Monday, September 26th
By now just about everybody has heard the story of the 100 lb bike that Ivan's dad bought him last summer. (Ok, so it's not really 100 lbs, but I dare say it might be nearly 50! It's darn heavy. Yahoo, so what it's a TREK and it will last forever. It has no chance of getting worn out if the kid can't ride it because it weighs 10 times as much as the kid... end of rant.)

So today, after feeling so much pity for my poor little gawky son who has absolutely no chance of learning to ride a 2-wheeler with that bike, I decided to take my son and some cash and make a little side trip to Walmart after school. We picked out the biggest bike that still had training wheels on it, a 16" Huffy with red, white, and blue paint that cost a whopping $34, before tax. When we got to the park and Ivan started riding, he looked like he'd been freed from unfair too-heavy-bike domination in his life. He rode like the wind! He was free! He was riding and riding and going up hills and down hills and over bridges, and oh... my... gosh... it's... so... hot... Mommy... don't... make... me... ride... any... further! But yes, he made it back to the parking lot with the van and we made a bee-line to the nearest convenience store for some cold water bottles. It was a joy to watch him ride bike like this, even if it still has training wheels. He's gotta get comfortable like this before we can talk about the ultimate freedom....