Our week in two parts, part 1

So much has happened this week that I feel it needs to be separated into family time and school time. The first part will be family time adventures since it started on the weekend. Since our first letterbox adventure Emma and I are hooked and felt it was something the rest of our crew needed to be a part of. We headed out on a windy Saturday to find the next box. Ryerson's Woods was our next location for the box. Best of all I was geared up with my day early Mother's Day gift, binoculars, and my new camera (birthday gift). I made sure everyone knew we were to be looking for wildflowers along the way and lest them know which ones I had already. One section of the trail had a stairway consisting of 81 wooden steps that the young'uns took at a jog while us older folk took it more slowly.

 Once we took a wrong turn and during our rereading of the map a strong wind whooshed by and knocked a branch from the trees, aiming straight for Glenn. A small injury of a scraped knuckle was the result, but like a trooper he said lets move on.
The directions for this letterbox had a more treasure hunt feel then the first one we did, with things like look for the stray step in the middle of the path, if it has an upturned stump take the right path. Go seven steps and you will find a pile of moss covered logs, in one of the crooks you will find the box.

This was a neat box, it had camouflage tape on it and was well hidden from the path. A stamp with an archer was inside and we added it to collection (a stamp of the stamp that is).
After returning the box we ventured on. Emma's science (Apologia's Flying Creatures) had a scavenger hunt page for us to use when we go on our nature walks, and we decided it was a good day to mark some off. Some of the things we were able to check off were birds flying, nest in a tree, and a hole in a tree. My new binoculars came into play when we spotted a nest high in the trees.

The wildflower hunt yielded only one new wildflower. The woods had many but be had recorded those. The new one we found was located on the side of a slope that was carpeted by them. It was the only spot we saw them .

Mother's day turned out nice. Daniel treated me to a movie, Iron Man 3, and I treated him to snacks. On the way home I noticed how nice the day was...not too cold, not too hot...perfect day to teach Emma to ride a bike. The whole family got involved with the running along side her, taking turns. We started out in the grass, but she soon had the hang of it and we moved to a gravel path. By the time we left the park she had the riding pretty much down. It was the starting off that gave her trouble.
Monday Emma woke with a sore throat but she was determined to get the bike riding under her belt. We took off to the park and after a few practice runs, she had the starting conquered too. So in two days she learned to ride a bike....this is an accomplishment she can hold over her brothers, who all took days and days to figure it out.

Grumpy face because I made her stop and let me take a picture.

I will be adding part 2 of our week, the school week, later in the day. The farmer's market is open and I have been wanting to go and I have a meeting with the event's coordinator at the museum. They are offering summer camps and Emma wants to go, but I need to know a few things before I can send her. The lady was gracious to see me this morning. I figure a nice walk into town to talk with her and then a stop at the Farmer's Market on the way home would be a good way to spend the morning.