One of the things I want to do with my kids is walk. They don’t have to be expert mountain climbers or hard-core hikers, but I want to be able to take them to a place like Thetis Lake and go for a walk. For a while I thought this time would never come. Elliot has always loved being carried, and well after his third birthday he was still asking to be picked up. It was frustrating at times, especially when I couldn’t pick him up because I was carrying Amy and his reaction would be a tantrum. But it was also a battle that I mostly chose not to fight. If he asked to be picked up and I was able to, I usually did, and still do. I love carrying my kids and I know it’s not going to last forever.
But things have changed over the past year with Elliot. He’s much more into walking, and I’m often quite impressed by his stamina. Amy’s still in the stroller and being carried quite a bit, but I’m expecting that in the next year or so we will be able to start taking some longer walks with both of them.
And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a planned thing, nor does it have to be at a park. Tonight during dinner Heart was a bit antsy, so Greg said he’d take her out for a walk after dinner. I asked Amy if she wanted to go, pretty sure she’d say yes (she did) and I also asked Elliot, pretty sure he’d say no (he may be into walking more, but he’s still a homebody and he was already in his pj’s). Surprisingly, he said yes. And also surprisingly, they got ready to go out without any prompting at all. Elliot even helped get Amy ready. So we all went out together. Amy in the stroller and the rest of us walking, Elliot holding the flashlight. We walked around our “block” (really a circle), which takes about fifteen minutes with kids, and when we got back to the house Elliot said he wanted to go around again. Greg went in to do the dishes and the rest of us went around again.
I had a great time. I love doing stuff as a family, I love the little games Elliot plays (don’t step on the cracks, pretend the leaves are fire) and I love listening to the conversations he and Amy have. And they were both excited about seeing the crescent moon and all the stars. We got home and transitioned nicely into bedtime, and now they are both in bed. Quiet.
It was a lovely end to a lovely day.