Bike for kids

We had a fun day today...thought I would share some pictures with you. Lauren has really enjoyed riding her bike since she started last fall. So when I saw a flyer for this bike event I thought it would be a great opportunity for her and for our family. The program is called "Bike for Kids" and they do it to raise money to build adaptable bikes for special needs kids (here's the website for more info). There are several options, anywhere from 100 miles to a 2-mile family ride. Matt decided to be adventurous and do the 15 mile ride (which he informed me afterward was actually 16 miles) and then do the family ride following right after. 

Well, as we prepared for the bike event this summer, we encouraged Allison to get ready for it too. She has had training wheels off her bike for a while but hasn't been able to ride on her own yet. After lots of practice, she finally got the hang of it, but was still pretty wobbly and tired easily. The day before the race she made it 2 miles around the neighborhood and felt like she was ready to go. She was feeling pretty proud of herself and we were pretty proud of her too! 

Last week the girls saw some bike baskets at Wal-Mart that they really wanted, but I wasn't ready to fork out the money for. Allison suggested we make our own, so I picked up some dollar store baskets and with a little hot glue and some fake flowers we were able to make some for each of the girls to zip-tie to their bikes. They were ready to go.

Matt made it back from his ride in time to go with the girls on the family ride. Megan was pretty sad that she didn't get to ride too but I know she wouldn't have made it the whole way, since she struggles going very far in our own neighborhood. After a small "parade" of kids on their adaptable bikes, the ride began. Here are a few pics of Matt and the girls getting ready to go:

Aaaand they're off....

Megan and Ben waiting patiently....

For the family ride you could either go one loop for 2 miles, or take it a second time for 4 miles. Lauren kept saying she was going to go for 4 but I wasn't so sure she would make it that far. So when all three of them kept going for the second loop I was quite surprised. Way to go girls! They survived the 4 miles. And Matt did a full 20 by the end of it all. Here they are crossing the finish line...

After the bike rides were done, lunch was provided and a little carnival was set up for the kids with games and activities. It was a fun event for everyone. I was so proud of everyone for their hard work!

PS

For those who don't know, Ben is going to be a big brother! We are expecting another boy at the end of August. Here is an ultrasound picture of his face, although I know these things are hard to decipher sometimes. It's not the best picture but I thought it would be better than the one with the arrow pointing between his legs.

Ben's 2nd Birthday

It's sure been a long time since I've posted but I thought I would share some pictures from Ben's birthday yesterday. He is such a fun boy--he's at the perfect age right now where he is learning to talk and saying and doing funny things all the time. Read the captions on the pictures for more info. Maybe I will post more often...but don't hold your breath :) Click HERE for the album.

Two wheelin'

When the weather turned nice again last week Lauren decided to practice on her bike. She is pretty good on her scooter but hadn't quite figured out her bike yet. She has had training wheels off most of the summer but hasn't been able to ride it without help. Well, she got on and started balancing herself around the driveway...kept trying...and guess what? She just sorta picked it up and started to go. She's pretty proud of herself. And after about a week of practicing she has gotten pretty good at it. She makes me a little nervous at times I will admit. She likes to show off and is always trying to come up with new "tricks". She is sometimes a little wobbly but has only had a couple minor falls. We are pretty proud of her!

I took this video of her the first day she picked it up. 

Poor Ben...Luckily she was going pretty slow and no real harm done :)

Halloween

After waking up to THIS the week before Halloween...

I was a little worried about how well trick-or-treating was going to go for us this year. But nothing to worry about. We got our pumpkins carved....

(Ben likes to play with them and switch the lids around)

Our costumes on....

(Glow fairy, She-ra, Mermaid, and Spiderman)

Walked a lot, and knocked on lots of doors...

 And candy accounted for.

All in all it was a big success. The weather was perfect--the girls even went out in short sleeves and did not complain about being cold. It turns out we live in a great trick-or-treating neighborhood which is new for us.