About twice a month, the boys and I will take a hike up there to get some of our energy out. Some of the hills are pretty steep, so it’s a good workout for them. It would be good for me if we didn’t walk SO DANG SLOW.
Because, really, we don’t walk. [Side note: I hate it when people start sentences with “so” or “because” or “or” or “and.” I’m just sayin’.]
We don’t walk. We saunter and stop and look and pick up and sit in the dirt and throw dirt at each other and throw rocks and, wait! You thought that I was going to say that we throw rocks at each other! Ha-ha! We/They don’t. At least, not anymore. We’re going to save that up for when we are teenagers and have some really strong arms so that we can really huck those babies HARD!
Sometimes (aka PMS or when I forget to put sunscreen on them), I get very impatient with the stops and the dawdling. I know. Bad parent of the year award goes to ME! I try to remind myself that they are learning, and that they are having fun even if I’m completely miserable walking through the dirt in the 99* weather watching out for rattlesnakes. Good times, baby!
Here, the boys were making avalanches with the dirt. You know, making a mess, but at the same time, pretending that a town was below the avalanche, and it was about to be buried. They shout and talk about how to get all of the people out safely. I think that this is good because it shows that they have some compassion and can exhibit concern for their fellow man. Who knows? Maybe it’s good training for being future ski patrol?
They are also very interested in figuring out HOW the rocks/dirt fall, if there are any patterns or blockades or if some dirt avalanches differently than other dirt. [Side note: Is “avalanches” solely a plural noun, or can it be considered a verb, too? Hmmmm….] I think that this is good because they are using their minds – even if they don’t realize it. I try to ask them questions during this time to get their brains working even more.
They also love just getting dirtier than pigs. Oh, and peeing outside. They love to do that on our hikes. That definitely helps with the getting dirty part because, let’s face it, there are few ways to get your pants looking particularly grungy than to dribble on them after dropping them so that you can pee and then have your brother throw (different) dirt directly on that wet patch.
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