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Outdoor Explorations

posted by Andrea | 10/6/2012 Every day, Nora and I play outside for at least 2 hours.

We usually go out in the morning for about an hour — sometimes more. And then we’ll go out in the afternoon again. If she’s really lucky, Dave will take her outside again when he gets home from school.

She LOVES being outside. If she has too much energy to burn, we go outside.

If she starts crying and I can’t figure out why, we go outside.

If she gets fussy, we go outside. If she’s SO tired but refuses to take a nap, I stick her in the stroller and she’s almost always asleep before I get to the end of the driveway (we do have a long driveway… but still!) We have a one-acre lot with all sorts of trees, bushes, plants, grass, rocks, sticks, and paths — so there are plenty of places to explore every day.

And every day, we find something new to explore. She is never as calm as she is when we’re outside. She’s mesmerized by it all, and almost always content… even when she falls, scrapes her hands, bumps her head, or stubs her toes. No matter how bad our day is inside, all her troubles magically disappear when we walk out the door. So far, we’ve had an absolutely beautiful Fall — and I’m thankful for every moment of sunshine that allows us to be outside. Some days, it’s the only time she’s content and “still”. Dear Lord, please give us a mild winter! Filed under: Life • Daily Life

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