A Rainy Day Adventure

Yesterday when I was driving home from work I had an urge.
 I just wanted to be outside. Rain and all.

To be en-capsuled in the quiet, calming sounds of nature.

Breathing in the fresh air and letting out all my worries.

I wanted the chance to just "be" and watch my little Punkin' explore.

Then I passed it.

The entrance to the state park that is literally a 5 minute walk from my front door.

It's such a beautiful little {actually, big} place.

A pond, creek, and little waterfalls that wind in and out of the woods.

A true gem that we don't spend nearly enough time at.

So, when I got home I pulled out our rain coats and rain boots and we were off.

I never gave a second thought about all the housework I was leaving behind.

Something I don't normally do - in my world work usually trumps fun.

We walked through the trails in the woods.

Crossed over the bridges and stopped to watch the water at the falls.

Stomped in puddles.

Jumped on and off rocks.

Ran through the mud.

Found some rocks to put in Maddy's Adventure Jar.

Snuck up on some fish.

And sat and relaxed by the pond.

An hour and a half later I was a new person.

I put off the crazy jumble of my everyday life and exhaled.

And it was good.

Watching Maddy run and explore made me a proud Momma.

She took in all the little things in nature she could find...

Bugs, pine cones, rocks, frogs, fish, water and using nature as her playground.

It was beautiful.

The past couple of months have been so busy and hectic,

sometimes I forget to stop and smell the roses.

I forget to show my daughter all the little things in life that have meaning.

All the things I LOVED as a kid.

It amazes me how easy it is to put off all the things that we SHOULD take part in.

Yesterday opened my eyes to the fact that the world we live in 

doesn't have to be fast paced.

The competition I have going on with myself to try to get everything done in one day

doesn't need to be there.

IT SHOULDN'T BE.

What should be racing through my head is thoughts of how 

Maddy's little smile lights up her face. 

The look of WOW she gets when she see's something for the first time.

How when she grabs my hand to show me something 

I find myself getting excited like when I was little.

And the feeling of contentment when she hugs me.

It's the little things that make us who we are,

and sometimes those little things have the biggest impact

on the lives of not only our children, but us as adults.

I left there yesterday feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

My mind had been filled with wonderful memories,

and my heart was bursting at the seams after getting to spend that

one on one time with my amazing little girl.

Yesterday was one of the best present I could have ever given myself.

And I think {hope} Maddy feels the same way.