Down by the River

This week's family adventure started pretty rough - traffic, interrupted naps, marital disputes, accidentally leaving lunch in the car and adding two extra miles to our hike to retrieve it, etc. Technically, Baine and the kids waited by the river, and I ran most of those two extra miles in order to purge the angry demons that plagued me that morning. It was ridiculous. But it worked, and the second half of the day went much better than the first. 

This week's adventure was a hop, skip, and a jump to our own private fishing and swimming hole on a nearby river. Naomi has been wanting to learn how to fish for over a year. So Papa bought her a rod & reel. We drove an hour to the river and hiked a mile down the trail to his favorite fly fishing spot. 

Naomi was captivated by the whole experience. My girl thrives on learning and mastering anything and everything she possibly can - especially things in the great outdoors. Meanwhile, Papa was the most kind, patient, and encouraging teacher I could imagine. It was such joy to watch the two of them in rhythm together.  

  

Meanwhile, while big sister fished, little bubba boy snoozed on my chest in the shade. I felt my mama heart ache with nostalgia as I marked these moments in my mind, knowing how tender and fleeting they are.

Once Jethro woke, and the heat of the day took over, the Littles and I took a dip in the water while Papa fished a few feet away. Naomi went deep into her imagination as she usually does with free reign in a natural environment. This is truly where she is most at peace, as am I.

Jethro was pretty excited about our river time too. He especially loved flapping his little baby wings to splash the water. He paused after each burst of flapping to giggle, squeal, and growl from the exhilaration. Of course, when he wasn't splashing, he was eating buckets of sand, and that's always an adventure. I spent half the time trying to decide how much sand consumption is safe and whether or not he might chip a tooth while gnawing on river rocks. Joyful concerns for this hippie mama. I want to spend every day in the forest with my babies. And thus, our outdoor family adventures continue, and my resolution to enjoy every possible moment of this summer continues. Even if it takes a two-mile, angry run to get me there. Whatever it takes.