Jonathan and I bought bikes the year we moved to North Carolina. We were lacking friends after moving several states away from anyone we had ever known and it was something fun and different to do together on the weekends. It ended up being a great idea since we bought a house on a huge greenway (biking/walking trail) only seven short months later. However, as you all know life gets busy and somehow we have let our bikes collect a lot of dust in the back of the garage for several years now (way before kids even). It was actually Jonathan's idea this year to get the kids the equipment we needed to all ride together. Katelynn has her own bike, but we weren't sure if she would ride several miles all on her own so we found her the third wheel bike that we attached to Jonathan's bike. She doesn't have to pedal if she gets tired but we still get her from point A to B without having to push her bike for her! And Justin gets to cruise in luxury in his bike trailer that I pull behind my bike. We thought we had the perfect setup and were so excited!
Fastforward to today- a beautiful and breezy spring-ish day out. It was perfect! We loaded the kids up, packed snacks and drinks and headed out for a ride. Katelynn and Jonathan tried out the bikes in the street first (and mind you, Katelynn only rides with training wheels normally so this was different. Jonathan holds her weight steady but she still was lacking training wheels). Katelynn felt like the bike was "shaky" and got scared. We adjusted the bolts that held her bike to Jonathan's bike and assured her it was fine, but she was hesitant. So what did I do? I pulled that really bad trick that I know every single mom is guilty of from time to time: I bribed her with chocolate. Yes, I sure did. Sure, she could have riden in the trailer with Justin, but I knew if she gave it a chance, she would loving bike riding with her daddy. So, I gave her a bite of a Reeses' cup and told her if she gave it a try on the trail, she could have the rest of the cup when we got home. This of course worked like a charm- she wouldn't be my daughter if she didn't love chocolate! With that out of the way, we started loading up Justin and there's where problem number two surfaced. He did not under any circumstances want to ride in that bike trailer. No way, Jose! He was screaming like we were abusing him when we tried buckling him in it. I think we seriously spent over an hour getting prepared for this ride, but after putting Katelynn in it, showing Justin how fun it was, loading it with toys and snacks and his sippy cup, he finally got in it without a fight and we were off!
So, here's the thing: whoever said something about you never forget how to ride a bike.. or however that saying goes... is WRONG! I was a mess out there! Sure, I could pedal and balance myself.... .okay, maybe I couldn't even do that. I was wobbling quite a bit in the beginning there, but in my defense, I was pulling a bike trailer! But oh my goodness. We couldn't have gone a half mile before I knocked the chain right off my bike from not shifting correctly or even shifting in the right gears at the right time. I completely forgot how to work it! Take that and the fact that I was Miss Cautious, and I was probably giving everyone out there a good laugh today. Somehow I lost my daringness the day I delivered Katelynn. Seriously. I have always been a more cautious risk taker, but there has still never been a sport I haven't been willing to try out. I love the adrenaline sports. Then I had kids and the whole fear of harming them or myself and not being able to take care of them took control. The fact that I was pulling one of my children today made it worse I am sure. I walked my bike down several hills and the ones I finally concurred, I had brakes on and my feet on the ground most of the way down. What a joke I was! And of course there was my husband and 3-year old in front of me pedaling themselves as fast as they could to see how fast they could go down them! At least some of us still have the fun left in us! Honestly, though I got much better near the end and I am sure I will be back to being a pro and taking a least a very small risk riding very soon!! I think this is going to be a really fun activity for us this spring!
So... I HAD a ton of pictures before our ride, but I lost them all. :( These are all I have to show of our first family ride:
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