Death by trike

OMG, she's gonna kill me with the bike!

Lets go back to Saturday. Dean and I were on the Ride For Wishes motorcycle run, so Angela was home with a brand new PCA. Brett is 15, and also has a brother with DS. He's a GREAT kid, and Angela really had a blast with him. Could it be because he was willing to play dress up with her? Or "Jail"? Or could it be because he doesn't say no to things that require a lot of...uumm...energy?

When Brett first got there, Angela got out her little Thomas the Tank train set. Really, it's a tiny set, and one that annoys the heck out of me setting it up. But Brett was game! He got it set up and they played with it for about 8 seconds when I saw that twinkle in her eye.

Angela: I'm done with this.
Brett: Ok...what d'ya wanna do next?
Angela (with evil grin): "Play dress up."
Brett (with eye roll and cringe): Ok
Me: "Don't worry Brett, we don't have anything in there that will fit you. But, maybe I'll make a stop at Goodwill to get some stuff for next time."

So they played dress-up, which evolved into Angela's most favorite game of "Jail". This is a common playground game, and one that Angela can never find anyone to play at home. But that Brett, he was all for it! He got arrested and handcuffed a bunch of times. Don't worry, they're not real handcuffs. What, ya think I'm stupid?

All that happened in the 1/2 hr before we left. It was gonna be a long day for Brett!

I did tell Brett how to get to the closest park, just in case they decided to take a walk. However, I forgot to put the stroller out, and there is no way Angela can make the walk to that park. Angela knows the way to the park, (Angela knows how to get to anything within a 10 mile radius, I swear!) so I didn't give him super directions.

As soon as we were out the door, Angela said, "Let's go for a bike ride!" Ok, for those who have never been here, our neighborhood is not exactly new-bike-rider friendly. Even our driveway is a death trap, with two huge, very steep hills. Brett managed to get the bike down the driveway and they headed out. The park is about 1/2 mile away, and it's uphill almost the whole way! Yeah, well Angela didn't take him to THAT park. Instead she took him all the way to the elementary school, which is a mile and a half away! They got to the school and played at the park a bit, then had to ride all the way home! She was pretty tired when she got back. I felt sorry for Brett, but was glad it was him and not me.

And then Sunday happened.

Angela wanted/needed to burn off some steam, so we got the bike out. We ended up doing about 3 miles. Now, when Brett went with her, he is a young, physically fit 15 year old boy. I am an old, not-so-fit mom who thought she was done running alongside bikes years ago. Angela would get that look in her eye, then crank up the gears and start pedaling really fast. Laughing hysterically at the mom who was trying to keep up! Let me just say that by the end of the summer I will have no excuse for not loosing weight.

Got Wheels? (by Angela)

Next week is my birthday. I'm 12 years old! I'm so excited! I'm getting a new bike. My bike is red and black. My guy Bruce is making it just right for me. I had to wait a few days to get it. Today I got my new bike.

When we got there, Bruce was still working on my bike. Mom said this is called "tweaking". That is a funny word! I was very boring in that store, so I tried on different helmets. This is the faces guys have in the helmets.




Bruce was STILL working.


We went next door to have a shake. Mom said this is called killing time.


When we came back Bruce made the handle bars just right for me. These are MY handlebars! I have brakes too. One...two...three! On the back, that is mom's brake. That is called a control freak.


We went to the church. There is lots of room there so I won't crash. Hurry up and get my bike out of the truck!


I have to push my feet all the way around to make the bike go. Not backwards. If backwards, that's wrong. Try again. This is a movie of me. This is my very first time on my bike.


I can go fast on the hill. I can use my brakes. Don't turn too fast. If turn too fast, you fall. My stripes are all wet! I was mad that my stripes are wet. Now I have to find clean stripes.


I hurt my elbow, but Mom didn't tell me it was bleeding. Mom said get back on the horse. It's not a horse Mom. It's my bike. I rode some more.


Whew! I'm tired! We went home, and I made a discovery. It's called blood! It was on my elbow and my knee. I don't like blood. Now I have a tear on my cheek.


I love my new bike! Tomorrow I'll ride again. Mom can jog.