This past Sunday, we woke up unsure of our plans for the day. But within two hours of waking, we had planned and schemed for an adventure. Brent came up with the place, while Ingrid and I threw some food, swimsuits, life jackets, and sunscreen into a couple of bags, and before we knew it, we were headed to August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area (whew! Quite a mouthful for such a simple place!). It only took 30 minutes to get there, but felt like hours away. After a lot of city parties, it was really nice to escape to the back woods and rent a boat (only $5 for the entire day per boat!) for some family-friendly fun. 
We rowed around the little lake until we found a good picnic spot, then set up camp in the shade just off a little path. The kids took turns eating and discovering little water creatures. They caught minnows and insects with a net and marveled at each creature. 
Then Brent taught the kids how to fish, and let both Milo and Oliver reel in their very own bluegills before throwing the fish back. It was such a right of passage, and such a special bond he shared with them. They’ve been talking about it ever since.
Something wonderful happens when your kids fall in love with your grown up friends- they form relationships with adults they can possibly go to when they get older and have troubles that they may not feel comfortable going to their parents with. It’s a beautiful thing to think that maybe our boys will go to Ingrid or Brent for advice someday. It takes a village to raise a child, and I’ll be the first to admit that I certainly don’t have all the answers. Between us all, someone must!
Plus, I have a secret hope that maybe their girls will humor me and do the same! Especially that quiet but hilarious one I have a special place in my heart for!
One very cool unexpected thing happened while we were sitting on the sand and rocks by the water: a very strange looking creature crawled up and out of the water like some creature from the black lagoon. It seriously looked like the link between water and land dwellers… and I suppose it kind of was! I guessed that it was a dragonfly larvae, and we went about our business. Only, about 10 minutes later, Milo and Eliza came running down the path yelling, “It’s molting! It’s coming out of it’s shell! Come see, quick!”
And sure enough, the young dragonfly had climbed out of its seemingly too-small skin and had begun to unfold into its new form: 
The newly hatched creature seemed 3 times too big for the skin it was just inside. We simply couldn’t believe it had just come out minutes earlier! Its wings were folded up into tiny parts, and its body seemed to telescope out once it was out of its old skin. A truly amazing thing to witness. We could have watched all day, but the sun was getting pretty hot, and we had to return the boats, rowing like refugees on the open water.
We feel so lucky for the friends in our lives. The ones who live close, and the ones we miss dearly who live so far away.
What a nice day! And seriously? 5$ a boat? That’s awesome! So cool to be outside and witness nature in all its inspiring and surprising glory. There’s so much our kids can learn about life from just being outside. Hooray to summer!
What a perfect day! That’s crazy that you saw a dragonfly molt, I didn’t even know they did that. I wish more of our close friends lived nearby… or that more of our local friends had kids 🙂 It’s a good point that those bonds to secondary adults are important ones.
It’s really interesting that you think about burgeoning relationships between your adult friends and your kids. So different, but so realistic and forward-thinking. A lot of times I think (my) adult friends get caught up in hoping and dreaming that they’re children will be friends with each other (and they might, but in my personal experience with my parents’ friends, I was friends with very few of this demographic). It IS really important for growing kids to have a network of trusted adults, though, and those relationships are probably much more likely to reliably develop. Cool!
That looks like such a fun day. Days hanging out in the shade in nature are some of my favorite. (I’ve decided that I am all about being outside, but as a near-albino, I need some shady refuge.)
Such a cool idea about the children of your friends coming to you for advice, too. I never really gave it much thought before, but it’s so caring.