Ride and Tie

So I had this plan. When schedules allowed, I was going to provide Vanessa with an incentive to tie her shoes independently all of the time. We could practice on her new shoes, and when she got it down, she could begin wearing her new shoes anytime. Well, I woke one morning and mentioned to Vanessa our plan to practice. While I was cleaning the kitchen after breakfast and art, Vanessa ran downstairs to show me she could already tie her shoes -- her old shoes! So much for practicing. She did well, although she will get frustrated if you ask her to tie them too many times in a row. :-) I was so impressed that she insisted I email Daddy at work to tell him.

Then, we had a plan for taking her training wheels off of her bike. We put off the task until she would be able to work with her master teacher, Daddy. So when school let out for summer break, we told her once Daddy came back from Canada, we would practice. Finally, this week, we took her to the school playground, where there is a huge area of asphalt. I questioned whether I should take the camera . . . but I anticipated our already exhausted little girl to melt under her own pressure and frustration, so the camera should not be needed until at least the next attempt.  Who was I kidding?! Daddy took off the training wheels, gave her some guidance, and helped her stay upright to ride off. Within in a few minutes, the girl was riding long distances and turning circles left and right.

Of course we were proud of Zane too -- riding through the grass, trying really hard to go uphill, and for delivering water on the back of his trike.