Bike Trailers and Joggers

I'm supposed to be researching A bike/jogging stroller. Instead I'm blogging. But maybe I can kill two birds with one stone here.

Goal: Get my kids to school at 8 AM and get exercise at the same time.

I thought with today's gas prices I could justify a bike and trailer, but I have four little ones none of which are strong enough riders to bike the 1 mile (uphill) to school. Any ideas? What do you like or dislike about bike trailers? Is it good to get one that can also be a stroller?

One friend told me she used to put a baby seat on the back of her bike and two kids in the bike trailer. So that's three. Maybe I could get at least one of them to ride their own bike.

A few new pictures

We got our family photo taken today. It was a little ironic because the town was flooded. Businesses all around us were pumping out basements and emergency crews were driving by. But the park was pleasant and the plants didn't mind all the rain. We might have postpone but T will be starting his new job soon, so we decided to go on with the show.

And since I'm posting anyway, here are some other great shots. Cold winters and rainy springs lead to creative play. Yes, we put the car out in the cold/rain and let the kids play in the garage.

Preschool is still going. . . sort of. One day we learned about tigers and made masks. Only "Little t" made a robot mask instead of a tiger mask. "Little a" will start summer school on Monday. To give her a chance at half day. Kindergarten will be a full day when it starts in the fall.

April showers bring May flowers. In our case May flowers are dandelions. After so much cold and snow it was amazing to see the fields covered in yellow blossoms.

Miracles Grow

I finally broke down and signed up for the community garden in the town next to ours. It's a 20 minute drive, but I just can't resist the miracle of growing things. I know we probably wont save any money growing vegetables 20 minutes away. I finally justified it as a teaching tool for my kids. Plus, I roped in our family that lives there. It gives us all something to do together.

We planted 5 rows of corn, two sunflowers, a row of beans, a row of carrots and radishes, four tomatoes, 12 peppers (for salsa), and a hill of cucumbers. It's a big space, so we still have a lot of room to plant melons and pumpkins. I should mention we didn't actually use Miracle Grow, but a standard 10-10-10 fertilizer.

Our garden is full of blessings already. Our neighbor gardener offered to rototill our plot, saving us hours of digging in the clay-like soil to loosen it up. Also, on Saturday and were surprised that corn and sunflowers were already starting to poke up through the soil.

Speaking of miracles. I want to say something out of deep humility and gratitude. I have reason to believe that people with a lot of faith have been praying for our family. Something amazing happened last week. I wont mention here beyond it was a miracle and beyond what my own faith could produce. I have a feeling that it was due to the faith and prays of others on our behalf. If it was you, I wanted to let you know that your prayer has been answered in an amazing way. Thank you for your service to our family. My own faith in prayer and the Lord's tender mercies has been strengthened. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!