puddle riding & creek wading

i love where we live. it's certainly not the most beautiul neighborhood around, but the location is so great for us right now. we are minutes from matt's work, our church, and the grocery store. there are several parks, Zeeland Schools' nature preserve area, and Zeeland Schools' athletic field complex all within walking distance from our house. on a good day, we can also walk downtown, to the library, or even to Captain Sundae. :) in the spring, the middle school marching band makes its rounds down our street almost daily (practicing). this time of year, the high school marching band starts practicing their half-time show, so sometimes we catch that, too, if we are walking over in that area. we also try to walk over and catch a peek at Uncle John's football games now and then--their season will be in full swing soon. we have great neighbors, having gotten to know quite a few of them over the past two years. and, for being in town, we have a decent-sized backyard with lots of shade. now, if only the house were a bit bigger...!

this morning the kids and i took advantage of a break in the heat wave and walked/biked to the elementary school parking lot at the end of our street. miriam and levi made quite a splash riding through any and every puddle they could find. we then continued on down the bike trail to the creek. usually we just toss a few pebbles in or take a mini-hike down the foot path leading through the woods along the creek. but today, with the waters running a bit higher and swifter after this morning's rain, i decided to let them wade in from a clearing just off the beaten path. they thought it was great, and levi informed me that he wants to do that again very soon! we made it home just before another downpour!