Days of Fall Fun

So today we decided to go out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather with my in-laws. It was a great day and we had fun for the most part. Outings used to involved strapping both kids into a stroller and off we would go, however at this point the kids are getting a bit big for the stroller. At almost 5 and almost 3 it is time we started going out without it. So that was our adventure today, no stroller. 

Overall it went pretty well, the upside was that no one ran away and we did not lose anyone. The downside was that my older daughter walks super slow. She toe walks so I am not sure if that is the reason why she is so slow or if its just her not being in any particular hurry. She also trips a lot, this also could be part of the toe walking I think. She was doing pretty well holding my hand but when she is walking with me and I am holding her hand it feels like she is constantly trying to pull her hand away. It is like a repeating cycle, we will walk a few feet while she is pulling on my hand to get her hand out of mine, finally she gets her hand out and I re-grab her hand. While this is not a huge deal it does make me worry that she is going to jet off one of these days. 

Another issue is parking, where we were at you have to park really far away. We happen to get lucky and found a close spot but in places like this without a stroller I think a large parking lot might really become an issue. I know that you can get handicap placards for kids with Autism but I had not considered it until now. I am still on the fence about it but I am going to think it over until her next doctor's appointment. I think my biggest fear is the doctor judging me like I am just being lazy and that it is not really a safety issue with her. 

I think for next year I am going to invest in a wagon. They may be too big for the stroller but a wagon might just suffice for a few more years. It will at least be something to put all of my bags in. Since my older daughter is not potty trained as of yet we still have to lug around a large diaper bag. It will also help out when they suddenly decide that they do not want to walk anymore. They both did this at various points today and they are getting way to heavy to carry. 

We had a lot of fun today even without the stroller. My older daughter did really well at the crowded restaurant and she even got to ride a pony. We went to a small petting zoo afterwards and she even seemed to enjoy that. I did not get to enjoy much of it with her since my 2 year old had an epic meltdown and we ended up going to the car. I think she was overdo for her nap. Next weekend is supposed to be another beautiful day so there will be more fall fun in store.