Big Boy Bike

Robin got a big boy bike--a 16 inch pedal bicycle--from his Grammy and Grandpa as an early birthday gift.  Grandpa has been working a lot this summer, but he happened to have today off so today was the day that Robin got his gift.

First, he hid from the bike.  He said he was scared, something about Humpty Dumpty (I interpreted this to mean he was afraid of falling off.)  He resisted a bit at first, and only rode it as we pushed him around and held on.  Then we removed the back reflector, which meant we could lower the seat a bit more, and we lowered the handlebars, and we added all the accessories from his old balance bike (bell, water bottle holder, "Robin" license plate.)

He was then willing to ride it around with his feet on the ground, like his balance bike.  We rode in that manner to the neighboring alternative high school, to use their empty parking lot.  Once there, he was willing to coast and pedal a bit after getting a push, while alternately still using it like a balance bike.

Then he walked it up a slight rise and coasted down, and I told him to put his feet on the pedals, he was doing it already, just put his feet on them.  And he did, and then we all told him to pedal, he was doing great, pedal pedal pedal!  And he did!  And the lightbulb went off, and he was smiling and laughing and shrieking and having a grand old time.  We spent quite a bit of time at that parking lot.  I finally

decided that we needed to leave before he got too tired and fell, because that would've taken the wind out of his sails.  We stopped for a brief play at a nearby playground, and then Robin biked most of the way home (he still used it like a balance bike for some of the uphill parts.)  Whoo hoo!!!!  My kid is riding a pedal bike, and training wheels?  Nah, who needs 'em?

April

Robin played an April Fool on Dean:  he said he wanted to help me make lunch, and drew pictures of food, which we set up on his plate.

Dean played along, asking Robin what he made, examining it all, and then dipping a "carrot" in some dip and trying to take a bite before "realizing" that it wasn't food.  Robin thought it was hilarious

He also played an April Fool on his preschool class. (He had snack April 2nd.)  We put bananas in hot dog buns in order to send "hot dogs" for snack.  We even sent a squeeze tube of strawberry jelly for the teachers to add as "ketchup."  (I tried this out on him at home first, and it's a good thing I did.  He freaked out at the bizarre presentation of food, until I told him I was thinking it was a trick he could pull on his class.  Finally, when he absorbed it as "his idea," he got excited about it all.)  And he LOVED playing a trick on his classmates.  When asked "what did you bring for snack today" he said "yogurt and hot dogs," and let them all figure it out when they sat down to their food.

At playgroup with friends.

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Liam was emancipated during this trip to the park.  He figured out that he could go up the ladder and down the slide all by himself.

Which he did...over, and over, and over, and over again.

Liam wanted to try out his brother's balance bike.  I had to move the seat all the way down for him, but he did it!

We had a fondue birthday party for Dean's brother

...mmmm....

Yum!

Poppa shared a spatula of birthday frosting with Robin

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Poppa and his grandsons

Robin's preschool went to an orchestra concert for a field trip.  I didn't chaperone, but Robin's best friends' mom did, and she got these pictures for me.

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Robin got to play the violin a little

Me holding two toddlers together

The boys trying out Grammy and Grandpa's piano

Playing some badminton

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Robin tried a little bit, too

Trying out an old puppet (Don't you usually wear your bike helmet in the house?)

Grandpa giving Liam a ride on Robin's bike--in the house

One of the books we got from the library had a cake recipe in it, and Robin requested that we make it, so we did.  Me, two kids, and a kitchen full of baking supplies.  Chaos!

Please don't dump the flour all over the counter again.  Let me sweep it up.

...please don't spill again.......

One moment of accord.  Sweet pic!

"Don't lick your fingers!"  "Oh, but there's something tasty on them.  Do I disobey?"

At last, we can get it ready to cook!  (I should've done a bit more prep work on this one.)

Enjoying the spoils

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Loving the chance to eat at the breakfast bar

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Dandelion bouquets

Whew!  Finally done with April.  I feel like I'm never going to catch up on these photos.  Just a bit at a time, a bit at a time....