Do We Have a Plan B?

We've been enjoying some bee-yoo-ti-ful weather here in Arlington for the last week or two, and today was no exception. Sunny but milder temperatures have allowed us to spend more time outdoors without having to refill our water bottles once or twice or twelve times, and the mosquito(e)s appear to be hibernating or migrating or whatever it is that mosquito(e)s do in the fall. And since it was such a pleasant day, Randy thought it would be nice to load up the kids and the bikes and head over to the park to ride a few laps.

Now taking our family on a bike ride is a complicated affair. We can't just say we're going for a ride and . . . well, go for a ride. Getting six people and six bicycles from Point A to Point B without actually riding said bicycles from Point A to Point B is a little tricky and takes some planning. So Randy backed the Pilot out of the garage and started removing our bikes off their racks. As he pulled them down he observed that the tires needed a little air, so he got the air pump and commenced to inflating them. Now the kids' bicycle tires are almost always on the flat side so they all lined up, waiting for their turn with the pump.

With the kids duly occupied, Randy decided to take the opportunity to remove the training wheels from Sawyer's bike. He had been intending to do the deed for a while but frankly, between the brutally hot summer, the lack of sidewalks and the abundance of hills in our neighborhood, bike-riding didn't make our list of top ten summer activities. So Randy got his tools and took off the training wheels while Peyton was finishing up with her bicycle.

Randy began loading the bikes that were ready into the back of his truck when Peyton, who was admiring her newly-pumped up tires, said, "Mom, do you hear that hissing sound?" Yep--you guessed it. Her front tire actually looked like it was bubbling spit--I've never really seen anything like it. No problem--we have an extra bike since Tyler outgrew his last one so Randy told her she could just ride it.

So I went and got the bike out of the backyard and wheeled it around for Peyton. Trouble was, the seat was too high. No biggie--Randy said he would lower it for her before we left. Out came the tools again and pretty soon Peyton was wheeling around like a champ. By this time, though, mild temps or no mild temps, Randy was a little warm from all the physical exertion so he asked me to make some Gatorade. And naturally, since Randy was having Gatorade, EVERYBODY had to have Gatorade. So out came all the travel bottles, and everyone filled one up for the road.

Finally, FINALLY, after getting all the bikes loaded up and making a last-minute scramble to collect forgotten bike helmets, we piled into both vehicles and started toward the park.






And down came the rain.



I'm not even kidding.



Welcome to my world.