liam at twelve

This year, for the first time, when asked, Liam couldn't easily rattle off a dozen things he wanted for his birthday. In fact, he had trouble coming up with one thing he wanted for his birthday. Maybe I'm reading too much into this detail and he's really just a spoiled brat who has everything just naturally fall into his lap ... but I don't think so. In fact, as one of the people who routinely tells him no, I feel pretty confident that being spoiled isn't the reason. I think it's because he's happy with his life, and he's secure in knowing that he has the things that really matter. I mean, yeah, already having video games and electronics doesn't hurt, but at heart I think Liam is a very content kid. (Which of course makes me a pretty satisfied parent.)

He's also a very funny kid. Earlier today, I heard him on the phone talking to his Grandma Barb. He thanked her for her gifts, and then he told her that he was excited about going out for a birthday dinner to Red Lobster. She must have asked him what he would eat, because then I heard him say, "Oh, I'll probably eat a bunch of biscuits [the free biscuits that they bring to your table while you wait for your order], then order something really expensive that I'll be too full to finish." HA! But if you know Liam, you won't be surprised to learn that he actually did finish his expensive entree, along with biscuits, appetizers, AND a bowl of birthday ice cream for dessert.

At twelve, our Liam is daring and unafraid and sure on his feet. Whenever we go somewhere, he is the first one to look to me for permission to climb a rock or cross a stream on a fallen tree or explore an area off the beaten path. And at home, he has broadened his horizons, riding his bike across the busiest parts of town to spend time with cousin Jimmy -- you know, not to mention the fact that he was brave and determined enough to finish a 30-mile bike ride with his parents this summer. He hasn't really discovered yet that there will be things in life he simply *can't* do, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

He's a classic preteen in that he doesn't talk much to us anymore, preferring instead to play on his phone and spend time in his room, but sometimes we catch him at the right moment, and he opens up. When we were doing our training rides for Bike the Drive, just the two of us out on deserted country roads, he told me a lot about school and his peers and how he deals with the pressures of being a sixth grader. And in just over a month, he'll start at a new school -- JUNIOR HIGH -- and be faced with a new set of pressures as a seventh grader. But I feel sure that he'll navigate those waters as nimbly as he handled his first kayak trip yesterday.

He's a kid on the move toward becoming a young man, and in some ways all we can do is watch him go and hope for the best. And that's a very scary thing, but at the same time, I feel like he has a really solid foundation from which he can venture forth into the world ... and watching that happen is a pure joy.

Happy birthday, Liam! We love you so very much.

out of my comfort zone

The thing about this state parks project is that it has opened us up to a whole lot of new experiences. Not just seeing new places, but trying new things. Mike and I have never been what you would really call "joiners," which I'm sure comes as a shock to precisely no one. But this year we've done things like get up before sunrise to go watch eagles with a bunch of strangers, go on group hikes to see birds and caves, and even take rowboats across a big lake. And today, I added another new thing to my list: kayaking. Bethany, Liam, and I headed to Potato Creek this afternoon, rented kayaks, and set off to explore Worster Lake. And it was really fun! Maybe a little anxiety-making at first because I thought I would tip over or sink or whatever, but after I got used to it, I really, really liked it. And Liam did too! He took to it immediately, paddling off like an expert and exploring all the different features and inlets around the lake. 

We picked a really great day for it too! It was sunny but not too hot, and just a little bit breezy. It was peaceful and not crowded out on the lake, so we could experiment with different paddling techniques and make mistakes without worrying too much about it. Turns out that kayaking is definitely my kind of activity. The only things I found really challenging were that the seat reclined a little too far for me to really be comfortable (though it may have been adjustable and I just didn't realize), and that it's really hard to get out of a kayak. I had read about it in advance (of course I did!) so I realized it would be a challenge, but I guess I didn't anticipate exactly how much of a challenge it would be. Luckily, though, I did anticipate to the extent that I brought a change of clothes, so I didn't have to go home soaking wet. 

And now my head is filled with ideas. I particularly want to go back to Chain o' Lakes now and explore all the little channels and different lakes. Heck, if I could get Mike to go along with that plan, I would do it tomorrow! Or the next day, or the next. But don't worry, readers -- I'm not quite daring/reckless enough to try to do it without at least one other adult present. Yet.

morning in plymouth

I was up very early this morning, so Charlie and I went out for a walk and watched the sun come up. It was an exceptional day for it.

and then this happened ...

