Cows

These here are cows. Bet you already guessed that? But there's something special about these cows, that you don't see upon first glance.

Friday my boys and I took a picnic lunch, our bikes, and excessive amounts of energy with us to the woods. We rode 5 miles which I wasn't sure Jari would be able to manage, but he did wonderfully. And we parked our bikes and headed off past the watermill into the heavily wooded paths to find the perfect spot for our picnic, which was a total surprise. Kaeden created our lunch, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but as he uncovered all the items in the cooler, I was in disbelief. Not only had he brought along everything we needed for a picnic, but he even brought jars of mayonnaise, a bottle of ketchup, and a beer complete with bottle opener for mama. It may have been a bit overdone, but he was so proud, and we had a wonderful little picnic and after a trying morning at home, both my guys suddenly turned into adventurous explorers and everyone's moody attitudes quickly changed from tearing-my-hair-out irritation to relaxed excitement.

We started a walk through the woods, pausing to play tag and hide and seek. We gathered sticks and stones and walked over logs across the water. We had races and then began the quest...the quest to become knights who could defeat the witch who lived in the forest. Our sticks became bows and arrows, swords, and hatchets. We crept along keeping the witch in our sights, waiting for the perfect moment at which we could surprise her and rise victorious.

As we continued our jaunt through the woods, we arrived at a field with cows. The cows were traveling with us, staying back a ways from the fence, but trotting with us as we walked. "Those cows are in our army," I told my boys. "The witch can never esacpe now." "Nope," said Jari. "Those are not just cows mama. Those are monster cows. Kaeden and I used our special computer to surge them and now their horns have special powers. Those are superhero monster cows!" So, now you know. My boys are a bit like Inspector Gadget. They have a special computer which they can whip out and control animals in the woods, and control those animals to defeat a wicked witch of the European west. How's that for a dose of creative thinking and fantasy play?