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!