Best Adventure Day Ever

Perhaps Maya could sense my high hopes for "Adventure Day." Maybe it felt too contrived, too "mommy driven" for her taste. Or maybe she was just being contrary. Whatever the case, Maya refused to participate in Adventure Day last week. Each time I brought it up, she said she just wanted to play in the backyard.

Fine. For an almost-three-year-old, the backyard is it's own adventure.

Last night, though, without my prompting, Maya suggested that today should be the next Adventure Day.

With a puppy-pack full of snacks and books, we headed out bright and early.

Check out her new hair cut!

We drove a mile North (I think) to Long Lake Park in New Brighton. Formerly a strawberry and rhubarb farm, the park features miles of trails (paved, unfortunately), two playgrounds, and a beach that will be wonderful this summer.

This adventure day wasn't nearly as woodsy as the last one. It qualified as an adventure only because we hadn't really explored this park before. Maya preferred to stay in our new double stroller for most of the walk, a train cutting through the park was one of the biggest highlights, and a boisterous "senior skip day" kept us away from the beach front.


Plus we spent a lot of time with a local moms group that happened to be playing on the playground.


Rugged or not, this adventure couldn't get any better: a beautiful, still, sunny spring morning, outside with my girls, and adult conversation with several women who were swapping funny stories about their preschoolers and their latest solution to the unending work-life balancing act.

Besides, we did explore a few rugged trails branching off from the main path. Maya found a birds nest and would have kept going, if I hadn't caught a whiff of something that suggested the senior skip day kids might be nearby.

After playing for more than 2 hours, I actually broke one of my own rules and swung through the McDonalds drive through for some McNuggets. (I tried not to think about my McSqueemishness over the poor chickens). We picnicked in the backyard, serenaded by our very own crabby cardinal.


The highlight of my day was when Maya paraphrased her Grandpa's favorite saying: "This is the best Adventure Day EVER!"

Once again, Elliot slept through almost all of it. The poor kid is teething again!