SRS Post #5 - Goodbye Summer

So, Tyler was off for Labor Day and I could feel the summer creeping to an end (who knew we'd have 75 degree days in November?!). Summer goals were still hanging in the balance. But moral was high and there was one last hope for the bike riding. So our day went something like this:

Step 1: Set up the Spidey Slip-N-Slide to entertain the two year old.

(yeah, he's got the web-spinning down)

Begin in the backyard on the advice of our friends. Fewer injuries that way. But it was still a lot of hard work and not without some tears.

Trey takes off with a push from Dad!

Tess takes in bike-riding lessons from the Baby Bjorn.

We finally practiced on the road, and had to strap this one in. Doesn't he look innocent?

"When my mom is distracted taking pictures and my dad is instructing, I like to drink pop!"

The gear looked really good, and the attitudes started off that way.

My theory: Jack would much rather read a book on the subject.

Well, my faithful readers :), the series must end, much to my sadness. Fall is here for sure, and seriously, we've rewound our summer long enough, don't you think? Seasons come and go, and we might as well embrace the one we're in, I say (literally and figuratively speaking). Don't fight it, people, because just like the presidential election, you're not going to change it.

Every good parent has to have goals for their kids, I've decided. And speaking of seasons, these goals must change with age and maturity. So to keep things within our limited reach this summer, I came up with a few goals to work on with the boys. They had to be kid friendly for sure. Small kid friendly. And because I like success more than failure, they had to be somewhat achievable as well! So my list went something like this:

Potty train Chase.

Teach Jack and Trey how to tie their shoes.

Practice reading with Trey.

Progress Jack and Trey to strong swimmers by summer's end.

Teach Jack and Trey how to ride a bike.

Oh, and have a baby.

Easy enough, right? Well, first of all, poor Trey. Trey is 16 months younger than Jack, and to say that he gets lumped into Jack-sized expectations is an understatement. It happens often, though, and usually he is up for the challenge. So, with some work Trey can now read his Dick and Jane book and they both got bumped up two levels in swimming before the second day of lessons was over. Check and check. Chase miraculously potty trained himself in what I thought was a pretty poor choice of timing on his part... right after Tess was born. But, what a champ! This kid holds the record so far for the fastest potty training ever in our house! Within a week of beginning training, we were done with Pull-Ups completely and he's been dry ever since. No accidents, and he even wears underwear overnight. Triple check. And that baby? Uh, Check. :)

That leaves us with shoes and bike riding. Oh dear. Well, all I have to say for the shoe tying is one word: Crocs. They never left their feet all summer. They can put them on themselves. I had a newborn. I'm a slacker. Move shoe tying to my winter goal please.

In case you've forgotten, Jack is seven and Trey is almost 6. Yes, I know. Lots of kids have been riding bikes for years at these ages. Hmm. There are definitely great reasons why they've not learned to ride a bike before now, but it's still a bit embarrassing, I'll admit. Our driveway is crazy steep. No way any bike riding is happening there, although it makes for some great snow sledding with adult supervision. You can ride circles in the garage, but seriously, who is ever going to learn that way? Our subdivision has no sidewalks, and our house is right on the curve where it's difficult to see traffic coming. Does it count that I'm always holding a small child?

Well, we're half-way there on the bike riding, and you might be surprised who got it and who still has some work to do. Good thing there's always next summer. How much longer?