It was raining when we went on our 4th picnic. But we had a nice shelter to keep us covered. Our picnic quilt ended up being my goofy nephew’s cover-up until we ran back to the car for his jacket.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned with our weekly picnics it’s that keeping children at the table when they’ve just arrived at a new adventure is next to impossible. Especially when they see a playground out of the corners of their eyes their huge staring eyes and turned heads. I really wish I could drum up the same level of excitement about a different corner of town as they do. I’m learning. These tiny tots are teaching me.

After eating, we explored our territory and found more unexpected trails! Right at the mouth, we saw a beaver or woodchuck or other similar wood-gnawing animal. As we got closer, we noticed a little animal trail that went from one side of the path to the other through two small openings. Around the corner, we saw a chewed up branch. I love finding these little clues to animals’ lives while we’re not watching.

We also came across a small slow-moving stream.

The rain came down off and on during our walk, but we just stopped under the trees when it sprinkled. We climbed logs, scoped out the fallen trees and imagined magical lands beyond the scope of the trail.

We also got a little goofy while we waited out the showers.

When we got back, Tom and Huck (ha!) finally, finally got to play on the toys. And this, my friends, is how you teeter-totter when your legs are a bit too short to reach the ground yet.

While the boys were playing, I was busy collecting pretty acorns. These beauties were scattered everywhere around the park. I have some little leaf-shaped plates that would make the perfect showcase for these. Decorating for fall makes me feel so giddy.