Park and ride

The weather was cruddy during the majority of my visit to see my grandsons, bordering on monsoon conditions at times. Add to that the fact that Bubby and Mac were sick most of the time—Bubby recuperating from the flu and Mac flirting with the flu while dealing with full-blown bronchiolitis, as well—and it's clear why Gramma didn't get to play outside with her grandsons much in the past week.

My last full day there, though, the weather warmed up nicely and the boys felt better than they had since my arrival. We seized the opportunity to relieve our cabin fever by heading to the park just down the street—with Bubby leading the way on his first ride there without training wheels on his bike.

I was a little nervous at first, allowing my four-year-old grandson to ride his bike on the sidewalk. A sidewalk right next to the street. A street on which vehicles drive. And a street we needed to cross in order to get to the park.

Bubby did fantastic, though. He experienced nary a wobble along the way, and once at the park, my grandson relished the freedom—and pride in oneself—that only a training wheel-less bike can provide.

I'm so impressed with Bubby's riding skills. He is four years old, turning five in June. I don't remember exactly when my daughters learned to ride a bike, but I'm positive it wasn't at four. (I don't think they even had a bike at four!)

As Bubby said at the end of the video above: "This video is great!" It is exactly that, because he's such a great bicyclist.

Adding to the greatness is Mac's little voice saying "Gramma" in the background. You heard that, right? And Mac's achievement for the day: He went down the twirly slide all by himself for the very first time while we were there. And the second time, third time, and fourth time, too.

I'm telling ya, my grandsons are athletic superstars—even when not on their A-game and still recovering from the flu.

Today's question:

Who taught you to ride a bicycle?

The Saturday Post: Inspiration from a wee one edition

As I noted earlier in the week, Bubby recently got a big-boy bike and is working diligently on mastering the two-wheeler. The youngster in the following video has apparently done exactly that and, considering his success, offers wise words for Bubby and other bike-riding novices. They're also wise words for anyone — young or old — needing a reminder that practice and belief in oneself are all it takes to accomplish great things.

Today's question:

When do you feel most "happy of myself"?

Grandma's big boy

As Megan and Preston further introduce Bubby to the concept of being a big boy—a big brother—they last week graduated him from his trike to a big boy bike. With training wheels, of course.

Luckily they purchased a helmet to go along with the bike. Bubby's still figuring out how to work the big boy brakes, and Megan reports that there certainly would have been a hospital visit over the weekend if not for the now-scuffed helmet.

In addition to working on braking, Bubby also has yet to master taking turns a little less tight. One particularly tight turn resulted in a tumble off the bike. Megan said Bubby stood up, shook it off, then climbed right back on, exclaiming, "I still learning."

Let's hope Bubby has the same determination and consideration for the learning curve when it comes to officially graduating from "one and only" to "big brother" status. Time will soon tell.

Photo courtesy of Megan.

Today's (unrelated) question:

If you could give anonymous advice to any one person, to whom would you give it and what would it be?