How did it go so fast?? I guess we were too busy having fun. What did we do? Well I thought you'd never ask.
We hung out with our cousins:
Practiced skateboard tricks:
Reorganized the pantry:
Yes, again. I have a sickness, I tell ya.
Colored Easter Eggs (with Kool Aid...thank you very much, Pintrest):
Honed our chicken herding skills:
Hunted for eggs:
Played our first T-ball game:
Hunted for more eggs:
Participated in the obligatory special day front porch photo shoot...with typical results:
And hunted for MORE eggs:
In between all that we did some swimming and playing and zooing and snuggling and shopping and reading and sunning. And oh yeah....we have a bike rider!!
Yesterday Ben rode by himself for the first time!! Both of them have been so close for a long time but are always so nervous that we will let go that they turn around to see if we are holding on and fall over. Of course, that could have something to do with our unconventional method of teaching. Training wheels, who needs 'em? Not us! We just run the half mile loop around our neighborhood hunched over holding onto the seat of the bike, scraping the kids off the pavement every time we cramp up and let go for half a second. Small bikes? Naw. Grandma got these bikes at yard sales for $10 bucks apiece. Great deal! Except for the fact that the kids can't actually touch the ground. Minor detail. And don't forget the added bonus of having two kids the same age is that you get to do everything times two!! Add to that that by the time we drag the bikes to the end of the driveway so that we can ride (a term I'll use quite loosely) on the pavement at least one kids is usually whining about how hard it is. Gee, wonder why this hasn't always gone so well.
Thankfully my friend from work let us borrow the little bar to help hold the bike at a comfortable height. And yesterday, Abby stayed inside to color with Robbie while Ben and I headed out to ride. It is amazing what you can accomplish with just one kid! He was wobbly and whiny at first but by the time we got back to the house he was going on his own!!! He was proud. We were proud. And Abby was jealous. Because, as you know, the life of a twin must always be fair.
So on the bike she hopped and for the first time in her life, she actually tried to ride it. She didn't scream and turn around to grab onto my arm every time she thought I was letting go. She rode straight. She pedaled fast. And when she fell over and scraped her ankle (or as she refers to it, got "road rash") she got back up, changed her shoes (cause maybe Mom was right when she suggested that Crocs, however stylish they may be, were NOT the best for riding bikes) and tried again. I made the mistake of telling her that she was getting close and with just a couple more days of practice she would be able to ride like her brother. Today, as we were practicing at my mom's house, she looked up at me from the bike that she cannot yet balance on and said, "I can't believe that tomorrow I will be as good as Ben!" Ooops. Probably not. But getting closer everyday.
Truth be told, the two of them together would be one awesome bike rider. He can balance, but often finds himself in the ditch because he can't steer or stop. She is usually at a 70 degree angle but can stop on a dime and steer straight. They have a goal of being able to ride their bikes to the big boulder we usually walk to when we visit our lake cabin on Memorial Day weekend. A couple more sunny days on the cul de sac and they just might be ready!
Spring Break, as always, was just what I needed. Time to relax with my family and gear up for the last few months of school. While that seems a little overwhelming, I do think that I can make it for three days this week. Which is all I have to do since I leave for Miami on Wednesday. (More details on that to come). For now, it is time for me to get some sleep because tomorrow morning is coming soon and it's going to hit like a ton of bricks. Nighty night!
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