Behind the Wheel

At the Park

Spring is here! Although the temperatures could be warmer, we have been having nice breaks in the rain. Tyler was excited to get back out to the park today to ride his bicycle and to explore the playground. And for some reason Tyler found it funny when Michael grabbed at Tyler's feet while he was swinging. Hence the giggling in the video.

Toe Fuzz and Other Yucky Stuff

I am constantly surprised by what Tyler finds "yucky":

• Toe Fuzz: After Tyler, Michael, or I take off his socks Tyler looks for toe fuzz because he thinks it is yucky.


• Loose Threads: A few days ago Tyler had a loose thread on the hem of his shirt sleeve and he found that yucky until I trimmed it off.


• Mommy's Hair: Whenever Tyler finds a strand of my hair on the floor he offers it to me and tells me it is yucky.

Yet Tyler finds nothing wrong with using his arm to wipe ketchup from his face and then licking the ketchup off his arm. Go figure!

First Bike

Tyler got his first bike today and he is so excited about it! We got him a Strider PreBike with no pedals. This style of bike is called many things: running bike, gravity bike, balance bike, etc. The basic concept is that Tyler uses his legs to propel the bike. Most kids start off walking the bike slowly (like in Tyler's video) and then they eventually learn to run to gain speed and to glide along with their feet on the footrest. Since they are so low to the ground they just use their feet to stop or to regain balance if they start to feel wobbly. Using this bike we should bypass the tricycle and training wheels. We had to keep reminding Tyler to sit on the seat but overall we were pretty impressed with how well he handled the bike and really seemed to enjoy it.

Mommy's Sunglasses

Play Park

Beep! Beep! Watch out for those young drivers!

Calvin, Viola, and Tyler

Tyler sat remarkably still to get a fire truck painted on his face.

Tyler LOVED the inflatable rocket ship. The inside of the ship was an obstacle course that the kids entered at the front of the ship and then came out the rear of the ship. Initially Tyler was scared, but I went through the ship with him twice. After that he was hooked. Repeatedly Tyler emerged from the rear of the ship all smiles and then he would run back to go through again. He still does not fully understand the concept of waiting in line so I had to tell him a few times to move to the end of the line instead of cutting in the middle.

More Male Cousins

We have known for a while that Tyler is expecting new cousins in August: Aunt Megan (my brother Brad's wife) and Aunt Sonia (my brother Bryce's wife) are both due in August and their due dates are only one day apart! Now we know they are both having boys. Once the babies arrive that means my parents will have 4 grandsons: Tyler, Noah, and the babies. I think we are in for many rowdy family reunions. Little boys rock!