The Jordan River Parkway was our choice of trail and it was BEAUTIFUL. Its a quiet, paved path along the Jordan River and winds through beautiful farm land. Not too far into the ride, Parker started complaining that his eyes hurt and he was tired. But everyone else seemed to be fine, Sydney on her bike and Rachel & Camille behind Sterling in a bike trailer. So we continued on.
Finally we reached an old bridge (which Ster informs me is a favorite among high school kids and other such brave risk-taking type of people for launching off and jumping into the river.) This is where we stopped for dinner.
Now remember, my expectations were high and I was starting to get a little irritated that Parker had complained much of the way thus far. When we got off our bikes, he collapsed in my lap and wanted to rest instead of eat his sandwich. That was fine with me. I'll never refuse a little cuddle with my munchkins. Only he wasn't interested in munching at all. In fact, he started to feel worse and worse. Not just his eyes anymore. It was his legs, his head, his tummy.
Oh no, you can see where this is headed. About 15 minutes after we stopped, Parker was puking over the side of the bridge. Poor guy. At that point we decided it was probably time to go home, only how to do that was up in the air. He was in no condition to ride and the trailer was kind of small for 3 kids. And frankly, I wasn't interested in him puking all over the girls, in the trailer, on the way. I was starting to get quite worked up over this predicament but Sterling, in his manly, eagle scout way, kept reassuring me that he was strong in stature and his shoulders were broad! He alone would pull the trailer with 3 children, additionally beset by a bike tied on top and a backpack on his strong and sturdy back.
Parker made it back to the truck but immediately jumped out of the trailer and hurled over a guardrail. He returned saying, "I don't want to go on that bike ride again until I'm 11 or something." We assured him, it wasn't the ride that was the problem. He was just sick. Sometime during the ride home, Parker said, "Great ride, Dad."
I'm not sure Parker understands what sarcasm or irony is. He might have really meant what he said on some level. No matter. It really diffused the stress level for me anyway. Laughter really is the best medicine.
ps - he woke the next morning just fine - hungry and happy as a lark AND the last picture is obviously a reconstruction of the actual scene.
4 comments:
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! I'm not laughing at poor Parker, just your great breakdown of the events.
Aren't you glad you didn't have to clean it up?
Family adventures are always an adventure. On a side note...Your kids look so much like you when you were young. It is kind of cool. I can imagine Sydney doing some of the same things that we did at that age. I just had a flashback looking at your kids on this post!
Poor kid! It's awful to plan a nice, enjoyable activity and have it turn out to be so stressful. I'm also glad he didn't barf on the girls.
No one will forget that family outing. Those are always the most memorable. I keep wanting to do that same thing with my family. I can't get Tom on board.
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