran through the woods, she squealed with delight as she found the same bridges that I walked as a kid, noticing chipmunks scurrying about and asking if she could swim in the algae-filled ponds. I loved watching her explore. She sees things that I don't notice and asks questions that make me think about things in new ways.

She loves to do new things and we make it a point to expose her to new things and take her on different outings. Most of them aren't particularly notable - a trip to the grocery store, paddleboarding at the lake, long walks, trips to the zoo and museums - normal kid things. Every time we go somewhere, we talk about new things and she see new things and gets to ask new questions and at her age, her world expands with every new experience. 

Though their adventures seem modest now, I hope we are teaching our children to explore, to be curious, and to find joy in discovery. I can't wait to watch both of our kids run around those woods together.

picking berries

We decided that during my maternity leave Elia would continue on her normal schedule. We did this to provide with as much normalcy as possible while she gets used to having our attention split between her and her new brother, and also to help me out while I recover from having the babes. This means that on Monday through Thursday, Elia is either at school or with her grandma and on Fridays, both kids are home with me.

I have to admit, I get nervous about Fridays every week so far. Wells' schedule is unpredictable, Elia is a very busy toddler, and a full night's sleep seems like, well, a dream. To make things easier, I've had a play date and special day with Aunt Emily lined up on our last two Fridays but today our plans didn't work out. Since we had the morning free, I decided that it would be fun to get out of the house and go strawberry picking. 

A quick Google search later, we were headed to Krupps Farms, just north of the city. We started our berry picking adventure at the farm's petting zoo. 

Elia was excited to see the animals but a little intimidated. When I asked her if she wanted to pet them, she responded by saying, "I too busy. I too busy, Mom." Busy being chicken.

Good thing that rocking horse was friendly.

We headed to the you-pick strawberry fields next. After a car trunk diaper change for Wells, we were ready to pick some berries.

We grabbed a small container and went to work.

After picking as many berries as we thought we needed, Elia played taste tester.

Mmm, delicious! Elia approved.

day trip: impression 5

With cabin fever in full force at our home, and we've visited every toddler-friendly venue in town multiple times this winter, we thought it would be a good idea to get out of town today for a change of pace. We decided to head to Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing. It's a children's science museum that's only about an hour away so we didn't have to rush out the door this morning or rush back for nap time.

The first thing we saw when we walked through the door was a giant mouth. For an almost two year old who loves brushing her teeth, this was a great sign of good times to come.

The fun continued from there with so many great exhibits:

A full oral health exhibit where she could actually brush and clean giant teeth.

An interactive healthy eating grocery store that she could have spent hours in.

Giant tinker toys.

A series of water tables (aka toddler heaven).

And so much more.

This place is seriously awesome for kids. I've found that a lot of children's places have a limited amount of activities for toddlers and this was not the case at Impression 5 at all. Every single section of the museum had plenty for Elia to try out and also a lot of elements that would be stimulating for older kids.

After an excellent morning, we had lunch at For Crepe Sake in the Lansing City Market, which is just minutes away from Impression 5.

Someone enjoyed her crepe.

If you're looking to get the family out of West Michigan for a day, I'd highly recommend a visit to Impression 5. We'll definitely be back!

zipping down the sledding hill

On Sunday, Todd tried to convince me to layer on multiple pairs of pants and socks and put on my winter boots so we could go on a family sledding adventure.  After he promised me hot chocolate afterwards, I obliged.

We headed out to a nearby elementary school that has a perfect hill for pint-sized kiddos.

Seeing Elia's face as she zipped down the hill was worth the bundling.

Our brave girl even went down the hill by herself.  (This was her father's idea.)

And I even did a run with her. Turns out I'm not photogenic when I sled so this is all the documentation of that we'll be sharing.

Elia has always loved the wind in her face and since she didn't seem to mind the cold, I'm sure that this won't be our last sledding adventure this winter.

How are you keeping your kids busy and active this winter?

animal park and amigos

As a working mom, I don't get to spend as much time with Elia during the day as I'd like to. When my college bestie, Jess, mentioned she and her family were planning to head through town today, I jumped at the chance to take the day off and enjoy a morning with them and Ms. E. We decided to meet at Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park, and call up our friends Sarah and Parker to join us.

Boulder Ridge was new to all of us and has only been open to the public since 2011. When we got there, we were excited to find out that you could feed many of the animals. Parker, in particular, had no fear when it came to feeding the animals. He fed the goats, a camel, the giraffes, and even the birds (who Aunt Jess and Aunt Kate wanted nothing to do with).  

Owen did a great job feeding the animals too.

Elia spent most of the time huddled up to mom's legs. It takes her a while to warm up to creatures.

We also went on a safari ride, which was a hit with the kids. Elia especially enjoyed throwing her pacifier out the bus window. Oops.

We had a great time at Boulder Ridge and I can't wait to visit again.  Though, I might avoid the aviary next time. Who wants birds swooping towards them?  Not me.

After seeing all of the animals, we had lunch at Flat River Grill in Lowell before the Smiths headed out and Sarah, Parker, and we headed home.

It's always fun to see these college friends and I love watching their families grow up. Thanks for visiting, Smiths!

What a fun morning - maybe I should take more weekdays off. I like the sound of that!

sunday with the butterflies

Just like everyone else in Michigan, we've had it with winter and are looking for every way possible to get out of the house and soak up every little bit of warm weather and sun that we can. Yesterday, with temperatures that felt almost like a heatwave at 50 degrees, we walked to the grocery store and did our shopping. It was so fabulous to stretch our legs and take in some fresh air.

Sunday was still a bit cooler so, we headed to the Meijer Gardens after church to see the butterflies.

"Mariposa!"

"People!"

"Mariposas seem nice, Mom, but...a leaf!"

"Mariposa!"

"Hand."

Oh, but what fun we had.