Rookies

I am glad to know that although Chip and I have lots of friends and family with kids and we have heard lots of stories about how to do things, we are not immune to total rookie parent moments.  Actually, we are quite familiar with these moments after six months now.  Recently, we tried to take to the trails for our first family hike.  We probably spent a few hours thinking, talking, and putting together what we thought we would need.   We started by ordering a few awesome backpacks to put the kiddos in.  We remembered to pack diapers and wipes in case of a midhike blowout.  We packed their food so we could have a picnic in the woods, which included remembering bibs, spoons, formula, and more wipes.  However, we did not think about the obvious- sun.  So, we headed out, with a few hats in hand, which did not do much to help their blinded eyes as they slid off their heads, blinding them in another way, and frustrating them too.  About every six steps we had to stop and adjust someone's hat, apply more sunscreen, or adjust them in the pack.  At one point Ruby started to get sleepy, which is  when we realized that the straps were not adjusted properly for her to nap.  She practically folded in half in exhaustion.

Owen is very easily distracted when feeding anyway.  The forest was a real challenge when it came to staying focused.  Just too many cool things to check out!:)

So, we did get our picnic in the woods, about 10 minutes from our house, at which point we promptly turned the train around and headed home, Ruby in Chip's arms so she wouldn't break her neck.  Our hours of preparation led to about 20 minutes of adventure.  So typical, eh?  Really lookin forward to our first ski adventure...SO MUCH gear.  Maybe we should start planning now.



 Mmmmm.. avocados just taste better in the woods

Ruby, post lunch picnic, lounging with her dad and pup.

I am happy to report that we were not too discouraged.  We have been out with the packs again.  Our second hike lasted significantly longer, there was significantly less frustration, and everyone ended the hike still in the pack.  Success.

This is a picture of us on the second hike with the crucial sunshades that we did not have on the first one.  You can see that Ruby fell asleep again and that we have not quite figured out the straps still.  Next time for sure.