Watch Out World!

Here comes trouble!  Three of them, and they're on wheels!

S-T-R-E-T-C-H

Mr. T had his eyes on the bigger bicycle.  He tried it out the second day after learning how to ride the first bicycle, but was disappointed to see that his feet couldn't quite touch the ground.

Undaunted, he hit the bottle (milk), got some sleep, ate vegetables, and asked MLM to stretch him.  After a good stretch, he ran outside... and voila! 

In just 3 weeks he was ready for the bigger bike!

Speed Demon

Not exaggerating.  Below is the first clip of Tate doing this on his own.  No adults helped him at all:  no running behind, no patting on the back, no training wheels, none of that.  This was all him.

The next morning he ran out of bed and demanded for cereal for breakfast.  Why?  He wanted to get outside as soon as possible so he could ride some more!  What a guy!  Here are some other clips of our speed demon in action:

Fare the well, bike trailer of ours...

... this will be the last post featuring the trusty bike trailer.  It first covered many miles with our family and then a few more with our neighbors too.  These photos represent the last ride it took with Tate in the passenger seat, even if most of the photos below show the A-team riding shotgun:

Minutemen Bicyclists

The kids love going for a ride with Daddy. They hop on the Minuteman bike trail and head to the Alewife T station.  From there, it's a quick subway ride to Davis Sq... and ice cream!

Here are some photos at the pickup location:

Nashua River Rail Trail

Here we are in Ayer at the start of the Nashua River Rail trail.  What fun!  We took a long walk / bike ride.  Very proud to announce that we carried in and carried out.  Whoohoo!

Adam's favorite part of the ride?  Spotting an old car through the trees.  After some research with Googletta (aka Grandma), we determined it to be a 1956-ish Ford Mainline.

Bike Pathing

Adam and Ashley love to go "bike pathing" (their verb, not mine).  Grammar aside, it's a wonderful way to get some exercise while Tate naps:

Minute Man Park

We took a step back in history and visited a homestead in Minute Man National Historic Park.

Bigger Bicycle

Adam is attempting to learn how to ride a bigger bicycle.  It's impressive to watch Daddy keep up:

Skateboarding Park

There's a nearby skateboarding park that's very popular with the under 8 set.  Ashley showed us how she runs, hops and makes it up to the top.  Adam tried once.  Adam tried twice.  And here's Adam's third attempt:

Big Wheels, Little Dude

The little dude discovered Big Wheels.  

Better yet, the little dude discovered the buttons which make noise:

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

Even though it's winter, Ashley isn't stopped by snow.  When this gal wants to ride, she rides!  Here we are on the Minuteman Path.  It's clear that I'm never going to keep up with her while I'm pushing the stroller:

Precious Smile

Ashley loves to smile for the camera.  Adam just makes funny faces.  So when I captured this shot, I just had to share:

Learning to Ride

The next rite of passage in childhood?  Learning to ride a bicycle!  You'll note that Daddy is there for confidence, not for balancing support.  

OK, Daddy's there for some critical support at the end.

The next kid gave it her all:

While Adam cruised around on the scooter:

And in a final moment of triumph:

She did it!  How exciting!  Kudos to Daddy, his patience and the balance bikes we've been using.

Scootin' Pre-schoolers

Sigh.  Seems like only yesterday I started calling them "toddlers".  Now we're (almost) pre-schoolers.  Old enough to use scooters and Big Wheels.  Where has the time gone?

Bike Ride

For his first big ride of the season, MLD hitched the buggy to the bike and threw the kids in.  Here's their general response:

Pretty well received, eh?  MLD packed up and headed west.  (Well, technically northwest, but you know what I mean.)