Biking with the Palmers

Kevin heard of a new trail in Dallas called "White Rock Creek Trail". So of course we wanted to try it out and invited our good friend the Palmer to come along for the ride. I can't believe that I didn't get pictures of everyone in the fancy biking gear, oh well. It was a beautiful day and the kids were great sports. When we found a park along the trail, of course we let the kids out of the trailers to stretch their legs and play.

Ava hanging out with dad and happy to be out of the trailer.

Kaden found that log and carried it around with him the entire time we were at the park. Boys will be Boys.

Prior to leaving, Kevin checked to see where the nearest ice cream parlor was. We thought it would be fun to stop along the way and get ice cream. On his map, it looked as though Braums was just a couple of blocks off the main trail. A couple of blocks turned into a couple of miles on a highly trafficed road uphill the entire way! The worst part was that the sidewalk ended after a few blocks and we were forced to ride on the side of the road. Picture lots of honking and dirty looks. We were on a mission and wouldn't be deterred! Oh the things one will do for a Braums ice cream cone! We did make it.

The Palmers

Ava loves straws. She doesn't care what she's drinking as long as she has a straw.

After a delicious high-calorie meal and a giant serving of ice cream, we hightailed it out of there because it was almost dark and we still had a several mile ride back to the car. Lucky for us it was almost all downhill and we made much better time getting back. All in all, a good day.

Biking White Rock Lake

One of the best things about still being a student is two weeks off for Christmas Break. Kevin didn't have class last year during the break, but was on-call last Christmas and New Year's with the hospital. It was amazing to him to ourselves this year.

Since moving to Dallas almost two years ago, we have been wanting to bike around White Rock Lake. It is a 9.33-mile loop and we had a beautiful day for a bike ride.

Kade and Ava chilling in the Chariot. Kaden is doing really well on his two-wheeler, but nine miles is a long way to go. We are considering a tandem attachment that would hook onto Kevin's bike.

Lauren rode behind me on my bike, and Kevin pulled Ava and Kaden in the trailer.

We stopped half way around the lake and let the kiddos out to play at a park. Kade spent most of his time jumping off this rock. Can you say broken leg?

Daddy and Ava infront of White Rock Lake. She was happy to be out of the trailer for awhile, but not happy to be held. She wanted D-O-W-N!

I love Ava in her little bike helmet that looks too big for such a tiny head.

Much deserved bannana splits. We let the kids dish themselves. Can you tell?

The Parker's 10-Miler

I have to preface this post by saying that I started out as a huge party pooper, but was having a blast by the end of the day. My sweet hubby is such an adventurer. He is constantly looking for new things to do or try to "shake things up a bit". So a few days ago when I pointed out that Rockwall has a Farmers Market every Saturday, Kevin immediately replied that we should go. That sounded great to me. I love fresh produce and supporting our local farmers.

In the next breath Kevin added that we should ride our bikes to the Farmers Market with the kids. Ok, I am thinking this might work but I need more details. So I pulled up MapQuest and learned that it would be a total of 10 miles round-trip. We recently purchased a few bike trailers to be able to enjoy biking as a family. However, our furthest trip with the kids in tow was probably close to 2 miles. This little outing would defiantly test our endurance. I was honestly more concerned about the kids making it through the day than I was about pulling them. As it turns out, I was worrying about the wrong things. The kids did great!

The morning of our big ride, the weather was perfect. It was about 85 degrees and slightly overcast. Actually, thinking that it might rain, I threw in my rain jacket just in case. We put Ava in the single buggy because it reclines back the furthest and was her best bet for a nap. Kaden and Lauren were strapped into the Chariot. Within the first 5 mins. Lauren started complaining that Kaden was "touching her". Here we go I thought to myself. So Lauren came out of the bike buggy and into the seat directly behind my seat. I pulled Ava as well in the trailer. It was fun to have Lauren so close to me while riding, although she was very distracting. She thought it was hilarious to either pull up my shirt, or put her hands down my pants. Kevin pulled Kaden. We took the back roads to avoid traffic, which added a little bit of time onto our ride.

Pulling into Rockwall and locking up our bikes.

Mom and Dad are still smiling

Rockwall Farmer's Market

Plump, juicy, and delicious blackberries

Purple Fingers

Purple Mouths

Kaden and Lauren with the Bee Charmer

Kaden's Honeycomb

Yes, she did finally fall asleep. What a sweet baby.

We had a great time at the market, and before we knew it, it was time to hop back on the bikes and head home. When asked about their favorite part of the trip, each family member had something different to say:

Lauren: "Petting the puppies. Can I have a puppy?"

Kaden: "Eating honeycomb with the bee lady."

Marnie: "Sitting on the grass and eating blackberries."

Kevin: "Riding through the paved trails through Harry Meyer's Park."

Top Ten Pearls of Wisdom Learned from our Adventure:
1. Ava will sleep if she is tired enough
2. Sometimes it is just easier to separate the kids
3. For being flat, Texas sure has a lot of hills
4. Our bike seats are too hard, and our seat seats are too soft
5. Honeycomb tastes good
6. When calculating time, be sure to figure in several potty breaks
7. Don’t let Kade divvy out the blackberries
8. Lauren will pet every puppy in sight (asking first of course)
9. Thank goodness for 7-11 public restrooms
10. Maybe next time we’ll bring the car along?