They ride their bikes while I push the stroller. The path we took today (and yesterday) is a bit hillier than where they normally ride. Yesterday Anna complained of sore legs afterwards. Today she wasn’t really into going but finally decided she’d tag along. While we were getting our stuff together, Lauren started talking about the deer she had seen out behind the house “in the wild”. According to her there were also lions in the wild and we had better be careful because the lions would eat us and our baby’s head... and maybe bears too. Shudder. Okay, so you all know I already have this irrational fear of my children being eaten by something (cough…sharks). So, immediately the idea of mountain lions sprang to mind and set the stage for our entire walk. When Anna came outside with her little purse filled with bandages, just in case, I began to wonder if someone somewhere was trying to tell me something. We headed out anyway and yes, we did see quite a bit of wild life. Some of the myriad “forest” dwellers we encountered included peacocks (as the girls called them) more commonly known to the rest of the world as turkeys. Apparently, their meal of choice is bread and mac ‘n cheese. We also saw woodpackers. These birds must be close relatives of the common woodpecker in on vacation from their home in Green Bay. We saw a dead snake which was a huge favorite of the peanut gallery and Lauren spotted a deer. We also heard many, many things moving in the grass around us and on the hill above us (irrational fear revived…reminds me of the news story about the mountain lion attacking from above). At this point, Lauren, who is normally Speedy Gonzales, had broken a training wheel and was forced to walk. This was a blessing in disguise as Pokey Pants big sister now had a chance to be the speedy one. During the course of the walk, Lauren would scale a hill and ride back down it twice before Anna even made it up one time. Anyway, as Lauren and I were walking, we heard and saw something moving. Lauren said it was surely a scary creature which would pop out and bite her on her head or her eye or her leg so we had better get going. Sounded like good advice to me. We all made it home safely where everyone had to go to the bathroom too badly to put their bikes away. Funny how when I opened the door, everyone went inside, sat down, and began to play with their Leapsters. After I put Jake’s stroller away, I laid him on the floor and let him play with a baby piano. He actually began to tap out a little tune. The girls heard and came running upstairs. They grabbed their band in a box and an impromptu jam session broke out. We had Jake on the piano….Lauren on the maracas…. and Anna playing a mean, mean flute. It was heavenly.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!
Due to the unseasonably cool weather we’ve been having, the kids and I have started taking advantage of the beautiful trails near our new house. They ride their bikes while I push the stroller. The path we took today (and yesterday) is a bit hillier than where they normally ride. Yesterday Anna complained of sore legs afterwards. Today she wasn’t really into going but finally decided she’d tag along. While we were getting our stuff together, Lauren started talking about the deer she had seen out behind the house “in the wild”. According to her there were also lions in the wild and we had better be careful because the lions would eat us and our baby’s head... and maybe bears too. Shudder. Okay, so you all know I already have this irrational fear of my children being eaten by something (cough…sharks). So, immediately the idea of mountain lions sprang to mind and set the stage for our entire walk. When Anna came outside with her little purse filled with bandages, just in case, I began to wonder if someone somewhere was trying to tell me something. We headed out anyway and yes, we did see quite a bit of wild life. Some of the myriad “forest” dwellers we encountered included peacocks (as the girls called them) more commonly known to the rest of the world as turkeys. Apparently, their meal of choice is bread and mac ‘n cheese. We also saw woodpackers. These birds must be close relatives of the common woodpecker in on vacation from their home in Green Bay. We saw a dead snake which was a huge favorite of the peanut gallery and Lauren spotted a deer. We also heard many, many things moving in the grass around us and on the hill above us (irrational fear revived…reminds me of the news story about the mountain lion attacking from above). At this point, Lauren, who is normally Speedy Gonzales, had broken a training wheel and was forced to walk. This was a blessing in disguise as Pokey Pants big sister now had a chance to be the speedy one. During the course of the walk, Lauren would scale a hill and ride back down it twice before Anna even made it up one time. Anyway, as Lauren and I were walking, we heard and saw something moving. Lauren said it was surely a scary creature which would pop out and bite her on her head or her eye or her leg so we had better get going. Sounded like good advice to me. We all made it home safely where everyone had to go to the bathroom too badly to put their bikes away. Funny how when I opened the door, everyone went inside, sat down, and began to play with their Leapsters. After I put Jake’s stroller away, I laid him on the floor and let him play with a baby piano. He actually began to tap out a little tune. The girls heard and came running upstairs. They grabbed their band in a box and an impromptu jam session broke out. We had Jake on the piano….Lauren on the maracas…. and Anna playing a mean, mean flute. It was heavenly.
They ride their bikes while I push the stroller. The path we took today (and yesterday) is a bit hillier than where they normally ride. Yesterday Anna complained of sore legs afterwards. Today she wasn’t really into going but finally decided she’d tag along. While we were getting our stuff together, Lauren started talking about the deer she had seen out behind the house “in the wild”. According to her there were also lions in the wild and we had better be careful because the lions would eat us and our baby’s head... and maybe bears too. Shudder. Okay, so you all know I already have this irrational fear of my children being eaten by something (cough…sharks). So, immediately the idea of mountain lions sprang to mind and set the stage for our entire walk. When Anna came outside with her little purse filled with bandages, just in case, I began to wonder if someone somewhere was trying to tell me something. We headed out anyway and yes, we did see quite a bit of wild life. Some of the myriad “forest” dwellers we encountered included peacocks (as the girls called them) more commonly known to the rest of the world as turkeys. Apparently, their meal of choice is bread and mac ‘n cheese. We also saw woodpackers. These birds must be close relatives of the common woodpecker in on vacation from their home in Green Bay. We saw a dead snake which was a huge favorite of the peanut gallery and Lauren spotted a deer. We also heard many, many things moving in the grass around us and on the hill above us (irrational fear revived…reminds me of the news story about the mountain lion attacking from above). At this point, Lauren, who is normally Speedy Gonzales, had broken a training wheel and was forced to walk. This was a blessing in disguise as Pokey Pants big sister now had a chance to be the speedy one. During the course of the walk, Lauren would scale a hill and ride back down it twice before Anna even made it up one time. Anyway, as Lauren and I were walking, we heard and saw something moving. Lauren said it was surely a scary creature which would pop out and bite her on her head or her eye or her leg so we had better get going. Sounded like good advice to me. We all made it home safely where everyone had to go to the bathroom too badly to put their bikes away. Funny how when I opened the door, everyone went inside, sat down, and began to play with their Leapsters. After I put Jake’s stroller away, I laid him on the floor and let him play with a baby piano. He actually began to tap out a little tune. The girls heard and came running upstairs. They grabbed their band in a box and an impromptu jam session broke out. We had Jake on the piano….Lauren on the maracas…. and Anna playing a mean, mean flute. It was heavenly.
