This is the way we walk to school...

I have been meaning to take the camera with me on our walk to school, but keep forgetting.  Today I remembered, but it was cloudy - so the pictures aren't as pretty as they could be.  Besides my battery ran out half-way home so I didn't get to take very many pictures anyway.  As you all know I am uber-talented and things like this are very normal for me.

Still, it is a fun walk, so I wanted to document it.  

Right now we walk E to school because it is nice outside and it is not too far.  It is .5 mile each way, so E walks 1 mile a day and M and GQ walk 2.  Since I am physically incapable of pushing a two-person stroller up and down the hilly road to school (my arm muscles are definitely mal-nutritioned) and since M and GQ are physically incapable of behaving well when we have a one person stroller (it's my turn, no it's my turn, no IT'S MYYYYY TURN), we do not take a stroller at all.

We are slow and take a long time - Justin is always surprised, but I remind him that I am definitely walking with a 2 year old and a 3 year old.  (Not that I would walk much faster on my own.... I have always been a dallier.)  Still, we usually make it without too many tears.  (In my book each child crying up to 3 times is not that bad if they stop within 2 minutes.)  I have not cried so far.  Though I am not sure if anyone from my backpacking days will believe me about that one.

When we walk though the woods I often feel like I have stepped into one of those early-Mormon history movies.  You can hear the road, but you also hear the birds and bugs.  And you definitely don't see anything but forest.

This is my best shot of all the hills.  There are several.  One day I tried to count them.  Then I got distracted and forgot what number I was on and whether I had counted the hilll I was walking at that time or not.  I've never tried to count them again because I am a slacker and prefer to fill my head with more useful thoughts.  (Do not ask me what the useful thoughts might be.)

Last week the kids saw a deer while walking in the woods.  That was a real treat.  Usually, it goes like this:

1.  They race out the door.  I yell "slow down."  This is usually the only time I yell this.  They are very fast when we are still by cars.  The rest of the trip is filled with "come on's" and "catch-ups". 

(And yes, M's outfit often rivals E's.  Today???  Pulled up "Hello Kitty" socks, pink capris, and her jacket zipped to her chin.)

2.  GQ picks up sticks at the first opportunity.  He then brandishes them at sisters, strangers, bugs, trees, sidewalks and other such offending articles.

If his sticks break while he is beating something/someone up.... he cries.

3.  When he does not have a stick he races down the hills.

4.  Then, he falls.  I have counted... and I didn't even get distracted... GQ falls approximately four times each way for our school trips.  He is covered with skids, and so I finally bought some fun bandaids.  This was a stupid idea since now when he falls again - and Buzz is scraped off as well as his skin - he cries even harder.  Sadly I am a vagrant mother and will not pick him up when he falls.  I rationalize this with the fact that I am pregnant, but mostly it is because if I picked him up then I would have to pick M up... and I am way too lazy for that.  So, when he falls, he cries and gets back up, and usually falls again.  Poor thing.

5.  M and GQ pick flowers and blackberries.  M will only eat the red ones even thought they are not ripe and are very likely disgusting.  GQ once tried to eat old cereal off the ground.... we are working on that.

6.  M also likes to play "Red Light, Green Light."  Although she stops listening when she feels like it and runs away.

7.  GQ looks for bugs and declares they are "going to eat him."  If he has his stick he kills them, despite the fact that I tell them the forest is where bugs are supposed to live. 

Overall, we have a fun walk every day.  When snow arrives, I'm sure our walks will stop.  Just like this post, which will now stop because my stupid letter p on my computer broke again and that makes typing very annoying.

the end.