This week's Mama & Reed date was to Caesar Creek State Park in Waynesville, OH.  We were both looking forward to a day of outdoor adventures and learning.  Plus, this trip gave me an opportunity to play around with our new camera!

I have been without a camera for a few months now.  I love my phone, but... 

I love our camera, too!  Plus, I have the cutest little model to work with!

So, let's get back on topic: Caesar Creek State Park.  We started out at the Visitor Center to pick up our fossil hunting permit.

​Fossil hunting is serious business.

We spent about an hour searching the land for fossils.  The Little Outdoorsman was very excited, of course!  We hunted while sandwiched between a group from the local retirement community and the army. 

Let me explain.

The people from the retirement community greeted us with compliments or grumpy snorts as we poked along in the field.  The army was practicing surveillance (something about weather and bugs... the leader person lost me a bit in her explanation), so it was an interesting mix of people.  I felt very safe and a little confused.

The compliments and excitement gave Reed the motivation to become quite an efficient fossil-finder!

Fossil-hunters are only permitted to take palm-sized fossils, and we left with quite a haul!  We were able to find all different types of fossils and compare them to the booklet the ranger gave us along with our permit.

Fossil hunting was hard work!  We needed food!  I always need food after a long morning of fossil hunting... or teaching... or shopping... or napping.

We found a perfect picnic table by the creek for lunch.

Now if only I would stop taking pictures and sit down and eat!  After lunch, we went for one last walk as a storm rolled in and nap time approached.

And this mama knows not to mess with nap time.  It is non-negotiable.

We strolled over a few beautiful bridges, up to the dam, and back to the car before the rain came in.  It was the perfect time to end our date and head home with a trunk full of rocks... I mean, fossils.

Want to see more adventures with The Little Outdoorsman?  Check out some of my favorites:

Thank God for summer!  I mean, seriously. 
Thank. God. 
​
We are two weeks into summer break here with The Little Outdoorsman, and we are finally getting our feet under us again.  The end of the school year was bananas with the typical May craziness, a pretty bad case of bronchitis (bronchitis + asthma = bad.  Who knew?), a new niece and nephew added to the family (post coming soon!), and Jacob traveling all over the continent.  To be honest, I was in complete survival mode.

I don't know that I can even remember parts of May.  I have blocked them out.  My mind will recover them when it's ready, I guess.

Kidding-- of course!  It's all good!

Reed and I have spent the past few weeks reconnecting with friends, family, and each other, cleaning the house, taking care of things that went by the wayside in May, and exploring some of our favorite spots in Cincinnati.  

The Little Outdoorsman has lived up to his name over the past weeks.  He has been in heaven as we pack up the car each day to explore a new place.

Our first adventure was to the Cincinnati Zoo, where we fed giraffes, talked to monkeys, gawked at tortoises, and laughed at elephants eating hay. (They ignored us, unlike these amazing giraffes.)

The Cincinnati Nature Center was trip #2.  We chose the second-shortest trail and it took us over an hour.  I am not ashamed to say it was only .66 miles long, because those .66 miles were filled with so many memories, conversations, and teachable moments that it seemed to go by very quickly.  Our nature center here in Cincy is top-notch.  We will visit every week, try to hike all 15 trails, and hopefully get a little bit faster. 

But if we don't, that's okay, too.

We spent a weekend day at Charm at the Farm with my Mom (AKA "Nana").  Charm at the Farm is an outdoor market in Lebanon, Ohio that is  jammed-packed with creative vintage and antique vendors and Amish soft pretzels that make me lose my mind a little bit.

Finally, we registered our passes and went out to King's Island, a nearby theme park.  Kiddie Land might actually be even more fun for me as an adult.  Watching my son laugh hysterically while I eat popcorn in peace?  Yes, please!

When we aren't having "adventures", Reed and I have been visiting my family's pool, sitting at the river, digging in the sandbox, cooking, and visiting various parks in our area. ​

No work, no email, no grad school.  Just family.