The Bike.

Kate LOVED her bike.  For a few days.

Then she got really scared of riding it

Still loving it here

 going to check out the bike path

The last happy shot for weeks.  So she was pedaling happily along when she started down a small hill on the bike path.  I was tailing her with Alex in the BOB. Suddenly she started going really fast (OK, relatively really fast) and I started to call after her "remember back for brake, Kate, back for break!) I sounded firm but not crazed because I didn't want to scare her. This part of the path drops off pretty suddenly on the side onto a bumpy hill.  Kate calls it "the cliff".   Well she started careening out of control and was headed right for the cliff.   I (thought I) threw the BOB into park and ran after her.  I caught her just as she spun out and fell and everything was fine.  Until.  Until I looked up the hill and saw Alex, happy as a lark, careening towards us in the (ill-parked) BOB like a bat out of hell.   With my piping hot coffee in the cup holder.  Well, I now believe those mama adrenaline stories you hear about moms lifting cars off their offspring etc.  I sprinted up the hill and somehow caught her.  Whew.


During all of this, my camera was in video mode.  I didn't realize this until later and laughed so hard I cried when I saw the 'tape'.  It starts with me proudly saying "Kate's first ride on the bike path" and quickly cuts to a whirlwind of trees, ground, me panting and yelling and then is thrown into the grass.  It ends with me going to pick it up (after rescuing Alex) hissing expletives under my breath. 
 I will post it sometime :-)

After that, Kate was a wreck.  I had to hold her on the bike, lots of tears, etc etc. It took weeks for her to get over it.  But, she did and now she loves it.

A note for Steve (picture of mama and Kate riding bikes)

Bike-a-thon at school