The great idea

You know how sometimes, you get a super great idea and before you can really, truly think it through, you jump on it?

That would be us on Wednesday night.

The Hubs & I decided to take the girls on a “forest walk” {as Little O calls it} after an early dinner. It was a crisp night, the girls had taken awesome naps & we were ready to get in a bit of exercise & fresh air.

Little O was rocking her shades, ready to get the party started. 

As for Baby H? She was a little introspective about the whole thing. 

Once we got started, though, it didn’t take long for Baby H to get into the swing of things. 

And it didn’t take long to reach a walk highlight: Little O attempting to give Baby H a boost to see the tree sign. 

Love! {Little O’s face is a tiny bit hilarious, no?!}

Anyway, the walk was going swimmingly. The girls were having fun, the Hubs & I were loving being outside, and I was doing my best to avoid looking for any creepy-crawly-type of characters lurking in the grass.

And then…

the wheels started to fall off.

It began when Baby H wouldn’t let us pick her up to carry her. She wanted to walk like a big girl, and truth be told, she was doing an awesome job trucking down the path.

The problem? At Baby H’s pace, we’d finish our 2-mile hike around 11:30 p.m.

No dice.

Sensing that a diversion was needed, I spotted a bench ahead & suggested we stop for a quick snack break.

The happiness balance was restored. The girls were enjoying their cookies together…

when Baby H leaned forward & toppled off the bench, breaking her fall with her cute little noggin.

Both the Hubs & I were right there and it still happened too fast for us to catch her. Ugh.

Luckily, Baby H seemed no worse for the wear, especially after Little O kissed her & made it feel better. 

And Baby H’s cookie was replaced with a new, dirt-free one {her main concern}, and all was right again in the world.

Until we started walking again.

And realized that our car was so very, very far away.

And it was getting late.

And Baby H was getting tired and cranky, so her pace was slowing down even more.

And Little O wanted to stop & pick every flower in the vicinity. And got super whiney when we told her she had enough in her bouquet. 

This is the point that our terrific lets-go-spend-some-time-together-outside idea went downhill. In a hurry.

So we did what all parents of young children do when it gets close to bedtime & the wheels are falling off: we scrambled.

The Hubs swung Little O onto his shoulders and I picked up a grumpy, writhing Baby H and we hauled it down that dirt path.

Twenty endless minutes later, we finally let the girls down to cross over the bridge that marked the end of our journey.

Both girls absolutely lit up at the chance to walk again. 

And the Hubs & I absolutely melted when we watched them join hands & cross that bridge together. 

In that precious moment, our extremely long walk didn’t seem like such a bad idea, after all.

Counting My Kisses: The best-laid plans, right?! Even though it certainly wasn’t our greatest idea ever, the walk was still super fun. I’m thankful for the time we spent together, and I know I’ll always remember the girls crossing the bridge together, hand in hand. Love that!

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