"You'd better watch out,"

Sometimes Santa doesn't come because you're naughty.
Sometimes Santa doesn't come because you won't go to bed.
Sometimes Santa doesn't come because you sneak up to try to see him.
Sometimes Santa doesn't come because you're too excited to sleep.
And sometimes Santa doesn't come because he is up all night getting thrown up on by the baby.

I love babies, I have lots of them, and I love the outdoors.  I love the idea of being a gypsy or on a adventure, and carrying everything you need.  I love hiking.  I also love simple machines.  So perhaps it isn't any wonder that I love rugged strollers and wagons to take all my kids in. 
When I had just one kid, and one on the way, I got the neatest and best stroller out there, one of the best gifts I've ever gotten.  It was an original 20" wheeled babyjogger, back when babyjogger was the only one who made jogging strollers, or at least decent ones.


I love the big 20" front wheel.  No amount of springs makes it as easy to go over curbs as simply having the axle of the front wheel higher than the curb, not to mention deep gravel, ruts, and hills. 

I was thrilled, and thought it would last my whole life.  I could carry the next one in a baby carrier or backpack (both of which I was fancy enough to have).  And by the time I had a third one, the oldest would just love to hike just like I do and would walk miles and miles with me.

But carrying a baby on you when your 8 months pregnant isn't fun, and despite seeing everybody elses three year olds riding bikes and walking with their older siblings, mine just wanted to ride with his younger siblings.  So I started dreaming of other strollers in earnest.  I used my jogging stroller everywhere, it was like having legs again - like a good wheelchair must feel to those who can't walk.  It made me mobile again, and I LOVE walking.  I could take it in any building easily, and even up 3 flights of stairs when the library elevator was broken.  But back then there weren't any tandem jogging strollers that didn't look like medical equipment, and double wide ones just didn't go everywhere.  But one day I saw a lady with a classic pram.  I was in love.  I found this

on the internet, and dreamed and drooled as I had 2 more babies.  I ended up just squishing them all in my wagon


and tying one onto me and carrying one on my shoulders, depending on how many were asleep in the wagon and preventing too much squishing.

Then I found it mislabeled on e-bay, and knew it was placed there just for me so we could afford it.  It would come just in time for Christmas.  I was banned from the computer, and pretended that I didn't highly suspect I had the biggest Christmas present ever coming!  Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Stuffing stockings is my favorite thing I do all year, but after I played Santa, I couldn't get to sleep to see if Santa would come.  Usually I can fall asleep anywhere;  tree, cement, folding chair, but I wanted Santa to come and to wake up to my dream stroller sitting in the middle of the living room, so bad, I layed there all night with butterflies in my stomach, trying to sleep.
I did get my dream stroller - just Santa didn't set it up that night.  He's tricky like that! 
Incidentally, the babyjogger ended up being used more and for a longer time.  I would pile 3 kids on it between each others legs like on a sled.  Only this last year did the fabric, which has been left out in the weather countless times, finally rip.  The frame is rusted in some spots which makes it hard to fold up, but is still salvageable! (It has a lifetime warranty - now I know why)  It is pretty much indestructible to have survived us.  I have used and abused it constantly now for well over a decade.  It has gone thousands and thousands of miles with hundreds of pounds on it.  If they could fit in it, I would push them in it.  Now I see the modern version of the same stroller is $1,000  but I say it is worth that much.  If I had bought a new stroller for $25 every time a normal one would have broken (most days around us), I would have spent more than that by now, an not have felt like I had legs again!

The wagon I dream about now: 


What I really want now that my older kids are riding bikes all over town!

http://www.astreetbikenameddesire.com/babboe_curve.html