A Long Time Coming

Every kid learns how to ride a bike without training wheels differently.  We had no idea just how differently until we tried to teach Laney, after teaching Ava, how to ride a bike.  Corey got a book out of the library on teaching your kid how to ride a bike.  One of the tricks in the book was to take the pedals off the bike and start on a hill.  I wasn’t there for the actual learning of it but Ava learned how to ride a bike in a day.  Now I do know that some of this is based on the fact that she is very motivated and driven and is very athletic.  And she’s not really afraid of anything. ;D

We tried this approach with Laney some time ago.  It did NOT work!  We’ve tried lots of different things, tricks, begging! with Laney.  Nothing has worked.  Anything we did try resulted in tears and tantrums.  So we backed off and left it alone.  Laney has been riding her scooter around for a couple of months now.  She ZOOMS around the cul-de-sac on that thing!  She balances on it for long periods of times and goes faster on it than most of the kids on the block do on their bikes.  Whenever she would lament about not being able to ride her bike without training wheels we would point out all theses facts about her scooter prowess.  She was not convinced.

During our camping trip her best friend who is one year younger than her had her bike there.  Incedentially this little girl can ride without training wheels and it has been bothering Laney for some time now.  She got the nerve up to try Logan’s bike over the camping weekend.  She was scooting along on it with her feet down on the ground.  I think it got the wheels turning cause when we got home she wanted her training wheels off and her seat lowered as low as Logan’s.

Last night she was trying her bike out.  She had all the pieces but just couldn’t quite do it.  I came out to help her.  In doing so I made her very frustrated. In the process of helping her she accidentally stepped down on my toe and I lost a good chunk of my toenail on my big toe and I am in a lot of pain.  She stated that she didn’t want any help.  And I think we all realized she was going to have to figure this out on her own.

This morning she went out to try again.  A minute later I heard the door slam.  I was expecting it to be Laney in a fit of rage but it was Ava.  She exclaimed, “MOM!  SHE’S DOING IT!”  So after many many months of frustration, tears, anger, thrown bikes, thrown helmets, skinned legs and knees and a very messed up and sore toe Laney knows how to ride her bike now!!!!!!!!

Look at the pride on this face…

I also have this week’s Freebie to post.  First I’ll post the layout that I created.  I wanted to do a layout of a bunch of photos of Ava durning the camping trip.  And I wanted to talk a little bit about some of the observations of her and what she is like right now.

Here is the template.  It will be free for one week.  On July 23, 2009 it will then be available for purchace in my store.  I hope you enjoy and share whatever you create with it!

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One more note……..no more waiting for HARRY POTTER!!!!  Corey and I are going to see it Friday night!  Woohoo!!!!!!!!!

credits for Layout:
Quilt Template Jen Maddocks Designs
paper Island Blues Lynn Grievenson
lace French Summer Lynn Grievenson
flower Nanyang Lynn Grievenson
flower Color Challenge Designer Digitals Katie Pertiet
button Milly Molly Lynn Grievenson
brushes/stamps House of 3