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This month was full of outdoor adventures. A year or two ago I found out about Wildwood Park for the Arts' annual lantern festival, but the weather was never the kind I wanted to be outside in. But this year I got tickets for myself and the Bigs, left the little one at home with his dad (who doesn't really like walking around outdoor things anyway), and ventured forth.


The Bigs are finally getting old enough to do fun things with, things that involve walking, staying up late, and trying interesting new foods. Of the various cultures represented, Ireland was their favorite, as it involved making flower crowns and watching Irish dance. But getting a lantern to light on fire and put in the water in "India" was a close second. We decided that it definitely needs to be an annual thing.


I also took my ballet-loving eldest to an outdoor highlights-of-the-season by Ballet Arkansas. It was a lovely variety of dance styles and costumes, and we got there a bit early and got iced drinks from the coffee shop across the street and had front-and-center seats. She really does thrive on solo time -- we're now planning an out of state birthday trip for the two of us next month, her first since she outgrew her allergies (which makes road tripping a lot easier).


The last time we went to the Arkansas Game and Fish Nature Center, their fish tanks were closed for renovation (which was disappointing) but this time we got to see not only all the fish but also a baby groundhog that's been visiting their bird feeders outside. The Bigs did the scavenger hunt while the little one delightedly walked back and forth saying hello to all the fish and mourning that he couldn't touch them.


There were also evening walks and hot afternoons spent splashing in a kiddie pool on the back deck. Summer is coming in fits and starts, alternating weeks where it's nearly too hot to be outside at all with weeks where it's cool and rainy and I experiment with how far I can open the windows without the windowsills getting wet. The hotter days are coming, though, so I'll happily take the cool ones while we have them.
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