Four summers at the Arboretum

Drew had just turned one when we took him for his first trip to visit my parents in Chicago. We had so many fun things planned- a day at the local quarry-turned-pool/beach, a nearby petting zoo, the Children's Museum, and so much more. All those plans quickly vanished when Drew came down with his first stomach bug that landed him in the hospital for IV fluids. Before the rest of us came down with the bug we managed only one small outing- the Morton Arboretum.

The Morton Arboretum was founded by Joy Morton in 1922 (he is more well-known as the founder of Morton Salt Company). His father, Julius Sterling Morton, was Secretary of Agriculture to President Cleveland and was the founder of the original Arbor Day and their family motto was "plant trees". The mission of the Arboretum, according to their website, is to "collect and study trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world," and the Arboretum consists of beautiful gardens and collections of tress. My mom has been a member of the Arboretum since moving to the area, and had always wanted to explore one of its gardens- the Children's Garden- with children. 

Since our first visit in 2011, it has become a somewhat unplanned yearly tradition. Each time we went we discovered more fun things for the kids to do, and so I have always looked forward to taking the boys. This year was no exception. Once the chaos of moving settled down a bit, my mom thought it would be good for us to get out of the house, so the Arboretum was our first destination.

Among our favorites like the musical flowers and the frog pond, there are always some new things to explore each year, and since taking an adorable picture of Drew in a tiny Adirondack chair the first year, we have been tasked with seeking it out every year since. Below are some pictures from our past 4 summers of visiting the Morton Arboretum Children's Garden.

Adorable Adirondack chairs

Drew

James

Yes, I did it on purpose 

Frog pond. This year Drew was able to check it out on his own! And James tried it out for the first time.

 Musical flowers are always a hit.

This year as the boys are a bit older we were able to explore some areas we hadn't explored yet.

Rope climbing. Drew was a bit more terrified than he appears in the photos. But he was so brave!

The Maze Garden.

Someone's getting sleepy

Art in the garden.

I love how the gardens invite the children in to explore; they learn so much without even realizing it, and I think they grow a deeper appreciation for nature and its beauties each time we go. Looking forward to many more years of visiting the Arboretum to come.