A Day Out With The Boys

It has been an exceptional day for me today. I've just spent the day having a lot of fun with the kids, and it felt so refreshing and how I wish every day would be. It made me feel like a good mom, a fun mom, a young and energetic mom, the kind of mom, well, that my kids would want to have. It was a peaceful day filled with contentment and smiles and love. And I truly enjoyed myself.

We went to the Ijzeren Man and took the blue route through the forests there, stopping to pick up sticks and stones and pinecones and acorns...and any and every other little boy treasure we could find. We went onto the bird islands and watched ducks splashing in the water, saw a crane walking through the cattails, heard the whistles of any number of birds singing us their hello. We built huts from fallen trees and branches and climbed all forms of trees we could reach. We played baseball with sticks and pinecones, and had an acorn fight, 2 boys against one mama. We walked over bridges and under fallen trees, we hopped across mud puddles and fed acorns and grass to deer and goats and geese. We had a poohsticks contest and chased our sticks all the way to the other side of the water. We played on the exercise equipment in the woods and drug large trees with us the entire duration of our trip. It was just pure enchantment, living through the eyes of my children and having the time to do so, without regards to anything other than their happiness. As we left the woods, we came out on the wrong side of the ditch, filled with green, still water. Seeing no path to lead us to the other side, I made the decision to jump the ditch...it wasn't too wide, but yet a challenge...and one I didn't meet! I ended up mud and water to my waist after Kaed jumped across and I threw Jari with near success---a wet foot that sent him into tears...and wails when I fell in completely behind him. I pulled myself out of the ditch, covered in mud and frog eggs and slime and gracefully headed towards the car. We wouldn't be heading to get groceries or an ice cream looking and feeling as I did. Yet still, it was fun...and funny! I took my shoes off at the car, climbed in, and we began to sing and dance to children's songs. Jari and Kaeden laughed at mama who was completely wet, and proclaimed that it was my fat butt that caused me to fall in. I agreed unhappily. As we headed towards home, we saw a house with pumpkins for sale in the yard. I let the kids out to pick a pumpkin and when the lady saw them looking, she came to show them further choices. I got out looking like a pond and we had another good laugh about falling in the ditch as I told the woman my story. She must have felt sorry for us, as she gave us 3 good sized pumpkins for a mere 2 euro, and then threw in 3 little ones to boot. The kids were in total heaven, discussing what their pumpkins would become. They actually stuck to their original choices and I was so proud at seeing them pick their treasure and carry it back to the car with twinkling eyes. Too bad I didn't have my camera...but maybe better I didn't as it would have been totally saturated in the pocket of my jacket. When we got home, with me limping a bit from twisting my ankle during the fall, thorns stuck deep into the skin of my hands from grabbing a thron bush to pull me out, and after a quick shower to remove the stink and filth of the ditch, I went to talk to my husband and father-in-law who were busy in the attic. Pap asked if I had another shower, as he spied my wet hair. I couldn't do anything other than retell the tales of my day as we all had yet another good laugh.

Good thing that laughter is good for the soul...I've sure managed to have plenty of it today, even in some frightful circumstances...and through it all remained in good spirits and filled with a peaceful sense of happiness. THIS is living, this is being alive, and THIS is good.