Sunshine

I know cold weather and snow will be here before we know it, so I wanted to go "hiking" today with the boys. We went to Garden of the Gods and we didn't last long because Eli was tired. (We went to bed late last night because we had dinner with friends.) Anyway, I was frustrated that he was whiny so we went back to the car after 15 minutes. 

 

 

 

We drove past this perfect place for a picnic and so I stopped and turned around knowing a lunch outside in the sunshine will be good for all of us. And it was! 

 

 

After we all took naps (me included!), we had popsicles on the porch! 

 

And zoodles for dinner. (Zucchini noodles. They were delicious!) 

 

I was proud of Eli today - the little neighbor girls left their water guns at the side of our house and the boys found them and played with them as I chatted with a friend who returned our cast iron skillets. Eli threw the water gun and a piece of the gun broke off. I discussed with Eli that he would need to speak with the neighbors and tell them what happened - offer an apologize and then ask if he could replace it. (We talked about extra jobs he could do around the house to earn money.) When we knocked on the neighbors' door this afternoon, they listened kindly and were grateful for Eli's honesty and told him he didn't need to replace it. As Eli knocked on the door, he told me he was nervous and I reminded him to be brave and that he'd feel better after telling the truth. 

After we left, Eli was smiling and skipping. It was a simple experience that I hope he'll always remember feeling happy and full of sunshine as he told the truth.