It was a hot and humid evening, just me and my two older preciouses. I'm strolling along as one is riding way ahead. She's got her red helmet, sporting a white Supergirl t-shirt with red sparkles. As I stroll behind her, I can see how she's got her shirt tucked into her pink with light blue trim underwear. The underwear is just peaking out a little bit above her light blue tight jean capris. She's got one dark pink and one light pink sock pulled up high. But they are not so high that there is no skin between the socks and her capris. She's riding on her purple sparkly bike. It's got "Bridgette" on the bars. She carefully rides Bridgette with her one Elmo and one Cookie Monster training wheels. She rides along and waits for Elijah to catch up.
My other precious, is on his little "Roadster" black with some red trim, and a basket. A white basket with red trim that is. He insisted on a basket, when we got it from Backpeddling. I went back and asked the owner if he any extra baskets. He plopped a couple in front of me, and this was the only one that didn't have flowers on it. Should I suppose that only girls have baskets on their bikes? I bought it for $5. It was a bit much for a second hand basket, but it was worth it for our little guy's first bike. He is peddling a bit, then stops. Then peddles, then stops. I'm not sure what he is stopping for, but I'm telling myself to just soak it in. And that I did. Hannah is patiently waiting. Sometimes we catch up to her. But the basket comes in handy when he asks me, "Mommy, pick up that stick." I was going to pause--our usual routine-- and wait for him to say "please." But I decided to enjoy the moment and forget about teaching him just for this little stroll. He then stopped, got down from his bike and proceeded to collect a handful of sticks strewn on the sidewalk. He plops it all in the little white basket, along with his pair of light blue thomas sunglasses.
We catch up with Hannah a bit and I see some chalk drawn arrows. It's Hannah, she drew arrows on the ground while waiting for us. There's a pastel green one and a pink one. And more arrows on the sidewalk. Ah, she's got 3 colours of chalk in her basket! And she's also got a rattle from the Parents' Beep Bop Band. Oh, baskets are so fun. The arrows, she says, are "so Elijah knows which way to go!" And we slowly catch up with Hannah. And she peddles along, taking off. Elijah is slowing down, and trying to get started.
Each time he stops, he struggles to get the bike going again. I struggle to just let him figure it out. But I can see, he's got a persevering spirit. He keeps trying. He doesn't get frustrated. I walked back and reminded him of where he should put the peddle to make it go. Just a bit forward from where it is at the top. He's figuring it out, considering it was just last week he finally decided to try his bike (after having it sit in the garage for a whole year.) He had no interest in biking, non at all. In fact, at preschool, there is a double tricycle. He manages to always find someone to ride the tricycle so he can sit on the back and enjoy the ride. Why do the work when someone else will do it for you?
And as we approach the last stretch of our "around the block" ride, Daddy is in the distance, near our house, with our smallest precious walking toward us. Hannah rides off and stops waiting. She was really patient. And Elijah goes for it. He says, "I'm going fast!" And he takes off! What a boy.
Ah, an evening stroll with my two preciouses. That's precious, as a noun.
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