So this morning I got up, around 8:30 and went and laid down in Devin's room. He was the first one up and tossed all his crib accouterments, so I reset his crib and he went down for another half-hour. Around 9:00am Devin decided he was up for the day, so I changed him and got his milk going. Maya was up by this time, so we all settled in for a breakfast of Cookie Monster Organic Mini Waffles (blueberry), Giant Strawberries, Blackberries, and a Veggie-Soy "breakfast pattie". Yeah, I know it sounds weird but it's actually pretty tasty, for soy.

After the kids finished, Steph was up so I decided that we were going biking. Steph almost opted to stay home and get some homework done, but I guilted her into going. We packed up some lunch for the kids and went down to the Silver Comet Depot. Here we met a likable feller named Ozzy and he got us set up with bikes. Now, Steph and I actually have our own cycles, however they are both in storage. And, mine is equipped for off-roading, so it wouldn't be a great ride on the Comet. Steph's has practically deteriorated, so she'll probably need a new one. Anyway, I got some sorta Raleigh, I think, with a Shimano 21 speed ring shifter and linear brakes - nothing special, but it works. Steph got a Specialized Crossroads, and she was quite happy with it. The kids got a Burley two-seater trailer with universal join linkage. You can see below what they thought of it:

Not exactly what you'd call an auspicious start for our trek. I like the Burley trailer. It appears to be sturdy and capable, and has enough storage space for the kids' lunch and some extra stuff. The tires are nice and big, and round (bonus!). The trailer also has a 3-piece cover which includes snap-down flaps for covering the opening. The flaps are "screen", "clear" and "tinted". We used the screen as it wasn't that cold, and the trailer tends to retain heat very well. My little thermal engine toddlers pumped out plenty of BTUs to keep the interior warm.

After the first 15 minutes, Devin was out like a light. We gave them some juice and a mini-box of raisins to keep them busy. Towing the trailer was easier than I thought. Steph remarked that I seemed to be performing a significant amount of gear-changing, but that's what a transmission is for - adequate distribution of power to the drivetrain with least amount of stress to the engine. Or something to that effect. At any rate, it was quite fun.

We rode for about 4 miles out from the Depot to Powder Springs. Steph was getting thirsty, and like doofuses we only packed stuff for the kids and not ourselves (duh!) So we stopped, gave the kids a fruit strip (pomegranate!) and turned round towards the Depot. Another four miles, and we're back at the depot and the kids are, shall we say, less than clean. We get our gear turned in and load up for the ride back home (it's a long one - about 5 minutes). We decide to let the kids eat their lunch because it's pushing 1pm and they'll be ready for naps. So we give them the sack lunch and they eat while we ride home. That was a mistake. PB&J, dates, a cheese slice and pretzel all make for great makeup/hair products. A bath is required before anyone touches anything in the house.

So, we plopped both kids in our garden tub and had bath/funtime for a half hour before putting the kids down for a nap. They really enjoyed the bath, and they are actually getting more fun out of those foam numbers and letters - they can recite some bits and pieces of the alphabet and can count a few numbers.








So, all in all, we decided we would definitely do this again as a regular activity. We will probably purchase our own trailer, and we'll have to get Steph a decent bike at some point (mine is fine, but just needs road tires). The Depot seems to have reasonable prices, plus they do free brake/adjustment service. And, if you purchase a bike from them, any rentals within 30 days prior to the purchase are deducted from the price! Sounds like a nice deal, which is good because the kids really enjoyed themselves, and getting outside is always good.