Yesterday my man took the day off.  Since Grandma was here, we decided to venture up to the VA State Arboretum in Boyce (near Winchester).  What a beautiful place to visit.  There were lots of things blooming, and lots of open spaces.  The Arboretum is run by UVA, and they even had bins set ups with educational material for the kids to explore.  We started out in the herb garden, then went to see the boxwoods, azaleas and dogwoods.

Daffodils were in full bloom still!  The kids loved the smells of the Arboretum.

Dogwoods were just starting to emerge, while bluebells are in full force!  To the left you can see this cool tree.  We discovered lots of places for animals to inhabit while we walked the grounds. 

From monkey acts to contemplative walks there was something for everyone at the Arboretum!  Of course, all Cade wanted to know about was “When’s lunch!”

In the native wildlife area, they had my dream—an old standing chimney.  I want to recreate one of these in my back yard.  More on that later.  Below, you see redbuds are in full force too! 

Before we leave...time for some fun in the sun!  First, rock jumping.  Then whirly-giggin around and around.  Spencer and Audrey can both do Cade...but soon Papa had to take over the spinning duty!! 

Even Grandma got in on the action!

The farm was so amazing, and they even had bins set up with educational materials!  My kids loved exploring the pond area for signs of animal tracks, and matching them up to a sheet the Arboretum provided.  They also found a fox skin, examined lots of different scat (animal poop), and discovered lots of caves where animals live.  It was really fun!