Nature
Experiencing nature is so important to our family. We have amazing friends that are always down to pack up and explore. Raven Cliff Falls with our dear friends was a great experience. We packed a picnic lunch and hit the trail. The weather was fair the views were beautiful. We stopped to let the kids play in the creek and Otey caught a baby salamander. At the waterfall I breastfed Shepherd and my friend laughed at how ancestorial the whole scene was. We identified birds and butterflies. On theme with our family, we stopped for a sweet treat in town.
Becca and Evan both have strong ties to fishing and the lake. Evan's dad competed in many fishing tournaments when he was growing up and Becca's grandparents owned a boat dealership, taking Wednesdays off to fish. So now the family loves heading to the lake and riding in "Dadee's" boat. It has been so special to watch the kids learn to cast, set the hook, and catch their very first fish. We want to share these moments and memoires with another child as well. Special memories with grandparents are something we feel our children will treasure as they grow.
We recently went to Hunting Island. It was beautiful and there was so much wildlife for our kids to experience. The deer were not afraid, and they got to see a fawn up close. Thier were so many coastal birds and different types of crabs. While there our favorite activity was walking the beach and mash while the kids found shells and caught crabs in their buckets. Of course they released them, but getting see and hold them up close was so memorable and fun. While there the kids picked up buckets of trash, hoping to help the sea turtles.
It is important to us that our kids grow up with a love and respect for nature and wildlife. We take every chance we can to expose them to different animals and ecosystem. Our property is full of wildlife, but something that special is we had 2 juvenal red tail hawks. We had been watching and enjoying their presence and one day saw one swoop and land near us. We all took the opportunity to respectfully approach; seeing it had made a kill and was guarding his dinner. We hope to provide another child with magical nature experiences too.