A Ticket to Ride

When Isaac was about three weeks old, I realized I had to do something to get out of the house or my sanity would be severely compromised. Still in that new-mother stage of being a bit timid of attempting anything too daring with just me and a newborn(such as a trip to the Target 1.7 miles from my home, which I do not think I ever attempted until the child was about three months old), I opted for taking him on a walk each and every morning. We quickly found a favorable route and so began our mornings together everyday. We would wake-up, I would feed him a bottle and then we were off to see the world outside the walls of casa de phillips. At first Isaac usually fell asleep during the middle of the walk. However as months marched by he was more alert and became aware of his temporary outdoor surroundings.



By the time Evelyn came along, Isaac and I were in a pretty good rhythm with our walking. We had people we routinely greeted, we knew the best malls to hit up on colder days and I knew exactly how long it took to prepare for and then complete the walk, thus fitting it in perfectly with our schedule.



We tweaked things some to fit Miss E. into our walking (such as "winning" a beaut of a stroller on EBay) routine. Soon the three of us were out on the streets of our little suburb, soaking up some sun and having a grand ol time (except for when being chased by local rabid ducks**. No grand time was ever had then.)


I still have two kids who love to go on walks. Now we have to walk a bit further to discourage anyone from thinking they can leave the stroller and walk by themselves. I pack a lot more snacks and we usually hit up a few more playgrounds than we did in the past. There are some days when the phrase "Keep your hands to yourself" is repeated countless times, leaving me to wonder why the creators of the side-by-side stroller did not have an optional retaining wall to place between the two passengers of the stroller on difficult days.

I have found that walking with kids, whether in a stroller or side by side, is a great way to get outside and just talk. Yesterday we partook of a very long walk (about 4 miles). The three of us talked about various things, discovered some local history and simply enjoyed each other's company. During our four miles, we fed some fish, hiked a trail, visited a farmer's market, was in the background of a commercial being filmed, and swung by Sonic for some refreshments.

Do you think these two will still want to ride in our BOB when they are 11 and 10 years old?

**I know I have failed to mention said ducks in a long time. After calling the local dog catcher and attempting to have the city protect me from these mean creatures, I eventually decided to never. walk. that. way. again. Yeah, I am a dork. Anyway, about three months ago the owners of these ducks built a fence around the "pond" (think child's swimming pool) where the ducks live. Guess who is outside of the fence everytime I drive by? Mr. Duck and his crew of duck hooligans. So in case you were curious, yes the ducks are still there. No, I never, ever walk past them. Ever.