Huckleberry Finn

I just had to share these happy springtime photos. I promise I did not plan this photo shoot. When I saw the combination of overalls and daffodils, I had to grab the camera. (I do not promise, however, that these are the only two photos I took.)

I also thought some of you might get a kick out of this repurposed stroller:

Notice the seat so beautifully cut away?

As my back was aching from hours of stooping to support a two foot tall human, I thought, there has to be a better way! With all the crazy parental gadgets out there, hasn't anyone invented a way to help your child walk without breaking your back? Well, actually, the answer is yes, but would you put your child in this? After passing on the baby reins, we were left with the push toy option.

Jane LOVES this lion, but it is not very good at helping her walk because as soon as she puts any weight on it, it flies out in front of her and she lands on her face. She needed something she could hold on to and push, but that I could control while standing up relatively straight. Enter the modified umbrella stroller. It's perfect! Jane can hold the bars in the back, and with the seat cut away, she can see over it as she is walking. I can either hold onto the handles and help steer, or put the brakes on, which adds just enough friction to let her push by herself. Can you tell I am proud of this?
Disclaimer: I was quite torn about the prospect of cutting up a perfectly good stroller, but it was a ten year old hand-me-down, so I decided it was worth the sacrifice. I think I've already made up for the cost of it in Advil saved.