Take Time to Smell the Roses

David worked afternoon shift all week long and into the weekend- 7 days straight. So come Sunday I knew we needed to get out of the house after dad left for work. I convinced my parentals to meet us at the Landscape Arboretum, which I've always wanted to visit. For a year straight I drove right by it every day on my commute to work, but yet never went. We started our journey by pulling over in Biscay a little town south of Hutchinson to play in there park. The boys got some energy out and Eli promptly fell asleep in the car for his nap when we started driving again.

We drove straight to the learning center and waited for my parents in the preschool/toddler play yard. There were little toy cabins filled with all kinds of play things, but Eli's favorite was a brush and a bowl full of water. He painted and painted and painted until that water was all gone or spilled, which ever happened first.

We love playgrounds, but I really enjoyed watching the boys play here more. They used their imaginations and really got to role play in each little play area set up. A downed tree allowed Adam to walk on it like a balance beam and then when he was tired he layed across a branch and announced, "hey mom, I'm laying like a monkey!" There was a little library full of outdoor themed books nestled in the trees. And a stage to dance, sing and pretend to play the guitar on. Several stumps to sit on and one a little taller with a wheel were arranged in a way to become a bus with seats, "everybody on the bus!" Eli proclaimed.

Plus it was just a really beautiful place be when you took a step back and looked around.

We did finally convince the boys to go for a walk through several of the gardens and my favorite by far was the rose garden.

And then when you weren't stuck with your face in a lens you could stop looking at the beauty of the roses and take a moment to shut your eyes and enjoy the wonderful aroma of the rose.

We will go back to the Arboretum again and explore more, because it is a great place to just wander and explore nature.

We finished the night off with dinner in Victoria at a little restaurant called the Victoria House and it was wonderful! Happy Sunday for sure. My boys were so confused as to what day it was on the car ride home, because we had such a long fun-filled day.

 "Mom, was today a school day?" 

"No Adam it was a church day"

"We went to church today?"