{into nature}

{into nature} is a weekly Monday post inspiring the exploration of nature. It is a grassroots effort to combat the nature deficiency syndrome in our current generations. Please join this movement back into nature by sharing your own nature inspiration, whether shared through photographs, words, poetry…. leave a link here in the comments for all to enjoy.

“For children, nature comes in many forms. A newborn calf; a pet that lives and dies; a worn path through the woods; a fort nested in stinging nettles; a damp, mysterious edge of a vacant lot- whatever shape nature takes, it offers each child an older, larger world… nature does not steal time; it amplifies it.” -Richard Louv

*****

seeing these boys smitten on their bikes floods me with a connection to my own childhood.  from the moment my training wheels came off, my bike became an attachment to me.  i clearly remember the feeling of freedom my bike gave me.  i see this in tanner's face as he zips by me on his big boy bike. 

we tried the tricycle last year and this summer with tanner, but he had a hard time getting it.  but when the big boy bike (with training wheels) came into the picture, it all clicked for him.  in less than an hour and a few words of encouragement he went from unable to pedal any bikes to zooming down the state forest road.  with pride and freedom beaming from his eyes, something that over a month later i still see.  every single day he requests to ride his bike.  every time we go outside it's the first thing he goes for.  it makes my mama heart swell with pride and excitement for him.  i know what he is feeling. 

noah on the other hand picked up the tricycle right away.  he cruises on that thing.  down the straightaways and powers right up the inclines, hot on the wheels of tanner and papa.  it cracks me up seeing him ride.  he's just such a natural.  he jumps into everything around him feet first, no testing the water first.  he is in many ways the opposite of tanner, who is my cautious and sensitive one.  while noah is sensitive in his own way, he is definitely my wild child. when i look into his eyes i see a spark.  

on this pictured outing we brought the boys to matthies park in beacon falls.  it is a very hilly park, perfect for tanner to practice his braking.  we left the tricycle at home for this outing and instead brought along noah's "motorcycle" so mama could help him up the many big hills.  this has been my favorite outing in a while.  it was misting a bit and the leaves were peaking in color, creating a beauty i could hardly capture on camera.  we had this strange park to ourselves.  biking to the top and then stopping to explore all of the water canals running through the property, leading down to the pond with a house in the middle.  it is a strange, strange place.  definitely magical on a day like this day.