Nicholas asked Tom to take off his training wheels and he never looked back. It took him a couple of days to get the hang of it, but it wasn't long before he mastered turning around in our neighbor's driveways. Now he's whipping around on his bike like he has nine lives. He was so proud when Tom finally deemed him ready to tackle a big bike ride around the lake in our neighborhood. His new favorite thing is to ride standing up. He thinks that's a pretty cool trick. He's really enjoying this new found freedom and feels likes a big kid riding around with Jacob and his friends. So far Nicholas has stuck to the sidewalk, but he's getting quite confident so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he's popping wheelies and riding down stairs. Yes, Nicholas always wears a helmet.
Marissa has left behind her tricycle and is now on a 12-inch bicycle with training wheels. Tom took it down from the attic and plopped her on it one day. She was totally interested, especially in the fancy handle streamers. We took turns walking next to her back and forth, up and down the sidewalk showing her how to use the pedals and steer all at the same time. She caught on pretty fast and is so proud of herself. We still have to run next to her (especially on hills) as she hasn't quite learned to brake. Right now, she drags her toes on the ground to stop. She'll work on that skill next summer.
