20" Bike!

Ted and I have been biking to school this week to get him ready for the official launch of the Freiker program at his school on Sept. 4. This afternoon while I was loading his bike into the car (we don't have time to bike back to the rec center after school, so I drive all the way to school for pickup), Sam noticed a goat head stuck in Ted's rear tire. I pulled it out and heard the dreaded "ssssssss." After trying to take the wheel off at Wendy's after school (it was rusted), we took it to U Bikes. They told us that the bike was really a mess with the rust and that we should leave it with them and they would put used parts on it as they came in (otherwise replacing the rear of the bike plus the wheel and the chain would have cost more than the $10 I spent getting this bike from Craig's List!) So we left the 16" with them and should have it back in full repair way before Sam is ready for it. What was really exciting was that there was a used 20" Trek bike for sale. Trek and Specialized are the only brands of bike that I really know and I like them both. This bike must be a bit closer to the ground or he grew a TON over the summer, because when we tried out a 20" Specialized bike in June, he couldn't even touch his tiptoes to the ground and kept falling over. No problem now. The bike has 6 gears, hand brakes (!) and, according to Jack's dad, full suspension, whatever that is. Ted took to it just fine and rode all around U Bikes and then wanted to show Jack. So we descended on their family for dinner (Stacy is an awesome cook!) and the boys biked all around the neighborhood, including to an open space area that had a tree house that was SERIOUSLY high up. The boys shimmied up there easily but needed help getting down. I thought it was really sweet that Ted wanted to show Jack his bike-that was exactly the same scenario we went through when he got his very first bike.

Kindergarten was fine again today. He was fine going in, still needs a pretty long hug but I enjoy that. No tears or anything. There were 3 crying this morning and seriously, their poor moms are feeling so terrible. I am so grateful I don't have to deal with that...it's so sad! Ted informed me that I sent him to the wrong school. When he asked why he wasn't going to Rachel's school I explained that at her school there would be a lot of sitting down and writing and at his school there would be more running around outside. "All we do is sit and write, Mama!" he said. Hee. Tonight he was talking all about the sun's reflection and how we see colors and something about a bow and arrow in the body that makes the heart pump. Interesting stuff! He is so tired by the end of the day (look at those tired eyes!). I guess happy and tired are good things to be when you're 5.