Our weekend started early; thanks to Andrew’s arrival home to us and Oliver’s birthday, we had much to celebrate. I felt my mood lifting hour by hour, hug by hug, long conversation and laughing fit at a time. It may have been the funk of this summer or it may have been my deep longing for my partner. Whatever it was, it seems to be fading, at least.
This weekend we celebrated Oliver’s sixth birthday with vigor. We spent hours together as a family, putting together lego structures and reminiscing about Oliver’s birth and first year of life. It feels like a lifetime ago, and just yesterday. Funny how time works.
Oliver requested a chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting. I made a box mix with a homemade whipped cream/cream cheese frosting that tasted like a light cheesecake. Alongside homemade raspberry sauce, it was the best cake I’ve had in a long time! Success (finally)! 
Oliver received Star Wars Legos for his birthday. Clearly, all three boys found this highly desirable. 
I took Emil to the zoo while Andrew took the older two boys to have some special time in lieu of a party. I loved having Emil to myself. We spent most of the afternoon camped out in front of the elephants. Emil was so smitten with the youngest calf, a female who entertained us by swimming and playing with a large stick in the water. We talked about how animals play just like human children, and how they learn during this play. He didn’t want to leave.
Saturday morning, we woke up so early and all felt energized and ready to get some fresh air. Andrew suggested a walk in the woods. We found ourselves rushing out of the house at 7am with little more than two bottles of water, one granola bar, some binoculars, and a specimen jar. What I wish we had brought: a whole lot more food, a more comfortable pair of walking shoes, and a bit more toilet paper.
We mistakenly took a trail that was not 3 miles long but 5.3 miles long. We started out at 8am and stumbled back to the car at nearly 12pm. And though we have done these hikes before with the kids, being unprepared was kind of miserable by the end. Andrew and I took turns giving Emil piggyback rides and I ended up carrying my shoes and walking barefoot for most of the last mile to avoid having the blisters that had formed on my feet from bursting. We were all so, so hungry by the end. But I have to say, through it all, Andrew kept the troops happy and upbeat by distracting them every time a complaint was about to be uttered… which wasn’t often. Those boys are pretty tough! 
I was probably the biggest wuss of all of us. When we passed the 3-mile marker and I realized we were still so far from the end, I felt like crying (this was supposed to be a little visit to the woods, not a five-mile hike!). Instead, I stayed quiet and realized I have become quite soft over the past few years. In my mind, it’s one thing to set out on a five-mile hike, it’s quite another to set out on a “little walk” only for it to become a five-mile hike. One needs to prepare oneself for these kinds of adventures. At least I do, ha ha!
This family is all adventure, let me tell you. We had a great weekend.
This made me laugh when I heard your reaction to what was supposed to be a walk in the woods turn into a 5 mile hike; I am the same way – as long as I am prepared, I am ok, if not I can be very cranky!
Glad to hear you had a nice a nice weekend.
i had a similar hiking experience last summer when I was hugely pregnant and my husband’s grandmother (who had just wrapped up a few months of chemo treatments). We were supposed to be on a “walk” that was about a mile but instead ended up on a (slow) three mile hike in the heat with a two year old who didn’t want anyone but me to carry her. Not the most fun I’ve ever had, but we do laugh about it now.
I hear you on expectations vs. reality. Ella turned 12 last Wednesday, and since she and her dad are obsessed with astronomy, we drove over to Illinois to find a good viewing spot for the perseids meteor shower. We found a great website listing viewing spots outside of the metro area, and we thought the Confluence Tower might be really fun – we love that tower anyway. It was supposed to be open until 11pm (according to this website), but it was decidedly empty. The parking lot was way too bright to hang out in because of all the lights, so we drove down the road to the Lewis and Clark visitor center, and then down an empty, dark gravel park to a lot to find a dark spot. So basically, going against every sort of safe rule of thumb for nighttime hanging out. The meteor shower was SO amazing, but our measly trunk blanket wasn’t really a comfortable layer over the gravel, it was dark and empty and creepy (two trucks pulled into the lot while we were lying on the ground, so you just kind of send up a quick prayer that they aren’t going to pull out a shotgun and kill you and move along), and most critical – we hadn’t set a time to leave. So at 10:30 I start getting ancy because it’s WED night! And it’s really hard to convince the birthday girl and her dad to leave when streaks of light keep shooting across the sky. I was totally on board when I thought we were going to be gathered in a secure location, watching the sky with other sky geeks. A little less enthusiastic when I thought we might die in the middle of a field.
BUT – we did have bug spray, and water, and snacks, (and that one blanket), so we were sort of prepared.
Brooke and Kristin, I am laughing out loud at your stories! So funny! And thank you for not making fun of me for being a huge wimp!
It looks like a beautiful (if unplanned) walk. Blisters are the one thing that kill me, and I’m really hesitant to wear any shoes that aren’t totally comfortable for that reason. Not always the most fashionable 😉
I was thinking about your post about needing friends around and being in a funk as I was camping with a group of friends this past week. I had such a fantastic time, but was also desperately craving being alone after about a day and a half… I am such a hermit! I am so happy alone, but the always do feel good (and sadly proud of myself) when I’m more social.
Looks like you have your circle back, and hope it’s feeling good!