Last week, we took a field trip with Funschool down to Boxerwood Gardens in Lexington. This place, promising on its web site, turned out to be amazing!

Daddy took the day off work to help me with baby-soothing-in-the-car duties (or driving while I did the baby soothing), and the four of us made the two-hour trek to meet up with the other Funschoolers. We spent most of the time in the Garden's Play Trail, which was an awesome area built just for the younger set out of natural and not-so-natural items in perfect combination. A tunnel made of willow branches, a hill with great plastic pipe tunnels underneath, a stream running through it with plastic fish, frogs, and lizards to find, an outdoor kitchen, and a bone yard were just a few of the things that were there. It was almost like all your kids' and your own kiddie fantasies come true! Oh, and don't forget the hammocks! They had A.J. and me wishing for our very own!

Wanna built your own fort? Well here are a bunch of perfect-sized bamboo sticks to get you started (as A.J. did). Lily had a blast in the hill-tunnels. She spent about a half an hour crawling back and forth in them, shrieking and listening to her own voice echo back at her. Mom, Dad, and A.J. added to the excitement by doing "peek-a-boos" now and then at one end of the tunnel or by crawling in with her. Later, she played in the mud kitchen a bit and was quite a mess by the time we left. There was a sink built at toddler height right outside, with running water and everything!

Before we left for the long journey home, the kids and I (with Lily strapped to by back in the mei tei) took a hike around some of the grounds. We saw wetlands, big trees, tons of plants, and at least two boggy ponds. We walked up stone staircases and across wooden plank bridges. We also had the company of the Garden's resident boxer, who followed us or led us around as he so chose.

What a great place! I hope we have the opportunity to visit again someday!