And since Connor, bless his heart, asks every single day "What we do today?" with that hopeful and expectant expression on his face, I decided we would try something new to mix up our routine of just swimming and playing in the yard. He would like to do something like go to the library or the boat school, or the park or out to eat, I'm sure. But we're still trying to stay close to home for potty training, so that wasn't in the cards today.
So, I loaded up the little guys in the stroller (in big boy underwear and shorts even), suckers in hand. And I pulled out Connor's big wheel tricycle for him. Thus far, we've only used it in the house. And he's actually skilled enough to use it these days, so our floors were beginning to see some scuff marks from him spinning the wheels to get started. I thought it was time to retire it to its intended use, outside.
We started off well. He loved coasting down the big hill that is our driveway and listened to Mommy when she told him to stay on the sidewalk and away from the road. Of course, just around that first bend, still on our property, the sidewalk starts to go uphill ever so slightly. It was too much, in Connor's opinion. He started whining and complaining about not being able to do it and his knees hurting. And, in fairness, his knees were practically at the handlebars. But we trudged on (I threatened we could just go back and take naps, which usually motivates my four-year old to try a little harder). And, we compromised. I put the stroller behind him and helped to "push" him with the stroller wheel on the inclines. He coasted on the down hills and pedaled on the flats. All in all, it went well.
There were still a few complaints about the knees on the handlebars. Mommy finally wised up and noticed that the seat could be lowered, and we fixed that problem. Though at this point, he was getting tired from our second trip around the block (he whined to not stop after the first one). But we made it back. He had fun. He listened well and didn't do anything that was unsafe. And, the little guys were content to ride in the stroller and were accident free.
So, all in all, a good trip. And a new outdoor activity I can enjoy when it's just me and the boys at home. Maybe next time we'll be brave enough to take Buster on his much-needed walk, too. But not today. I took two photos with my cell phone camera, so they're not that great. But you can get the idea at least.
My view from the back of the stroller. Connor liked to lead, and it also put him in a good position for us to push when he needed a little help on the hills.
Making a u-turn. He coasted down a hill and almost missed the turn back to our house. But he made his way back and even stopped to look both ways himself (without being prompted) before we crossed the road.