Nature for the Win

 It's been a long week.  I've taken 5 prescription migraine pills in the last 7 days.  I do what I can to take them either at bedtime or first thing in the morning (usually after being woken up with a migraine), but some days you gotta take 'em midday.  And that's the worst, because the rest of my day ends up shot.  Achy, nauseated, exhausted, zero patience.  So it's not been a fun week, with multiple days of pills between noon and 5ish.  

Today was a good day, despite the migraine.  Nicky and I spent almost two hours at our favorite park in our area, a "nature park."  There's cool climbing logs, tunnels under hills, multiple play structures, a long stream, a digging area, and lots of grass to run in.  

I made the "mistake" of letting Nicholas take off his shoes and get in the stream to retrieve his "boat" (a stick) after we'd already been there an hour.  He had a great time putting that stick in the current over and over.  45 minutes later I had to drag him screaming back to the car to go home.  They're going to turn the stream off probably when irrigation shuts off the water for winter any day now and a certain someone is going to be UPSET.  

(This is neither here nor there, but two little girls were playing by the stream while we were, and one was named Aspen.  I had a hard time catching the other girl's name, but it sounded like Espeon.  But that's the name of a Pokemon so for her sake I hope I'm wrong.  Would also not be surprised if that was actually her name.)

While at the park, we gathered pine needles, pinecones, berries and leaves for a project later in the day.  After nap and snack, we all went in the backyard to make "fall soup."  It actually turned out very well.  The activity lasted over 20 minutes (which is rare), and the toddler got to practice stirring, pouring, ladling, etc.  He was excited when some ingredients floated instead of sinking. Then we even sat together and read Stone Soup.  It was like a whole project/lesson thing. Who am I?!  

Full disclosure: I absolutely stole the soup idea from an ad for a kids' subscription box thing.  I wish I was that creative.  I was congratulating myself on an excellent afternoon when the husband was not impressed enough, and Anna said: "Did you think of it? I thought you probably saw it online." 

Damn it, kid.  Busted. 

Still taking the win.