Hey there, Monday.

So.....
Somehow it is Monday already.
WHY oh why do the weekends go so fast?
The weekends, where I have back up, an extra referee, someone else to do a bit of the discipline, to do the question answering,
a cook, a partner.... sigh. Why can't the weekends be a bit longer?
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Friday was Wyatt's last day of his two-week Camp.
I wondered maybe if him being at Camp all day it might get a little boring for Charlotte but it ended up being a good two weeks.
I think she really enjoyed the solo time and I know the break away from each other was good for them- and ME, let's be honest here.

One morning last week after dropping Wyatt off, Charlotte and I stopped at one of our 

favorite spots, a little Oriental Rock Garden, to play.

It was so early that we were the only ones there and it was a beautiful morning-- empty park, 

not hot yet at all.  Just perfect.

I was so glad I grabbed my Nikon on the way out the door.

My girl "took pictures", climbed rocks and looked for snails under rocks.
In her new sandals and white dress. Ha!

When she gets outside like this she just knows what to do.

She is an explorer and a little nature lover and I hope she is always like that.

I love this morning light, it was the perfect time to be out.
I read somewhere that the best time for photos in the morning is about 1 1/2 hours after sunrise, now this was nowhere near that...
probably about 3 hours after sunrise because it was probably around 8:30 am.
I'm thinking that this Summer I am going to get the kids up early and go do morning pictures of them.

Looking at these pictures makes me realize I need some 1:1 time with my boy now.
It's usually Charlotte and I but I need to carve out a day/time this summer for just Wyatt and I, it's hard to do,
 to arrange childcare and stuff but I think it's so important.

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So... what is your week looking like?... and what do you have going on today?
Happy Monday, hope it's a good one.

{Exploring}

First I have to say THANK YOU to everyone for all of the comments on my last post.
All of your comments and encouragement and emails truly mean so much to me, you have no idea.
I know I am not alone.
I know I have quite a ways to go....and I am working on it.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

*****
After a busy start to the week and dealing with a bit of a crazy mama, I decided Charlotte (and I) needed

 to get out yesterday afternoon and get some fresh air. We headed to one of our favorite little spots and if you have been reading here for a while you have seen pictures of it before....and sorry but this will be
 a bit of picture overload, I'm warning ya.

It was supposed to rain in the afternoon but it held off until we got back home, thankfully.
Don't you love it when things work out like that?

It was a wonderful afternoon exploring in the woods, just me and my little partner.

I have to say, I am looking forward to school being out in a few weeks and

to my boy being home with us again every day, I really am...

But, I am also really enjoying these last few weeks of it just being Charlotte and I at home, too.

These days will not last forever, as all of us mothers know all too well.

The Pine Forest is one of the coolest places in the park.
There are hundreds and hundreds of pine trees and it is so quiet and peaceful in the forest. And the little tepee (tipi?) structures are a favorite of the kids and grown-ups alike. Who wouldn't love to play in a stick tepee in the middle of a forest?

We saw geese and cardinals, four deer, frogs, butterflies, lilacs, bluebells, wildflowers

 and Charlotte found part of a honeycomb on the ground. 

We were super excited about that find and she just knew Wyatt would be so impressed with her discovery, so we had to get lots of close-ups of it.
Another favorite past-time while out exploring? Pointing out all the heart-shaped leaves, of course.

My discovery of the day was this mushroom-a morel mushroom to be exact.
And if you know anything about mushroom hunting (which I don't) this is the kind of mushroom you want to find. I had to take pictures of it with my phone and send it to Eric to make sure it was what
 I thought it was. It was, so we dug that baby up and took it on home--after I texted pictures to my mushroom-hunting friends threatening not to tell them where I found it. ha.

I love Spring. I do.
I know it sounds a bit cliche but everything is new and blooming and green and you can
just feel the promise of the new season.
A new beginning. And Lord knows we all need those.
***
Ps-YES, I do realize my girl is looking a little Crystal Gayle-esque here, I do.
I usually don't leave her hair down but her hair tie broke while we were out.
No, she hasn't had a hair cut and no, I am not anti-haircuts.
Yes, she will get a haircut one day soon.
These are the questions I answer every day so I thought I'd go ahead and answer them here, too. : )