Ready, Set, Hike

I love boys.

As a young girl I would day dream about my future family and it always looked the same. I was the lone woman with a husband and at least four or five boys to look after. The more the merrier. Back then it made sense. Growing up I always had a ton of male friends and very few female friends. I was always Josephine March, desperate to play war and jump fences and write horrifying novels. Eager to shock old women with my tomboy ways and never without a lizard in my pocket.

These days I still like to get my hands dirty, but I definitely prefer the garden over a mud puddle in the backyard. I've acquired new passions like sewing, Jane Austen, tea and other pastimes that do not hold up to the old tomboy status. I often wonder, "wouldn't it be great to have a daughter I can share all this with?" I suppose it would...

But then I remember camping. The old dream of one day sleeping out under the stars with my hubby and our boys. I'd get up early the following morning to start making hobo breakfasts while J and the boys whiz in the forest. And then, breakfast in our hands, we'd be off down the trail to go exploring. Slingshots, bows and arrows, compasses, and Phillies baseball caps. No toothbrushes, no hair combs, no fuss. It sounds divine.

As you can see, I am wondering about this new baby. Another boy to add to the roster of men I feed on a daily basis? Another girl with a Jo March complex? She just might lead the pack on long hikes and throw a better right hook than any of her brothers. (I'm bursting with pride all ready!)

Or will I have a little girl that adores pink ribbons and barbies? Confusion crowds into my brain on this one... an adjustment, but one I would gladly make.

Whoever is currently brewing in my belly, no matter the gender or personality, will change our family dynamic. I am in no hurry for November to get here. We have 7 months to enjoy our family as it is. I plan on making the most of it. I plan on summer adventures, ice cream cones, mud fights and swimming lessons. I plan on potty training, rearranging furniture and keeping my hair short.

Once I kick this lingering PTSD in the pants, I plan on taking the boys camping at least once before November. Oh how I've missed hiking! Its been too long since I've peed in the great outdoors. No matter what anyone else thinks I firmly believe that there is nothing better than a hobo breakfast first thing in the morning. I'm nostalgic for a big grey tent packed with squirming children and a strong man holding me through the night. And I really do think that a smoky wood burning scent on my two rascals...not to mention my man...would be absolutely irresistible. Bring on the hike!