Ridin'

Adrienne learned to ride her bike today, training wheel free, in the space of about 5 minutes.

Back story, she will be 7 this summer and has been actively riding bike for about 3-4 weeks (tops). In 2007 we were in Korea and there was nowhere for her to ride so we didn't even bother buying her a bike. In 2008 we moved back to the US, I got preg with Xander (read: sick all the time), and Matt was in school so teaching her to ride was really not feasible for us. On top of that there was no area that was really adequate for her to ride on. In 2009 Xander was born and we moved. Again, no feasible time to learn how to ride (and for awhile we didn't have a decent place, then it was winter and too cold to be out riding).

This year we finally have a good area for her to ride around and a decent bike for her to use. She's been riding with training wheels for the last couple weeks and today she declared that she wanted to take them off and try to ride without them like her friends.

I had Matt take them off and she tried to have a go a couple times on her own before Matt began to guide her around. In less than 5 minutes that girl was riding on her own zipping up and down our little street with her friends. I am so proud of her.

Let it be known, she is a beautiful, funny little girl who is in love with everything beautiful and shiny. She is NOT the most graceful child in the world. She loves to dance and all that girly stuff, but she's all elbows and knees. Thank God she doesn't know the difference. I love her for it. I told her how proud I was of her for being so brave and riding all by herself.

Matt went and got the camera so I could get a picture of her riding on her own for the first time. Then he asked me to get a shot of him "pretending" to help her so we'd have it for posterity. (I think he was really happy that he had been able to be the one to teach her and that he didn't miss the moment.) As he was trotting along with her she kept yelling at him "I'VE GOT IT! I'VE GOT IT!" Were she a sassy little thing she'd probably have said something like "Let me the hell go! I can ride by myself!"