The Ordinary Moments 43/52 – National Trust adventures, pumpkins and Ice cream

It seems absolutely ages ago since we last had a Saturday where we weren’t busy with stuff or too ill to embrace the day together; whilst life has just been happening, and has been good with various events, parties, family stuff and tired kids in a new school routine, I have really missed our Saturday adventures out and about just the 4 of us. So this weekend when we spotted an open day we grabbed it and decided to head out to a fairly local National trust spot (East Riddlesden Hall) and then on to an Ice cream parlour with the mother of all play barns, and it was lovely to just go back to the Ordinary Moments of life wandering, talking and exploring together.

I did this exact same day out back in the summer with my sister in law and it was such a joyful day which was enjoyed so much by us all, that I have been waiting for the right opportunity to share it with Nathan too. Since getting our National Trust membership for Christmas last year it has opened up a whole host of cheap days out filled with learning, beauty and adventure. We have spent more time outdoors than ever before and I just love it, the kids thrive and it makes us feel we are “living the dream”!

I absolutely love to see them intrigued by history (one of our shared passions) and to see them dressed up in olden day attire (thats just cute) and I love the play areas they have and find joy there both as an observer and participant in their adventures and games. I find it wonderful that no matter how often you return to these places, they always feel different depending on the Season and it creates so many new  scenarios for these games and play. This time we made witches brew in the mud kitchen with a few frogs and spiders for good measure!

My favourite things to see this time round (other than my kids looking like little olden day children) was this cute little kids shed in the garden where Megs sat a while reading books on tadpoles, bees and plants…it has been such an ordinary scene since she was almost 2, to just be sat captivated by books, and this moment made me happy to see that her little passions go all over with her. It was a lovely little spot, decorated beautifully and very enticing for the kiddos!

I loved to see Ethan’s Joy of doing his usual boyish things of pushing the boundaries, taking risks and generally being a fast mover, whilst Nath and I stroll along chatting, hand holding, legging it to assist and play, and just enjoying being parents to them both.  I realised how all of these moments; the chats, the education, the laughs and the antics make up our ordinary, and why I have missed so much these days out all together. It was such a pleasant day of the appreciation of, and embracing of the season as we walked in scenery filled with yellows, browns, reds and oranges, and then a lovely bonus to be greeted at the Ice cream parlour with an array of pumpkin displays, witchey things and general excitement and treats made us all very happy to celebrate in Autumn and be together for some fun.

I love these days, when we have time to make memories and do our ordinary family adventures, filled with the same little quirks from us all that come together to make something beautiful. Being out together exploring in these ways really makes me realise how much I love to be outside and see the gorgeous scenery of England, it makes me feel blessed for just an ordinary little life that at times feels so full, and to share it all with my beautiful little family is wonderful!

Isn’t it lovely to embrace together the things each season brings us?

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