Geeks R Us

In every neighborhood we've lived in, we've been known as "that family that walks". We try to go for a walk every night after dinner to walk off that extra piece of bread we didn't need, enjoy the evening air, and keep the kids moving until bath time. Our neighbors watch for us and wave, asking us how far we walk (usually a mile) and where we've been if we miss a day (or a week) or two.

Usually, George rides in the stroller and Emma runs ahead of us, looking for leaves and rocks and acorns and bugs and....well, you get the idea. But for the last couple of nights, we've had George walk. He makes it most of the way, spending the last block or so up on Daddy's shoulders. Having him walk has greatly lengthened our walking time, but it's good for him and since those walks are when we have most of our family conversations, we enjoy it.

Last night we became not only "that family that walks", but also "that geeky family that walks". We spent much of the walk doing math. I kid you not. Emma was showing us the five weeds and five leaves she had gathered, and commenting on how fun that was because she's five years old. So Jason asked her, "What's five plus five plus five?" She continued walking quietly and I bet Jason a million dollars that she would get it right. Guess who's now a million dollars richer?

She thought that was so much fun, that we continued doing simple addition and subtraction the whole way home. So, if you're out in your yard some night and you hear the sound of scuffing feet and shrieks of, "92 plus 8 is 100!", you'll know that geeky family that walks is nearby.