No More Training Wheels

I just realized that summer will soon be over. I'm not sure how it happened, but it did. One of the big things that I had wanted to do with Avery this summer was to get her riding a bike without training wheels. So, when I realized that we only had 2 weeks left of summer, I decided it was now or never.  We went out that very evening. 
Now, if you know Avery, she likes to be good at what she does. She doesn't like that uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty or failure.  I'm not sure where she inherited that from. :)  We had taken her training wheels off once before, and she had freaked out.  So, I wasn't really sure how this would go over.  I pumped her up and got her all excited as we were taking the wheels off again. I asked Jas to stay home with the other kids so that she wouldn't be distracted.  We wanted a good experience, right? You should have seen the skeptical look on Jason's face!
The first 10 minutes were brutal.  She was scared that her bike was too wobbly. She kept saying, "I can't do it. I CAN'T DO IT!"  She would freak out if anyone even came near us on the sidewalk. I was about ready to chalk up the experience as another great attempt and head home.  And then... she did it!  She finally got her balance and her feet up and went fast enough to get momentum.  It wasn't too far at first, but far enough that she wanted to try again.  And again.  After 45 minutes (and only 1 major fall), she was riding so well that we were a mile away at the community center, and I had to jog to keep up with her on the way home!
She was so proud of herself.  Just as she should be!



Riding her bike in the dark to pick up the mail.

Look how fast she is! :)