Monday, July 14, 2008

Postcards From Our Local Vacation


Maybe "vacation" is too strong a word. It was more like... hey! Dad's home for a few hours. Let's go ride our bikes!" So, in the spirit of making the most of what you've got, we went out for family fun and our first test run of Maria's bike trailer.


Alex clicked and locked and fastened all the parts. Maria was too excited to wait on the outside, so she sat inside.


It came together easily, which is always a refreshing experience. The difficulty came when we discovered that William's bicycle went junk and the pedal completely snapped off. Shift: William took Geoff's new Costco special, and Geoff and I went back to sharing my ride, which meant someone would have to take turns walking. No biggie.


Helmets, sunblock, drinking water, camera, b-ball... ready, set, ride!


Max turns 10 in less than a month. Give me a moment. I'm getting misty. This boy is a treasure. Sigh.


This is hilarious, for me. It looks so well rehearsed and easy. Not!
Close toed shoes for 6, and no flip-flops.
No, no flip-flops. Why? Because.
Who has a helmet?
Where are the helmets?
I know we have at least 42 helmets in this house!
Does this look expired? Smell it. Does sunblock expire?
Everybody put on sunblock. No, we're out of the stick kind.
You inflate the tires and I'll find the basketball.
Do we have balls for Smashball?
Is there any Tylenol?


We were going to leave first thing in the morning. I think it was after 11:00 when we were headed out the door.


Ah, but we were happy and receptive. We were together. We even packed sandwiches and had cold grapes to snack on. And while it was neither rehearsed or particularly easy, it was fun and worthwhile. Think how much easier it will be next time. It's always a good sign when people are willing to consider next time.

5 comments:

Em said...

Wow, there are a lot of people out and about in your neighborhood! And I think you need to get the man a bike of his own so you can all ride! He looks a bit uncomfortable on your bike! I love the group riding pictures!

amy smith said...

i believe they call that a "staycation"
hope you all had a wonderful time!

gloria said...

QUE RICAS VACACIONES FAMILIARES!
MARIA ESTA SIEMPRE BELLA ♥
BESITOS VERANIEGOS NATALIE

jamjarboogie said...

HI Natalie,
I too have started chickens in the back yard. We have 6--as many as the city will allow. It's fun, they have such distinct personalities. I blog about them too!

Anonymous said...

Where's your helmet, Geoff?

Love, Mom