June 5, 2007

Just a quick update on the Alex front. Last night after Jeremy got home, we took the training wheels off Alex's bigger bike (the first bike is a 12" on loan from our neighbors) and went to the school to practice some more. Jeremy worked with Alex on getting started and turning. Jeremy said that while I did manage to teach Alex to ride, my yelling technique (Pedal! Pedal! Pedal!) left something to be desired. Here's Alex again, and this time you can see his face:



7:10 Drop off.

7:30 Breakfast. Ariel was quite sure she wanted a Waffl! and then I fed her some mushed apricots.

8:30 After a poop she went down for a nap.

10:00 Ariel woke up, we went to the library. Alex rode his bike on his First Official Ride Without Training Wheels. It took much longer than usual to get to the library, but after several minor falls and lots of stopping and starting we got there.

Taking a picture of Ariel while she sat in my lap:



The boys at story time, a new contact sport:



Ariel, exploring whether or not my phone is truly dead, and looking for other things to destroy:



Oh, that reminds me, we all have new dino tattoos courtesy of Judy. Alex, Adam, Ariel and even me, Becky and EVEN Jeremy. Jeremy picked a T-Rex, the most manly one. Ariel growled at hers.

11:00 Went home. We ate a quick lunch (I tried Ariel on a PB&J sandwich, which she was enthusiastic about but didn't really eat) and then left for our adventures of the day. First we stopped by Starbucks real quick (Crissy, Dorothy says hi and she misses you and looks forward to seeing you in August) where the kids got some cookies.

Next, we met Ellen at her pool to check it out. I plan on swimming with the boys here this summer. It's pretty cool looking with slides and everything. Unfortunately, you have to pay to get into the pool to get to the playground equipment. The day was a bit cool and Ellen's kids were done with the swimming, so we decided to go to another park. The plan was for Ellen to go with Ted and Alex on their bikes to a different park, and I would take the 4 other kids with me in the car and meet them there, after picking up lunch for Ellen's crew. Sadly, after I left, Alex fell off his bike and got, "The BIGGEST OWIE EVER" on his arm and Ellen had to walk his bike the half mile to the park.

By the time I showed up, Alex was still crying. After close inspection, I determined that his arm was not broken, just a nice case of road rash. A hot wheels bandaid and a popsicle fixed it all up. Ariel had a green popsicle and as a preventive measure I took her shirt off while she ate the whole thing, intermittently painting her belly with the droppings (hence why Becky might have noticed her greenness in the diaper area). I missed some great picture moments, but alas I left my camera in the car.

3:00 Alas, it was time to go. On the way home, we stopped at Sports Authority (or as I like to call it, Garts) to get Alex a kickstand and a new helmet. Then we walked (very slowly) over to Jamba Juice for a snack. Ariel had some of her juice, but then threw it in a fit of rage so it was all gone. Then we walked (very slowly) back to the car.

4:15 Dropped Ariel off at the doctor's for her last ear infection shot.

And a general update, I've been letting Ariel only have her nuk at nap time and for the most part it's working our very well. She doesn't seem to miss it during the day and I'm not spending the majority of my day looking for it.