Two wheeler

Since last summer, Jupiter has been flirting with her two wheeler. Her real bike still had the training wheels on, because she just wasn't confident that she could ride a two wheeler. She is outgrowing the bike, but they don't make bigger bikes with training wheels, so I've been encouraging her to work on the whole two wheel thing. Last summer I picked up a used bike for a few bucks at a yard sale so she'd have one without training wheels to play on and practice balancing.

Yesterday, while I was out planting peas (yipee!), she took the bike out and balanced it up and down the driveway. She finally started to get it, and managed to balance and pedal a few times. Her confidence exploded, and she decided she could do it.

She got Mimi to take her training wheels off her other bike during the day today. When we got home, we ate and then went outside so I could work in the garden some more. (don't think I don't WANT to help her ride her bike. But she gets much less frustrated if she does it on her own.) She kept working on the bike, and finally got to the point where I told her she should ride down to the frog pond at the dead end of the street. The driveway is just short enough that she has to stop as soon as she gets the momentum going.

I gave her a little help balancing until she got pedaling. And she rode all the way to the frog pond. And back. Several times. She finally gave it up when she popped a blister on her thumb. But she keeps saying how much she loves her bike and how proud of herself she is.

Love it love it love it.

Also in the last week, she made it accross the monkey bars at the school playground. She's a solid kid, so she's had a hard time holding her own weight up to cross the monkey bars. Not anymore. We are very proud of that too.