what a night

After my second rough afternoon in a row with the kids, we decided it was time for some serious family bonding tonight. I threw a quick picnic dinner together, and we hopped in the van to drive the 7 blocks to the park. (Yes, we should have walked there, but we didn't want to waste time or wear the kids out too early.)

When we got out of the van, Patience inquired about something on the ground which was the cause for great jubilation on my part. We were surrounded by mulberry trees! There was even a white mulberry tree. I haven't eaten a white mulberry since we left Illinois when I was 12. I have so many happy memories of the 3 mulberry trees in our yard during those 6 years of my young life.

After we all ate a few and Peter assured me that no one would pick them all while we were in the park, we headed over the bridge only to discover perfect ripe raspberries growing on the other side.

A little further down the path we came across a deer who didn't seem too concerned that we were gawking at her. We spent a few minute hanging out there before an adorable spotted fawn joined the first. We scared the baby away pretty quickly though.

When we finally settled in to eat, Joshua spotted this. We're still not sure what it is, so please let us know if you can identify it.
We played in the creek for a while after dinner. Then we headed out to pick berries. Deep in the weeds (where the best raspberries were hiding), I found a perfect snake skin that everyone enjoyed touching. Then we ended our outing with some serious mulberry picking.
After everyone was changed for bed (but before brushing teeth) we all enjoyed some vanilla ice cream that we made on Father's Day with some fresh berries on top. It was a nearly perfect ending to a very exciting evening. Who would have thought that so much of God's amazing creation was available right in Norristown?