Foraging for leaves...

Knox is obsessed with being outside, and he loves to get dirty.  He wasn't always this way.  In fact, he used to be so afraid of touching the grass/dirt/ground with his hands, he would make me pick him up if he fell.  No lie.  Now, he loves it.  Wants to walk barefoot, wants to get his hands dirty.  I love it.  He's a boy...it's a rite of passage.  

One of his recent obsessions is rocks and snails.  He will keep up with a particular snail for days.  We'll be wrestling on the couch and I'll notice he's clutching a snail.  Seriously.  

Dad's been out of town and he's getting particularly sick of me.  We needed to do something this morning where he could be independent.  For some reason, a little creative project popped in my head and we were off...foraging for leaves, snails and rocks.  And even a piece of mulch.

He.was.in.heaven. 

So proud of his rock.  And the helicopter was his "co-pilot" the entire time.

"See the leaf, mommy?"

His most prized possession.

Our loot.

We then came inside and made our art.  I started by drawing a trunk.  He colored within the lines really well...

For a little while.  And then I had to add two more trees :)

I wouldn't recommend using a glue gun.  All of you calling CPS right now HOLD THE PHONE.  I made sure he "dropped" the leaves on the glue, and I scalded myself pushing it into the paper.  Elmer's is on my Hobby Lobby shopping list.  And yes, I have a Hobby Lobby shopping list.  I'm a nerd.

He loved placing the leaves, and was really excited about the rocks and snails.  But because I'm OCD, I made sure the snails, rocks and mulch were at the bottom of the tree.  I know, sucking the artistic freedom right out of him.

Our finished product.  So cute.  Love his art!