Doin' What We Can

We're getting along, just doing what we can.

The other day it was raining off and on. Dilana and I decide to take an umbrella to the bus stop...but decided not to stop there. We brought one of her favorite fabric swatches and made a tent in which she could wait for her brother. It was a hit. I remember how much I used to love tents and am now thinking I need to rediscover that play time!

After not deciding one way or the other whether we'd take part, we decided the morning of to participate in International Walk To School Day this past Wednesday. Tyler's school isn't located in a neighborhood but by a major highway, so I'm pretty sure we were the only ones (or part of a VERY small crowd) who actually took part. (There were "Watch Our Walkers" signs posted all over town, but mostly applicable to the other schools.)

(Two very excited kids the morning of)

We'd driven our path the day before so knew it was a little over 3 miles each way. We left the house right after 8 a.m. We brought the jogging stroller for Dilana but incorrectly assumed Tyler would be fine the whole way. We knew we were in trouble when almost right out of our neighbhorhood he started complaining (but still wanted to make the trip)!

Between several stops trying to juggle the kids (carrying Dilana so Tyler could ride, trying to get them both in the stroller, switching off between Chris & I)...it took us much longer than we thought for the trip. We ended up with both kids in the jogging stroller for much of the trip & I even ran with them some of the way. (I got a bit concerned when Tyler's bus passed us heading back to the school.) I dropped him off at his classroom literally one minute before the final tone sounded to start school. (I'm not wearing blush in that photo...it was chilly!)

We tried a different path home (along the busy highway...which we thought would be shorter). It actually took us nearly 1.5 hours to walk home (against the wind and at a slower pace than our trip there). After nearly 2.5 hours of being on the road, all of us had trouble walking when we got home. (Poor Dilana's legs had apparently stopped working from being in the stroller for so long.)

The road back home was a long one. At least there were signs for the first few hundred feet out of the school parking lot (because that's where all the homes & traffic are, right???)

Chris & I decided to treat ourselves to massages that night (knowing he'd be working two 13-hr days the following days). Well worth it.

I am thrilled that we did it (Tyler even asked to walk to school the next day. I ever-so-politely refused). I had a GREAT deal of insights throughout the walk, which leads to another blog entry...