Making Memories

It was about 4:30 p.m. and I was getting antsy. I asked JD if he wanted to go for a bike ride (we went for a short one last year, but otherwise haven't gone in about 7 years). He thought it was too hot. I didn't; it was in the 70s today after several days with temps in the 90s. I decided to take the kids and go anyway. We would go as far as we could and then call JD to come pick us up. I texted a friend, not sure that it was a brilliant idea to attempt this on my own; she couldn't come, so it was just me and my crew. Ryley and Zeke both learned to ride bikes last year. They still have wreckcidents every so often, but they're pretty steady. They really only bike on the short road we live on and when we go camping; an actual ride on the road is something we had never attempted. Quin had never been on a bike, but we have a pretty cool bike seat that I bought when Ryley was a babe, and I was quite sure that he'd enjoy the ride. JD put some more air in my tires, as my bike hasn't been touched since last year's August camping trip the week before Quin was born. We donned helmets and off we went. The first part of the ride was downhill as we live on the end of a mountain (biggest reason I was glad this was a one-way ride). We were on a dirt road, and only met one car (and two tractors). The kids did great. We reached the neighboring town and I convinced them to walk their bikes up the rest of the hill that we stopped at. We turned onto another dirt road and kept going. I rode between the two kids, so that I could yell to either one if I needed them to stop or stay to the side of the road. We got to a point where I realized they could easily make it to the next town, and we did. JD was shocked at how far we had gone, about 6.5 miles. (I know that isn't high mileage for some, but for me and a 5 and 7 year old, it was.) He met us at the market and got the kids slushies. (I hadn't planned on us making it too far, originally, so I had half a bottle of Vitamin Water with.) Quin did great also; he dozed for part of the ride and checked out the scenery for the rest. We didn't hear a sound out of him. I'm not sure when we'll do this again, and there really isn't another route we can try without taking the kids on the main, shoulder-less road, but even if it doesn't happen soon, I know that it was a great experience for them. I know it's something they won't forget and can already hear them saying, "Remember when we biked to .... " It's about being with your family, doing things together, and making memories.
Unfortunately, I failed to take any pictures.

Blogless Summer

It's been about a month since school got out and about a month since I blogged. You would think that I would have more time to do things with no job to run to in the morning and keep me occupied throughout the day, but that hasn't been the case. Life as a "stay-at-home mom" is busy, and we rarely actually stay at home. We started the summer with a road trip to Michigan for a family reunion. It was the first time that I attempted to take the kids in the car for a distance of more than 2.5 hours. It was a long ride, but thanks to borrowed DVDs, the big kids did great. Quin wasn't quite as content and has put up a fuss about being strapped in his car-seat ever since the drive home. I don't think he thought he'd ever get out of that seat.
We've spent time at various pools and beaches. It's been a warm VT summer with temps in the 90s this week. Our most exciting beach day was spent trying to outrun a storm on Lake George in New York. It was the 4th of July and we spent the day with friends and their two kids on the beach and then took their boat on the lake. A storm came up out of nowhere, and we tried to head back through it to get off the lake, but with high winds blowing rain and bits of hail sideways, Dave couldn't see, so we turned around and headed further south. We spent about an hour trying to stay ahead of it. The waves were about 3 feet, the rain was coming down, and I was a little worried, not that we'd die, but that we'd end up in the lake. The adults all donned life-jackets, the kids were curled up on the floor, and we just kept heading south with about two dozen other boats, including a coast guard-pulled-boat that had taken on too much water and sank. It eventually calmed, we found a place to get gas and use the bathroom, and then we headed north on a much more peaceful lake. It doesn't seem so bad now, but at the time it was scary, especially having five kids, including a baby with us.
Along with fun, their has been work. I've been painting, staining, and laying down flooring. The painting is hundreds of linear feet of trim for our new garage, the staining is trim for Quin's new bedroom, and the flooring is also for the bedroom. I'm looking forward to the completion of these projects, but know that there will just be more to follow.
Today is Saturday, and I may or may not try to hit a few garage sales this morning. I'm currently undecided.