Spring has Sprung

photo credit-Dan Zen
creative commons license

Yesterday it was about 75 degrees Farenheit (24 Celcius) in the lower Midwest. The sky was blue and clear, there was a soft breeze, and no humidity. In short, it was a perfect day. I happened to get out of work early, and treated myself to a late lunch on an outdoor patio of a nearby restaurant.

Today I noticed all sorts of flowering plants, bushes, and trees springing up all over the place. Lillies, redbud, dogwoods, and one of my favorites, the forsythia shown above. The forsythia always seems to just start to peak around Sweet Pea's birthday, which is coming up shortly (she'll be 7).

I'll always associate forsythia with Sweet Pea, as this riotous yellow flowering bush was in full bloom when we went to attend her birth in the city she was born in, and fully in bloom a few weeks later when we brought her back home.

Somehow the explosive, in your face color that screams "Notice Me!!" and "I'm So Cute!" seems thoroughly appropot of our daughter. Sweet Pea is always full of energy, and she is always noticed when she enters a room (whether you'd like her to be or not). Although Sweet Pea is often a bit too loud, a tad too competitive, and a bit too demanding at times, I love her spunk. She has the drive and determination that, when harnessed a bit with maturity, will serve her well in life.

Although a lot of my blogging has to do with Buddy Boy, I just wanted to take a minute and give my second child (the one who I tell every night "You're my favorite girl in the whole wide world") a little bit of ink, too. I can't wait to see what both of my kids grow up to be.

It's Spring!

photo credits-my cell phone during my bike ride

What a great weekend it was in the middle of the US. Sure, there were some showers, but it was warm, occasionally sunny, and flowers and trees are blooming all over the place.

A great time for playing outdoors. We practiced throwing a baseball and long jumping (events that Buddy Boy's class will participate in in Special Olympics), and I got out on the bike myself, as well as with the kids.

When I went out with the kids, we did something new. Sweet Pea has outgrown the trailer I used to pull her in, so she has graduated to the "tag along" bike that hooks up to my seatpost. She says "I don't get enough air in the trailer". Of course what she really means is "Now that I've gotten a taste of riding out in the elements like this, like a big girl, you're never going to stuff me back in that trailer again!" Fortunately, Buddy Boy has gotten more confident on riding his two wheeler without the training wheels.



So we did a new thing yesterday. Instead of me throwing their two bikes in the car, takeing them to the park, then having them ride while I walked, we all rode to the park. I hooked the tag along bike to mine, and rode in the street pulling Sweet Pea behind me while Buddy Boy rode on the sidewalk the half mile to the park, where we rode on the trail that circles the park. This was significant, as Buddy Boy has never ridden on anything as narrow as the sidewalk before. I thought he was up to it, and he was the one who suggested we do it this way (I think he gets tired of waiting for me to catch up to them walking while they ride). Buddy Boy did pretty well. He veered off into the grass once on the way there, and bumped into two obstacles (a fence post and a telephone pole) on the way back.

Because it was the end of the ride (and we had also spent a good deal of free time on the playground equipment) Buddy Boy decompensated a bit when he bumped the obstacles. But he managed to get it back together in a few minutes, and we carried on back home.

It was great to get out and celebrate the start of a new season. Spring always feels so fresh and new, and the color that is dappled all over the place by nature is simply spectacular.

Happy Spring, everyone!

Joe is 210

Rolling onward

Spring came to the middle of the US in full force this weekend. It was such a beautiful day that we had to go out to the park. It seemed our whole town was out there today.

We took the bikes with us for the first official ride of the season. Our park has a paved path that loops around the outside of the park. When I announced we were going to the park to ride bikes, Buddy Boy initially didn't want to go. Inertia is always a force to be overcome, and he was involved in watching some cartoon he had just turned on. But I just told him we were going in 5 minutes, and he didn't put up any resistance when it was time to go (probably mostly because he really does like to ride his bike).

I'm really glad that Buddy Boy has gotten the hang of riding a bike. I'm a somewhat dedicated amateur rider (not nearly as dedicated as I used to be), and riding serves as moving meditation to me. The rhythm of the wheels and the pedals, the wind in my face, and the motion all combine to make a sensory experience that soothes my soul. It's been something that I wanted to share with Buddy Boy, and it's a good feeling knowing that he likes it, too. Last year when he finally got the knack of riding without the training wheels he was so proud of himself he just glowed. He knew he had accomplished something hard. And it made me feel so good to see him so proud of himself.

While loading the bikes in the car, Buddy Boy tells me he wants to take his safety gear (elbow and knee pads). By the end of last season (his first season riding without training wheels) he was declining to wear the gear, having built up confidence in his riding ability. I sense a bit of anxiety on his part that he'll still be able to ride.

Liz is also a bit anxious about his riding ability. She remembers how long it took us to lose the training wheels, and knows that it was only towards the end of the season last year that he was really getting it. "Perhaps you should take him to an open parking lot first to practice?" I declined, knowing (hoping?) in my heart that riding his bike would be to Buddy Boy like, well, riding a bike (something never forgotten once learned).

It went just fine. One push to get him going up the first little hill, and he was off, followed close behind by Sweet Pea, who is always trying to keep up/beat her brother who is 2 years older than she. Buddy Boy quickly regained his confidence, even becoming a bit overconfident and running off the path almost into a bush. He was a little upset, but quickly recovered. He's done a lot better over the last year in terms of being able to regain his equilibrium.

After two times around the park the kids wanted to go play on the playground equipment. I got pushed into duty for one of their favorite games, where daddy plays the troll, and they try to escape (basically a game of "chase me"). I also spot another kid who is probably on the spectrum, there with his dad. I debate whether to approach to make conversation. I look in their direction, wondering if he's noticed us. He hasn't, and he moves on.

An hour later and its off to home again. It's great that Spring is coming, and it's great to be rolling along again.

Joe is 210