Today we took a daytrip to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, a trip I'd been looking forward to taking with Cayden since we first visited the impressive horticultural exhibition last holiday season. We had a ball last winter, and I remember imagining then taking my little boy this summer, to see how the grounds, fountains and plant showcases would change from the Christmas displays.
We were totally impressed with the conservatory and displays of Christmas lights a few months ago, so we couldn't believe how much more there is to see and explore in warmer months!
We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day: bright sunshine balanced by refreshingly cool breezes and humidity-free, temperate air. Perfect for walking through the woods, meadow, fountains, conservatory and gardens. There is a really neat scent and fragrance exhibition throughout the Conservatory that Brian and I enjoyed (although we'd love to know how they concentrate all the smells into the little scent tubes that puff, puff the frangrances into your nostrils), and Cayden just took in all the colors and sights with big, wide saucer-eyes.
His favorite parts were the water displays. First he gawked at the Italian Water Garden, and an hour or so later he dove right in to the interactive Children's Garden in the conservatory, where there were water fountains to splash in everywhere. 
He did miss the main fountain show at noon, because he was under the hooter hider enjoying a little milky snack. But the fountain show was a nice momentary rest for Mama and Daddy.Then we explored the conservatory -- where the orchid room was as impressive as it was a few months ago, where we found the most amazingly fragrant rosemary we'd ever smelled and where we delighted in the water lily exhibition that was really, really mind-blowing (ever hear of giant water platters? C.R.A.Z.Y).
And shortly after the water lily exhibition, Chicken started rubbing his eyes, ready for a nap. So nap he did, in the Ergo, snug as a bug with his thumb and blankie tucked up under the privacy hood.We kept walking, exploring the veggie gardens and perennial "idea garden", which, rather than inspire us with ideas about how to do our own home landscaping as it is is meant to do, actually intimidated us by all its beauty to tuck our tails between our legs and reluctantly realize that we will never, ever have the green thumbs and impressive flower beds we once thought we could. But that's OK, because we can always come back to Longwood to see how flower beds are really supposed to look.
And we finished off the wonderful daytrip with a picnic lunch -- gourmet wraps prepared and packed by Daddy for the big kids; bananas, yogurt and hummous bread for the little kid -- under wonderful shade trees..This is exactly the kind of fun family time I want to over-stuff into the next month and savor like crazy before ...
Well, let's just leave it at that, because I don't want to ruin a wonderful, fantastic, perfect day with worries about what's to come.
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