Lake Swimmers

After hiking to the waterfall we suited up and went swimming in the lake! The kids sprinted into the water and I did too only to keep up with Maeve! She ran neck deep and declared, "I'm swimming mommy!" The water was a comfortable temperature and the sandy beach was perfect for digging and building various structures.

The older kids engaged in some intense imaginative play that allowed Asher to be a beach zombie. At one point I heard Amelia whisper to Asher, "It's okay because you are the kind of zombie that can change back into a good guy." Asher straight up said, "I don't want to be that kind of zombie."

Asher and Soren wore their goggles the whole time--Soren's on his forehead and Asher's on his eyes. Funny dudes. Sarah and Amelia ventured to a more distant part of the lake to retrieve a wandering ball and quickly discovered that the lake floor was muddy and suspicious further out.

Once again I had great respect for the ability of children to play so intensely after an already long and adventurous day. Maeve was livid when I pulled her out of the lake to go home. I was exhausted and had a burgeoning headache, probably because I had not had enough water all day. Sarah and I had a comical time trying to find a McDonalds for a much needed Diet Coke. How come those unsightly places are so hard to find when you WANT one? That was one refreshing drink.

Sarah and I managed another 12 hour day of fun. It's so great being able to hop into her van and journey together. We got home in time to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. A terrific day!

Frederick and Cunningham State Falls

Ahhh.

Who knew downtown Frederick was so cool?

Elsa was pretty excited about ducks!

Asher only took one bite of the nutella and banana sandwich I got for him. He was more content with the free apple. The little ones seemed pretty pleased with their little window hang-out.

The green version of the hike.

Amazing what four months does to a landcape!

So green, so beautiful.

Asher took this super close up of our faces. Not seen: babies on our backs.

Maeve was the cutest little companion. During the hike she would pat my back or neck and ask, "How are you?" She would also say, "I can't see you mommy! Are you okay?" If only we were all treated with so much kindness and gratitude.

After Lilypons Water Garden we went to Frederick to have lunch at Bryan Voltaggio's new joint, Lunch Box. The drive to Frederick from the garden was quite lovely and took us through a surprising array of farms and historic sites! It's astonishing the number of fascinating places that exist just feet off of commonly used roads and highways. 

Downtown Frederick is cute and looks like a lot of the historic downtowns in the area. I wasn't expecting such a fun little river walk! The kids were thrilled about it and the many ducks in the water. I didn't dare set Maeve down for fear that she would fall in. Lunch was yummy. The concept is pretty simple because they have a bunch of sandwiches that are all pre-made and piled up.  The sandwiches are grilled once you order them. We had an aged Vermont cheddar sandwich and a nutella banana one. The kids were most happy with the South Mountain Creamery chocolate milk. I liked it all and in fact, ate what the kids didn't eat, which was most of lunch.

After lunch the kids mingled with the local hobos on bikes to enjoy the waterfront. After getting tired of asking the kids to back away from the water we set off for our final adventure, hiking and swimming at Cunningham Falls. I was relieved that Asher actually hiked because he could not stop talking about lake swimming and asking when we were going to swim. Fortunately, the hike is only a 1/2 mile so it's a perfect distance for my little fussies. 

I didn't take any photos of the actual waterfall because any natural beauty was destroyed by hordes of plump swimmers and waders in ill fitting bikinis and suits. There was also a huge guy I referred to as 'werewolf' with his shirt off who would have been prominent in any photo of the falls and I didn't want his hairy chest and pointy ears to be documented forever.

I loved seeing the forest so green and lush in comparison to the rustic nakedness of only four months ago when I went with my mom. This area gets green so fast and with such seriousness. I love seeing green everywhere and finding it on everything. Most of all, I love getting out in the green with my kids.

Lilypons Water Garden

The kids had declared the picnic tabes to be animal cages and the kids either chose or were assigned an animal. Maeve was a monkey so here she demonstrated her best monkey moves and sounds. She's a sweet little monkey.

Naked lotus.

Lotus everywhere. I love seeing flowers and plants in large scale groupings.

Animals running free from their cages! Pretty sure this guy was a cat.

Asher said these looked like microphones. Couldn't agree more.

Oliver accepted a hug from Maeve. She always includes a pat or two with her hugs and this hug was no exception.

Maeve goes in for a kiss.

Post kiss, Oliver lets Maeve hold his hand for a few seconds. Maeve loves to hold hands and give hugs! She's so affectionate.

It was surprisingly cool and breezy in the shade, which was a relief since it was pretty hot in the sun.

Just as we were getting in the car to leave a kind guy who worked at the garden asked if we had seen the koi pond. We were not aware of its existence. Apparently the garden also sells fish! When the koi get too big for smal ponds, customers bring them back to the garden's retirement pond. The guy gave us a few bags of fish food and the kids were excited to feed the fish. Once we threw food in the water, I was startled to see the ripples of fish swimming from the very back of the pond. I wasn't sure what kind of hungry creature would appear!

Giant lily pads!

Sarah and I got together on Friday for a full day of summery adventures. Sarah suggested we hit Cunningham State Falls Park for a hike and swim so we headed into Maryland. I had heard of Lilypons garden and knew it was on the way so we decided to stop. The kids weren't as into the lovely fields of lotus like Sarah and I but they had fun running around as pretend animals and inspecting the koi and other fish for sale. I was happy to be in a new place surrounded by nothing but quiet countryside and energetic children.