At the Blueberry Patch

 Yesterday the girls and I took a trip to Gelena Illinois to a blueberry patch in the Wooded Wonderland area. We didn't take the time to check out the other attractions like the country store or the sawmill, we we're far more interested in picking berries and by the time we we're finished it was well past lunch time and we had to go!

The girls and I had such a good time. I was surprised at how interested and content everyone was while picking the berries. Even Kiliegh, who happens to be frightened by a fly at the time being was pretty brave when it came to the bugs that she encountered. Plus, the weather couldn't have been any more perfect!

Vada went back and forth between her sisters and I, she was both helping to pick and eat the the berries!

Kerplink! Kerplank! Kerplunk!

"Look Mom, a blueberry!"

Kiliegh was very proud of all of the blueberries that she alone harvested, even with her baby sister swiping some now and again, she did get quite a lot!

YUM!

We ended up picking a gallons worth of blueberries but I didn't feel right about the little's who happen to do a great deal of snacking as we were stocking up, so I paid for a little bit more -it was worth it, these berries were delicious and the experience and time shared with all of my girls was irreplaceable.

Following in Their Footsteps

After our trip to Fossil Rim we headed over to Dinosaur Valley State Park. I loved feeding the giraffes at the zoo and the fact that I was comfortably surrounded by the cool air of the air conditioning that our van was circulating around us but if I had to choose one over the other, then I would choose Dinosaur Valley. The weather was perfect -overcast and warm but not hot and little to no humidity. So being outdoors was comfortable and inviting. I am an outdoors type of person, if the weather permits me to be. Unfortunately, I don't appreciate being overly hot (unless there is a pool or a lake that I can get into) or overly cold. Therefore, I have limited my outdoor activities to days that are like this day. 

Dinosaur Valley was fun. We had to climb and do some searching to find what we were looking for. I love exploring nature and all of its glories. God has created so much that we are unaware of and I am always thrilled when I get an invitation to discover more of his creations. 

Dinosaur Valley is just as it sounds. Its an area where fossilized dinosaur footprints have been discovered and more importantly, they have been scientifically proved to be authentic! I cant help but be awed in amazement! There was so much before us. We are very small, yet very big in His grand plan. 

I strapped on Vada and together her and I followed the rest of the family in our hunt for dinosaur tracks. I love wearing Vada. She is safe and sound comfortable nestled next to me and I an comfortable  having her near. Together we journeyed up steep hills and through streams of water. And together we all discovered traces of dinosaurs.

There were certain area's that my parents opt'ed to not venture through but they always observed and I think that they too enjoyed (through us) our amazing discoveries.

Nice facial expression, huh?!

This was a pretty cool spot. All of those dips in the water are actually tracks. That long line that you can see in the middle of the picture is actually thought to be a tail track made from a dinosaur dragging its tail. The area looks muddy but over all its not, its mainly stone covered in a thin layer of dirt.

I was highly impressed with both Jasmine and Kiliegh duing our hunt for dinosaur tracks. They both have the tendency to be "girly girls" (more Kiliegh than Jasmine), which by my own personal definition means whining about anything that possibly could get them dirty or carry bugs. However, I heard no complaining and only saw andventurous girls who didnt care what they had to go through to walk where dinosaurs once were.

We went to Dinosaur Valley on June 6, 2012. However, I have been doing a lot catching up at home and it has been a task to update here on the blog as well. There is more to come! We had such a great time and everyday we had a new place to see and explore! I cant wait to share it all with you!