On Saturday my mom had tickets to take Tyler and Billy to see The Wizard of Oz production by a local middle school. We weren't sure what to expect, but Ty loved it (even though he was scared in some parts). He was overjoyed to come home with his program and light up star wand (and one for his brother).
On April 3rd we went to the 2nd day of Johnson's Farm opening weekend. It was beautiful weather and they had admission to the discovery barnyard, hayrides, and hotdogs for free! We had plans to meet with various friends so we spent some time with the Ritters, McCrum's, Drueding's, and Everett's. We also ran into a few other friends as well. They all had a blast at the playground, mini go-kart's, free hotdogs, hayride, play area, feeding animals, meeting the bunny (which is the cuttest Easter bunny I've seen) and having ice cream. What a great day!
After returning from Johnson's farm I decided that enough was enough and Tyler WOULD learn to ride his bike without training wheels. Many "outsiders" might say that he's only 6 and can learn to ride later, but here in Medford Lakes it's basically a necessity to be able to ride a bike safely. We had tried a few times in the past without success and I pretty much knew it would come to the point where I'd have to force the issue (that's just how Tyler is, as he lets his anxiety get in the way of doing things he wants to do). Well summer camp is just around the corner and he really couldn't keep up last year being one of only a handful of kids with training wheels. Based on what I've seen on the bike rides to school I'm fairly certain he's the only first grader still using those darned training wheels. Anyway, so I talked up the issue and assured him that he'd be safe and somehow coerced him outside to give it a try. After he geared up (elbow pads, knee pads, helmet, and winter gloves...yes, winter gloves...he would have covered himself in bubble wrap if I had allowed it) we made it to the bike. We quickly learned that Tyler couldn't touch the ground on his current bike and after the training wheels were removed it made him quite uncomfortable. So we took out his old bike and removed the training wheels from that.
We made a tiny bit of progress practicing with me running and holding onto his bike while he peddled, but I was thankful when my parents came home and I could leave Jason with them for a bit so Tyler and I could go and practice at Wilson Field by ourselves. There were many pep talks, a few tears, a few temper tantrums, but by the end of our session he could "ride" for about 10 seconds (he required I count each time)once I got him started.
A short video of his bike riding skill.
Monday, after getting Ty off to school, Jason and I got back in routine with a trip to the gym (where Jason decided to start screaming again in there for no apparent reason...yea). After returning home Jason was begging to go outside, so we went for a bike ride. No lie, it took me 45 minutes to get around the block with him. And Medford Lakes does not have standard block sizes. This was a small area of space. I had forgotten how long it could take with a little boy who doesn't actually peddle, wants no help, and must stop to look at every rock, leaf, and bug. LOL.
That evening Tyler had his first baseball game with his team, the Blue Jays. My parents were able to join us and we all enjoyed the game and beautiful weather. Tyler actually played much better than I expected, meaning he actually hit the ball without needing a tee and he payed attention. I'll take it. Meanwhile Jason fully believed he played the game from the sidelines, equipt with his mini tee and foam ball and bat set. Too cute.
No comments:
Post a Comment