Ever since I bleached Max's hair for that Harry Potter party, he's been asking me to color it green or orange. Then the other two put in similar requests. Welp, this was their lucky weekend because semi-permanent hair color was on sale at the beauty supply. I had to bleach Liam's hair first because he insisted on the neon green, but luckily I still had enough supplies left from when I did Max's hair. Behold their colorful new looks!

state parks project, part 12: tippecanoe river

Before we set off for today's park, no less than two separate people on two separate occasions offered us the same advice: BRING BUG SPRAY. And after the horror of Portsmouth Island, we never take those sorts of warnings lightly, so we came prepared for our visit to Tippecanoe River State Park. [Side note: Being the nerdy sort, we -- meaning MIKE -- researched bug spray effectiveness, and we ended up stocking up on the Ben's brand from REI last time we were in Indianapolis. It worked really well, and the smell isn't too bad, so hopefully we bought enough to get us through the summer!]

Today's mission seemed like a simple one ... but we all know how that works out. We got the latest issue of Outdoor Indiana (the magazine of the Indiana DNR), and it had a list of Indiana's prairies, and on that list was the Sandhill Nature Preserve at Tippecanoe River State Park: "This 120-acre nature preserve inside Tippecanoe River State Park offers flat sand plains and rolling dunes. Trail 8 explores the nature preserve." PERFECT, I thought. We are all big fans of prairies, particularly the gardeners among us (that would be Mike and Max, and sometimes even Henry). So off we went to the park, through the gate, and all the way back to the end of the line (or at least the end of the park) to the appropriate trail. Spoiler alert: We had as much luck finding the prairie as we did finding the beaver dam at the dunes.

Here's what I can tell you about trail 8: It was overgrown and very buggy indeed. The grass in the middle of the trail was higher than my ankles, which led us to think that the trail didn't get used very much. Or maybe all the trails were like that? We only tried the one, so it's possible. And the bugs! I sprayed copious amounts of bug spray on myself and the boys (Mike declined), and none of us got bitten, but they were SWARMING all over the place. Max and Henry kept complaining that bugs were flying into their eyes, and I totally believe them; I had sunglasses on, and Mike and Liam were wearing glasses, otherwise I'm sure we would have had that pleasant experience as well. Max got the first one shortly after I sprayed him down, and he immediately took his bug-sprayed hand and rubbed his eyes, and then started screaming in agony. So I took the water bottle and squirted it in his eyes to flush them out. It worked, but then he was mad at me because his shirt got wet in the process. The moral of the story: MOM CAN'T WIN.

Once we got a little deeper along the trail, there were some really nice wooded areas with pine needles all along the forest floor. It was very quiet and peaceful, like a forgotten place, only in a much better way than the overgrown areas at the beginning of the trail (if that makes sense). We found lots of things to look at and climb on, and the bugs even kind of let up at the end.

After we finished the hike, we decided to go check out the nature center and the river itself. It was really pretty, and the rangers were doing some kind of outdoor painting class. So we explored for a little while, got Charlie some (more) water, then decided to call it a day. Overall, I have to say that this wasn't my favorite park. It wasn't bad by any means, just nothing really standout. I'm thinking that might partly be just my personal dislike of bugs and heat and humidity. The park is fairly close, so I would definitely be willing to head back one day in the fall or even the winter.

See also: SPP1, SPP2, SPP3, SPP4, SPP5, SPP6, SPP7, SPP8, SPP9, SPP10, SPP11.

just beachy

 

We have a house guest! Diesel, the Holidays' dog, is staying with us while they are on vacation. Luckily, Diesel and Charlie are BFFs -- last time Charlie stayed with the Holidays, when it was time to say goodbye, Diesel pressed his nose to the window of the van, and Charlie did likewise, then Diesel followed us halfway down the road. I think they have been pining away for each other for weeks now.

To celebrate their happy reunion, I decided we should go check out the dog beach at Potato Creek State Park. And since I was already taking two dogs and three kids, I decided to go all in and fill the rest of the seats, so our cousins Jimmy, Gracie, and Taylor came along too. It was super hot today, and about halfway there, we ran into rain so strong that we had to pull off the road and wait it out -- which was FUN with the kids all asking why we were stopped, how long we would be stopped, what would happen if another car hit us, etc., all while the dogs whined from the way back. But eventually the rain let up and we got back on the road (thankfully without having been rear-ended).

