Parenting

As promised here is Part 2 of my pictures taken while “following along” behind my family as we discover more of Edinburgh and surrounding areas. This includes our home-ed field trip to the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick yesterday. It was a really fun day out for the whole family.

I will have so much to write about in the next few weeks as we go to our first football match, celebrate J’s ninth birthday, have our second Thanksgiving in Scotland and then get to enjoy Michael’s mom coming for a visit. We will knock the winter blues out with all the fun we are going to have 🙂

: Walking on the “Peel” at Linlithgow Palace while visiting friends. This is one of our favorite ruins. There are so many towers and passageways to run through. We have a Historic Scotland Membership so we can go as many times as we want. It is a great deal for families.

: Walking near one of the ponds at Inverleith Park. There were Mute Swans and several species of ducks we had never seen before.

: Inverleith Park is very close to the Royal Botanic Gardens. It is a beautiful green space in the city with a pond and great clean playpark for the kids. Bonus: There is a Waitrose nearby for free Latte and delicious bread and cheese to buy for snack time.

: Home Ed field trip to the Loch Levin Nature Reserve. A new friend gave us a lift to this outing and we all had a great time. Here L is learning about bugs while the big kids are off doing their own thing. It is an RSPB site and does have a cost unless you get a membership.

: This bird “hide” was very cool, I didn’t stand back for long. They had feeders right on the other side full of hungry little birds I had never seen before outside of a book.

: Watching all the sea birds on Loch Levin.

: Walking one of the many paths around the Loch Levin Nature Reserve. I love that there are so many amazing places to go here where you feel surrounded by nature. I think the air here feels so clear and clean.

: Levi checking out a rabbit hole along the path at Loch Levin.

: After the official field trip ended we went for a walk with a few other families. This is the time I enjoy the most, when the kids are just exploring their interests in their own ways at their own pace.

: Yes, I followed him in there. It’s the tree cave in our garden. It is also a great place to hide out during rain showers.

: I believe we were headed to a Ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance) this day. I loved Levi’s suit!

: We cycled the Innocent Railway starting from the beginning of the tunnel near Holyrood Park. It was a very easy cycle down…coming back was another matter altogether. A slight uphill grade for 20 minutes with a 40lb child on the back was intense.

: My big girl has really started growing up so quickly. She is an amazing kid and has been such a wonderful friend and helper. I feel so blessed that God choose me to be her mom.

: Between Salisbury Crag and Arthur’s Seat. Obviously one of our favorite places.

: This is not as high up as it appears to be, still an amazing place to have a picnic and climb a few rocks.

: I know this isn’t a “follow behind” I just love this photo. What could be better than spending time with these guys studying creation?!

: Climbing the “rock slide” of Arthur’s Seat

: Nature Study with the big kids at Arthur’s Seat

: This is the first stop sign I remember having seen in Scotland! I had to add it in.

: I love that we can see the hills from within the city. We love this about Edinburgh. I think it makes it feel smaller and welcoming.

: “Stop in the middle!” is what our kids hear almost every time we cross here. We stand in the centre sometimes with traffic going by on both sides until the way is clear. It is a beautiful view though.

: Walking down Grange Loan. Behind all the stone walls are amazing houses to peek at through the iron gates.

: Edinburgh in Autumn is beautiful. Our “Avenue” is such a pretty contrast with the dark stone and bright yellow leaves.

: Minto Road

: Note the suns position as we start our walk after church at 12pm! It’s that time of year now that no matter what I do, the sun gets the starring role in all my daytime photos.

: Starting the outdoor portion of our field trip to the Scottish Seabird Centre.

: Learning about all the different seabird characteristics. This is such a beautiful setting!

: Building nests on our field trip at the Scottish Seabird Centre North Berwick

: After our field trip we decided to explore the other side of the beach for a while. The sun was setting making it all the more beautiful. Even though it was cold we were nice and warm in our layers.

: Using his “rock pooling” skills from our field trip. Looking for sealife in the pools of water left in the rocks after the tide went out.

: He stood there for a little while, watching birds and boats out on the water.

: Joined by some of our friends from the field trip. We are the only two families without cars so we get to enjoy the walks and the train together 🙂