Wild and Free... And Why It's Always Worth It...

Welcome April! If March was the month with hints of Spring, surely April is the month of Spring in all is glory! The month where we fling wide the doors and step out on an adventure!

And that's exactly what we did on Easter Monday... We donned our wellies and waterproofs and went adventuring.

Wide open spaces... I watch my children take on a new lease of life when they are let wild and free. There is something about fresh air and freedom that unearths a new enthusiasm and energy. If ever we have a child in the doldrums, or a child out of sorts, or a child misbehaving, then fresh air is one way we've found always seems to change the tone of the day...

Sword-fights, tree-climbing, puddle-jumping, running, skipping, hunting and hiding. All were done, without fail. And all were accompanied by a grin and a giggle of glee!

Accompanied by Mama and Papa, and Nanny and Grandpa, our little tribe were in their element!

With Jonas leading the way in his buggy...

And a gaggle of geese to accompany us...

We wandered around the London parkland, enjoying each other's company while the children darted around, forever finding something to look at, or thinking up a game to play...

But there was one little wanderer who lagged behind a little, soaking it all in. Every muddy puddle was fascinating and demanded a few minutes attention. It was prodded and poked, stirred and swished around, splashed in and waded through, to the utter delight of our little puddle-lover!

It was just so delightful to see her taking it all in; asking questions, drawing connections with her own realities, making discoveries. Every moment a learning opportunity...

And she plodded along at her own pace, singing to herself and just utterly immersing herself in the joy of nature.

Until she spotted a bigger tree-climbing sister in the distance!

Ava loves to climb trees. If she sees a tree, it's there to be climbed, and she's pretty determined when it comes to getting up them!

She'll find branches to sit on, branches to shake, and branches to swing from.

No problem.

And if she's really lucky, there might be a passing adult to bounce the wiggly tree branch up and down... With both girls sitting on it!

There was one little man who started to get a bit fed up by the end. I suppose there's only so long you can sit and watch everyone having fun from the confines of your buggy, without desiring to join the party!

Before long there were spots of drizzle... I suppose it's to be expected in March. And so we wandered back to the car and packed everything up before the rain really began.

We left wind-swept and worn out, muddy-toed and icy-fingered... But to see the children running, exploring, discovering; wild and free.

For that alone, it was worth it!