In a stroke of good timing, we got to the beach just as they were letting people back in the water ... but then a park ranger came and told me that the dog beach was closed because of algae in the water, and that it had been closed basically for a couple years now, and that it would probably continue to be closed for the foreseeable future, but we could wade along the shore as long as we washed the dogs off afterward. (Confidential to Potato Creek SP: Putting that information on your website and/or Facebook page might be helpful! Just saying.) All righty then. So in we waded with the dogs, who seemed to be maybe sort of halfway into it but then flopped their wet selves down in the sand and watched over the kids, who were playing at the people beach (basically the other side of a roped-off area).

I stayed with the dogs for a decent chunk of time, watching the kids play in the water, and occasionally one of the kids would come and walk the dogs along the beach for a while, then disappear off to find water spiders (?) and bury them in a frenzy of excited squeals. And when everyone had their fill of the beach, we went up to the locker room building, where there was a hose we could use to wash the dogs -- and of course get all the kids and towels and everything else wet in the process! Once we had everyone loaded back in the van, we stopped and got ice cream cones for the ride home -- the cherry on top of a classic summer afternoon.

wild life

Happy Father's Day!

Mike loved the hibiscus tree, as well as the selection of hot tea I got him. He has been saying for a while that he is bored with drinking plain old Lipton in the mornings, so I did a little research with my best friend Amazon, and came up with a few new options for him to try.

I think everyone got a little of what they wanted this Father's Day. We had breakfast at my parents' house, after which a group that most assuredly did NOT include me went out to clip the chickens' wings and work on building the chicken coop. Since Avalon went out with them, Max had the perfect opportunity to get in a little one-on-one time with Jack. Have I mentioned that Max now wants to be a teacher when he grows up? I'm sure you are shocked. Shocked!

After breakfast, we headed back home, and Mike spent the whole afternoon working in the garden, which he loves. Meanwhile, I rode my bike over to my grandpa's house and spent the afternoon hanging out with Gramps and various aunts, uncles, and cousins. I asked the boys if any of them wanted to come with me, but they were all too busy playing video games to make eye contact, much less get on a bike, so I went by myself -- a real treat!

return to the dunes

Mike had the dreaded mandatory overtime today (BOO!) so I decided to take the boys back to Indiana Dunes State Park to take advantage of the parts we missed before. We left early in the morning because I don't do well with crowds or extreme heat, and when we got there, there were only about 10 other people we could see up and down the beach -- just my speed.

The water was COLD, but they frolicked happily for a while, and I set up our new Sunbrella (a hybrid tent/umbrella thing that's perfect for people like me who need a little shade) with the beach blanket under it. I felt very accomplished and prepared! Well, until a family of four came and set up right in front of us, and they had an umbrella and blanket PLUS a cooler full of juice boxes and healthy snacks, and everyone had sun hats and life jackets, and they had a bucket of beach toys. Seriously, it was like camping -- they had ALL the things. They probably could have just moved to the beach. I told myself that they were probably planning to stay all day long, until the sun set over Lake Michigan, but the truth is they had little kids, so they were probably only there for an hour or two, just like we were.

Eventually, the boys decided they needed a break from the cold water, so they hiked up to the top of a nearby dune. I opted to stay at the bottom and watch, so Liam took my phone with him and captured the view from the top.

After that, they alternated between running into the water and running up the dunes. Despite my lack of foresight and beach toys, they managed to bury Liam in the sand, which was fun until Max walked past and casually kicked sand into Liam's eyes. Then Liam and Henry devised a game in which they rolled around in the sand, then ran into the water to rinse off. Unfortunately for Henry, when it was time to go, he didn't think things through, and he rolled around in the sand one last time AFTER I told them no more lake. They had public showers to rinse off, but the water pressure was insufficient, so Henry got well acquainted with the discomfort of having sand in his parts. Live and learn, kid.

On the way home, we stopped at a nursery and got Mike's Father's Day present: a hibiscus tree! He's been talking about wanting a tree for the one remaining corner of the house that didn't have one, but he couldn't decide what he wanted, so we made an executive decision. It wasn't that we expected to buy a hibiscus -- the boys made a wish list before we went in, but none of the trees they had in mind were available, so we went with the one we liked the best. It's supposed to flower from July through October, so we can't wait to see how it does in its new home!