Trail Time With Special Friends



Mia and her friend Eliza after a trail adventure!
Photo by Ashley Berard

This past weekend the little one and I went on a mini trail adventure. We invited her best little friend Eliza along for the walk, and her mother Jen. This time, we decided to forgo the snowshoes because we didn't have enough for all of us to use. The snow was hard packed, so it didn't really make a difference.

We were initially going to walk the Roberts Farm Preserve Trail, but the gate was closed due to the massive amount of mud that the parking area had turned into. We decided to go to our next favorite spot, the Cornwall Preserve Trail.

When we arrived and I shut the Jeep off, Mia instantly balked. She had been in somewhat of a mood all morning, but I didn't want it to stop us from getting outside. I figured I would try anyways. We all got out of the Jeep, and she still persisted with her little crying spell. It wasn't that she didn't want to be outside,  she just wanted the Jeep ride to last longer. She has been obsessed with being in a moving vehicle since she was a baby. I don't think that will ever change. :)

We walked down the trail aways, and came to the first small bridge. Mia stopped for a while to listen to the water running beneath her. With the warm temperatures that we've been having, the snow has slowly been melting into this little stream of water, and now it seemed more like a small river than a brook. I watched as her gaze followed a single brown leaf floating in and under, and then back on top of the water as the brook made it's corner and turns this way and that.



Mia on one of the bridges on the Cornwall Trail
Photo by Ashley Berard


Standing here for a bit helped calm her down, and she slowly started coming back to the adventurous and outdoor loving Mia I know.

At the second bridge, she did much of the same at the first. If Mia could say what her favorite part of hiking would be, I would be certain that it would be bridges, brooks, and rivers! We meandered for a bit, while Eliza was running away and back to us on the trail hollering, "Can we go further now?" Haha! Another outdoor girl! I love it!

When I decided that it was time for us to move on, Mia started to protest a little bit, and then I scooched down and said, "Look at Eliza! She's running away from us! We need to hurry and catch up to her!" And before I knew it, Mia was back to her normal self, skipping, galloping, and running down the trail, and kicking up all the standing water that she could find!

Eliza, running around waiting for Mia to get her fill of the bridge.
Photo by Ashley Berard

Jen is a good friend that has been in my life for many many years. Her daughter Eliza and my Mia have been friends since Mia was born. Eliza is about a year older than Mia, and when these two are together, Eliza becomes Mia's mother hen. And, she's also the expert on what Mia wants, needs, thinks, and more! :)

Eliza has been a wonderful help in Mia's learning also. Eliza noticed early on that Mia wasn't talking, and the she wouldn't play with her. When she asked why, I just told her that she has something called Autism, and it makes her kind of shy to play with other kids, and makes it hard for her to learn how to talk. Eliza, being her open hearted kind natured self, just looked at me and said "OK!", and with that, she never asked again.

Eliza has always played with Mia the best way that Mia knows how. And at times, Eliza seems to have more insight into Mia than one would expect. And, Eliza has helped Mia adjust to many situations that she's had a hard time with. When stores were an issue for Mia in the past, having Eliza with us made it easier for Mia to tolerate. When bath time was the worst time in the world, Eliza showed Mia that bath time was fun! When the wading pool was something to avoid like the plague, Eliza showed Mia that it was a fun way to cool off in the summer!



2010~ Eliza and Mia fishing in the wading pool, waiting for Salmon to swim upstream?
(Please excuse my camera ready thumb!)
Photo by Ashley Berard



And today was no different. Though Mia wanted to ride in the Jeep, she quickly came out of her stubborn nature and started having fun, because Eliza was having fun too. When we left the trails and went to find another place to play outside for a while, we ended up at Davis Park in Bethel. I kind of figured that Mia would act the same as she did at the Cornwall Trail because she wanted to ride longer. Instead, she looked over at Eliza and smiled.

When we got out of the Jeep she saw the playground (namely the swings), grabbed my hand, and giggled with delight as she hauled me towards the entry into the fence that surrounded it. Eliza hopped on her swing, and Mia sat in my lap in the other, and we all swung together. Eliza tempted us to swing higher, which Mia loved, and Mia proceeded to laugh with every back swing. Jen was watching and laughing as well, and was kind enough to be our photographer for the moment!

We let the girls play in the park for a while, and I couldn't help but smile with pride as I watched Mia go from the little play tower, to the big play tower because she saw Eliza over there. She has come a long way in these past couple of years, and there is no greater feeling than that of seeing her grow in so many ways.

A kids like Eliza is the greatest friend that a kid like Mia could have. She doesn't judge anyone, she just accepts anyone and their differences. She is always willing to help Mia along, and lets her be when she knows she just needs a minute to adjust. And, when Mia has her little tantrums, Eliza just waits it out, never asking why. And Eliza has always tried to make Mia's transitional issues better by being her goofy good natured self!



Our trail buddies for the day, Jen and Eliza!
Photo by Ashley Berard


We ended up having a wonderful and fun afternoon with our great friends! So, even though an adventure might not start the greatest, it's always a great idea to contiue to try it for a little while anyways, just to see how it pans out. And with great friends to help us along, at the end of the day our adventure was just that much more fun, and special!

Mia and I would like to thank Eliza for being such a great friend, and for seeing past the differences of others. And thanks to her mother Jen, for having such a wonderful, enlightened, and couragious little girl and for promoting her to continue on with her open minded and big hearted nature!



Swinging fun at Davis Park, Bethel Maine
Photo by Jen Gillis