Livvy and the Trees

My husband had an idea of taking Livvy someplace new to wear her out before bedtime. Normally we go on walks around the neighborhood and we'll let her walk. For 2.5 years old, i think she walks pretty far. At least a mile without wanting to get back into the stroller.

Anywho, in Maple Grove there is a tiny little arboretum smooshed between a county road and residential area. It's basically a park path with various trees labeled with what type they are. My husband grew up learning the different types of trees and he could tell what one was by the leaf and the bark. He thought maybe Livvy would get a kick out of looking at all of the trees.

As you can see in the picture above, Miss O. dug the trees. She insisted on wearing her "dress", which is a Barbie Princess nightgown. I wasn't going to argue with her. If she were a teenager i would strongly advise against wearing it, but she's 2.5 and she'll only live that age once. So why not? I could care less.



Livvy loved trekking from tree to tree. She didn't really understand what we were looking at but she ooed and awed at all of the right moments. She was very patient and not bored at all. Often she would say, "what's that? what's that daddy? Daddy? Daddy! What's that?" She's such a turkey.



It always amazes me at what liv will find. She spots the minutest things, picks them up and just wonders them to death. Here she spotted an acorn cap. Something i don't think she's seen before. She's used to seeing the whirly birds from the trees in our area. According to daycare, liv has to have a whirly bird in her hand at all times.



Olivia has a strong curiosity for dandelions too. Particularly when they've gone to seed. She tries to blow the seeds off the stem. Doesn't really work and most of the time i'm afraid she's going to inhale the seeds instead of blowing them off the stem. In this picture she was contemplating everything in the grass. Not only were there dandelions, but there were clovers too! weeeeee! what fun. :o)

As we made our way back to the car there was the typical park sign that usually has a message basically stating, "don't trash the place okay?" I thought this message was worthy of taking a picture. This message resonated the most with me. We all know what manners we should have in a park, but often times we forget the purpose of a park.