Arboretum.

A friend told me about an arboretum.. I looked it up and it was only 15 mins from our house.  I didn't know exactly what to expect.. but when I got there I was surprised by the beauty of this place... This arboretum sits on the edge of a college campus..but upon entering, it felt as though we were walking into a magical woodland.. The girls absolutely loved it as well... We were surrounded by beautiful trees, plants, flowers, insects, birds, fish, turtles... We were only there for a few hours, but we could have easily spent the whole day there wandering and exploring! Since we were only able to see about a fourth of the arboretum, we plan to go back some time soon to see the rest!

Lido Island...

We are so spoiled. Where we live, there are so many beautiful places to go... The beaches are especially breathtaking.. and I am so thankful for the parks that are placed right by the water.. Not only do the girls have fun, but I get to relax and enjoy the scenery.. :) One of our favorites is a quaint park on Lido Island.  It's just a very simple little park that sits right next to the water where the boats sail by... So peaceful. We visited the park today because the weather was so nice.  The girls probably could have played there all day...

Back Bay Trail.

Yesterday, the girls and I went on a nature walk through the back bay.  It was a gorgeous day..and we had a picnic on top of a hill with a beautiful view (overlooking the wetlands).  Littlest Sister was in the stroller most of the time, but the two big sisters walked up and down the trails (even following two horses at one point!).  They all did great, and want to go back to explore the other parts of the bay!

Where we ate lunch...

Where I got stuck with the stroller and Abigail..and a very kind lady helped me get up the hill... ;)

Where we saw a lady taking an old horse for a walk...

Where the girls followed the horses...

Where we paused to enjoy the beautiful view...

Where Biggest Sister said, "Mama! Look! Heart-shaped rocks!" :)

Love Day & Nature Walk.

Nature can not be replaced.  Obviously.  But this is what I was thinking while the girls and I were on a walk at a nature reserve in our neighborhood.  We were surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers...even the rays of the sun and the dirt on the ground were so beautiful and calming this Valentine's morning. :)

Biggest sister had fun looking for insects...and managed to bring a couple home..

This baby doll seemed to enjoy all the nature also. ;)

Big sister picked some pretty flowers.

Earlier today, we had "design your own pancake" as a family.  We had so much fun... we decided to make it an annual Valentines tradition. :)

We also made Sunflower Butter Cookies for the first time.  They turned out pretty good!

In the evening, we had a candlelight dinner (with a ton of candles)... and turned off all the lights.  The girls absolutely loved it (this may become a tradition as well)!  Who knew celebrating Valentine's day as a family would is so much fun!!

Nature Walk.

We love going for a walk in our neighborhood. It is almost guaranteed that the girls will pick up something along the way home. 

 We took some of these seeds/berries home yesterday.. cut them open to see what was inside..

This is a little secret doorway on our street that the girls stop at EVERY time.. Inside awaits Alice from Alice in Wonderland.

 The family that set this up has no idea how much joy this little tiny door brings to the girls.  :)