Night Hike

A few months ago we started going on "Night Hikes" before bed. We mostly walk a little loop that takes us down some quiet streets onto a portion of the bike path that runs through Frick Park. We walk this route all the time, but everything looks really different in the dark. Right now there's snow packed tight on the trail, and the woods are a lot less threatening with their blanket of snow. Sometimes we see deer and once we spotted some eyes up in a tree, a possum or raccoon maybe.

I wasn't planning on taking them out tonight. I babysat the neighbors after school, and then after they went home, started rolling out pizzas. But things got out of control, as they do when cooking with kids. Flour everywhere! Cheese everywhere! Legos everywhere!

"Night hike," I told the kids, "Suit up."

They scurried around getting snow pants and mittens and things calmed down a bit immediately.

I thought about trying to tidy up a bit. At least right the tipped-over furniture and pick the pizza crusts off the floor. Then I thought better of it. M walked in the door and happily was into the idea of a night hike. We all set out, flashlights in hand.

My favorite part is how we walk so closely together, often holding hands. The kids don't stray very far, we never have to yell for someone to hurry up or stop. Our voices are a lot quieter, the kids ask all sorts of questions and even though we live in a city neighborhood, we hardly ever see another person.

Tonight Max kept saying, "the Maxie shadow big!" because Marko was walking behind him with a headlamp on.

Laurel was thrilled with every icy patch we crossed.

Marko brought his hiking stick and used it for balance as well as to knock icicles out of trees.

We were all a lot happier and calmer when we got back inside.

I used to go on some pretty grand adventures. Sometimes it takes a little effort to see the value in very small adventures like these, but I definitely think it's there.

Blank-wet and other things I want to remember

The other day we were all talking about first words. We could remember funny things each kid would say when they were small, but could not remember anybody's first words. It's probably here somewhere on these thousand blog entries I have typed over the years. Here are a few more things I want to remember.

Max pronounces blanket as "blank-wet." He wakes up very early every day and likes to watch Daniel Tiger while we snuggle on the couch.

The other day I picked the boys up from preschool, and even though they spent the morning right down the hall from each other in their respective classrooms, they still embraced and said I MISSED YOU, looking genuinely happy to be reunited. Another mom asked me if they were always so affectionate. (Answer, no, we are a family of intense high and lows.)

We finally had a week where Max walked into his classroom by himself and without tears.

Laurel just got the cutest haircut with bangs. Along with her glasses, she looks like an entirely different child. It's fun to see how different family members show up in her face depending on how she wears her hair.

There's more, but if I don't hit publish, this will never happen.