Free wheelin'

After a couple of hours of lazing about, we decided it was time to finally get those training wheels off of our almost 7 Rebecca's bike.  She was all for it & had a great attitude!  "Mom, I made it a whole 7 blocks without falling!"  She meant 7 squares of sidewalk, but it was still pretty impressive.

Never one to lag behind, Teresa begged for her training wheels off as well.  Daddy did his best with Rebecca & Andrew was Teresa's personal coach.  She looked pretty good but wasn't ready for him to let go yet.

Here's Andrew his first time without training wheels 4 years ago on Holy Saturday.  I guess we were continuing yet one more tradition!

It's a beautiful day!

 Sarah's first walk with the stroller propped up!

 We played the "rainbow leaves" game which involved riding past leaves that were in red, orange, yellow, bluish (blue spruce?), green, purple order as many times as possible before we arrived home.

Come on spring!

 When it's 65 degrees in Nebraska, you can't stay inside.  We enjoyed the whole afternoon in the sunshine!  I finally remembered to take some pictures as the sun started to set.

 While Andrew spent most of his time playing football & Teresa riding her bike, Rebecca used lots and LOTS of sidewalk chalk.

 "fishes swimming in the ocean with numbered bubbles"

"a flamingo"

& my favorite was "Fasx about Jesus", but that deserves it's own post.

Come on spring!

4th of July

 For the 4th year in a row, we attended our neighborhood Independence Day parade.  We spent a few hours the day before decorating our bikes & scooter to ride.  Here we go...

 It's such a fun group of neighbors & so low-key that it's right up our alley! 

(not that we have an alley, but you know what I mean)

 Andrew was off like a flash, Teresa was riding FAST but looking everywhere but forward!  I felt like I was human bumper pads & she was the bowling ball all the way down the street.  :P  If there just weren't so many friends, puppies, & decorations to look at...

 Rebecca spent a long time on her bike.  This photo doesn't really do it justice.  It turned out so cool! 

 Neighbor Caleb was seriously decked out (especially with the red, white, & blue popsicle goo covering it all!)

 What do you do when your hands are all sticky from a popsicle?  That's right, PET A DOG.  Mmm.  Then have it lick off your hands.  I actually laughed aloud at myself at this point.  I would have completely flipped out at that identical situation just a few years ago.  No more first-time-mommy-alerts in me!

 The rest of the day we just played at home & enjoyed the "show" around our house.  It was actually a lot of relaxing fun.

 The kids had been begging to camp out (in the basement) so we figured that would be the perfect night.  They were already tired from a late night prior & it's quieter down there than upstairs amid the artillery outside.  They loved it!  Thanks for the idea, Stephanie!

They all wore their glow necklaces to bed.  It was nice to peek in at them & know where they were!

Our Father Bike Ride

For the last three years our KCs have sponsored the Our Father Bike Ride on the Saturday before Father's Day.  It's a simple trek down one of our city bike trails with various options for how far to ride.  The first year Andrew just made it 3 miles to the cookie station & we packed up his bike in the van to go home!  Last year he made it half the way back, too, but the ground was so soft he was really worn out, so we threw the bikes in the back again. 

This year Darren, Andrew, & cousin Max did a full loop of 6 miles with energy to burn at the end!  My sister Melissa & niece Liz joined us in the cheering section.

 While we waited, Matthias was fine to walk around & pick flowers with the girls... but refused to take a picture with the flowers afterwards!  Ha!  Love that stage.

 We had a good crowd this year despite some rain clouds lingering above.

 And, they're off!

 Waving the pompoms, shaking the maracas, & cheering I think helped them zoom into the cookie stop at lightning speed.  After 3 (or 4?) cookies they were off again!

Some took a longer trek to make it a 9 mile ride, but Max & Andrew led the pack on the short route back.  Max was already talking about when he joins us again next year!

Tiger Cub

 Andrew has had such a blast with Cub Scouts this year!  (I found a few older pictures that Darren took with his phone to share.)  This is him at the "Bike Rodeo".  It was then we realized his crazy growth spurt... he needs a bigger bike!

 He & his buddy Grayson went out to a daycamp, also.  The learned how to shoot a bow & arrow,

 as well as a sling shot.  They used paint balls so they could tell where they hit.  Clever!

 He hammered designs into a piece of leather to wear as a "wristband". 

"Cub Scouts don't wear bracelets, Mom."

And had a blast with a four way tug-o-war.  What a great experience all of his adventures & learning have been!  We're excited for the years (not necessarily sewing on the badges, but the years) to come.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall?

We're not really sure what season it is, but we're sure loving it!

Not quite yet. Keep dreamin', Tootsie.

The "Tower of Cold" created by Andrew & buddy Cadence

Let the sun shine

After a taste of snow that so quickly melted, we are eager to enjoy every chance at dry sunshine we can get. Rebecca may have taken it too far... Easter Bunny on a bike? Really?Andrew is excited to kick anything you put in front of him. This volleyball has become our norm for soccer... guess we could get a soccer ball? I can't believe that never crossed my mind until now.When did he get so HUGE? Because strolling with her puppy outside wasn't nearly thrilling enough, Teresa had to add a little roller skating action. She really only wiped out twice! However, I'M not planning to try it anytime soon. At 2 that girl has more coordination than I do at 32.

Our Father bike ride

Darren & Andrew once again ventured on a ride for the KCs.A smaller crowd this year but still a good one! The girls & I met them at the 3 mile mark for cookies & a breather before they turned around to head back.

Teresa was delighted to play with a local kitten... in the mud.

Andrew was a smidge tired coming in, but was reenergized by cheering & chocolate cookies.

Darren started him on the way back per his request. We stopped at a half way point to cheer them on... & they ended up hopping in. Well, 4.5 miles is still pretty impressive! Next year we'll shoot for six. You should join us!