O: We are in the porky pine needle forest. If you wake the porky pine, it will poke you.

Kate and I have spent late nights planning adventures to museums, aquariums, zoos, or [insert other culturally/historically/scientifically relevant places here] with the lofty hope of not only entertaining our little ones, but enriching their lives. These trips are fun, exhausting, and sometimes overwhelming for all involved. Today, however, I was reminded that to a nearly-four-year-old, a walk with the dog around the block can be a magical adventure all by itself.

Hungry ghosts live in this tree. To pass, you must stop so they can nibble on your hair.

Don't forget to stop to smell the flowers.

This is the porky pine needle forest. Shhhhh...you might wake the porky pine and get poked.

While we will keep planning and going on those far or at least farther flung adventures, to be honest, when viewed through the eyes of a nearly-four-year-old, this nearly-forty-year-old found that walk around the block pretty magical too.