...and away we go...

What good is a brand new bike, given to you by your grandparents for your birthday, when the weather continually sucks so bad?  

I don't like to take Samantha out in super-humid, hot temperatures.  Actually, I don't like to take me out in those temperatures, either, but I have less of a choice in the matter.  Finally, we have some beautiful, low-humidity days upon us, and I remember thinking last year that August, while it sounds daunting, is actually so much better than July.  No wonder my memories of the first day of school were always of crisp, cool(er) days, just perfect for modeling the new back-to-school clothes your grandmother had taken you shopping to Rovner's (anyone remember that one?) for.  August marks the winding down of summer, the last gasp, the final carefree moments.  Oh, I'm talking about kids, by the way.  I think summer is pretty much the same as any other season for us working parents outside of the occasional vacation to the beach.

So.  I took Sammi out yesterday afternoon to have a ride.  I know she can pedal a bike - she had been riding a tricycle from time to time, both at home and at school.  But she was bored and frustrated with it, and she had outgrown it, both in size and in skill level.  This is a big girl bike.  I think I was more excited than she was when it was given to her.  

And she blew my mind.  Funny how just a few months ago the attention she paid to the bike was minimal.  Short and sweet, a few feet advanced, then a request to remove the helmet and go back inside.  And now, suddenly, she was pedaling up and down the block, looking up and steering when reminded to do so.  And she picked up a decent amount of speed there, too!  

Now I just have to teach her how to stop...

I just realized that you can't see the training wheels in any of these pics.  Yes, of course, she is riding with those!  And yes, that is a Barbie helmet you see there.  I have decided, with age and wisdom, that Barbie really isn't so bad.

She let out a massive yawn just after this photo was taken.  Bedtime fast approaching, smiles not very forthcoming...

A most regal passenger.