so what do big boys do?

they ride bikes without training wheels, of course! nemo is officially a big boy in this category now, as yesterday was the big day. he had been talking about taking them off for awhile, and of course, pointing out the many bikes that didn't have trainers, but finally, both ian and i felt like he was ready. he had definitely backed off on the overuse of the brakes, and he was able to stand up while pedaling to get himself up a hill...also, going down a hill wasn't seeming very scary anymore.

so, we all agreed, and last night was a perfect night for it. 70 degrees, early evening, empty parking lot across the street...perfect. i was so impressed by how well he did. considering how cautious he was with the trainers initially, i expected this to take a lot longer. i worked with him at first, and he was very wobbly and nervous. he actually spent a lot of time talking while trying to ride, and i spent a lot of time reminding him to focus and keep his eyes in front of him...oh, and don't stop pedaling or you'll fall over!

but, we all know this is a dad's job to teach a kid to ride the two-wheeler, so ian gladly took over and nemo just kept improving! after about thirty minutes, ian was able to let go for longer and longer distances. we're still working on the starting, but today they went to the school playground (which has a very large asphalt surface) and practiced more...apparently he's excelling at the stopping part and catching his falls. i was so pleased with him mostly because of his attitude. he was truly delighted with the whole process and didn't get frustrated with the wobbliness and falling and having to have help...in fact, he'd smile and laugh when he fell, and then get right back up again. he may be on the cautious side, but he's willing to try. so proud.

the last couple weeks...

i haven't been saying much lately, but daily life continues...some days kind of exciting, most ordinary. trust me...i like the ordinary days the best. anyway, the photos and captions should suffice to recap our last couple of weeks...

we had a week at the beginning of the month with wonderfully warm weather...we went to jamison park in the pearl district to play in the fountain and wading pool...we brought a blanket and set it out on the grass, ate snacks, relaxed...like being at the beach in the city!

of course, june 9th was a big day for nemo...birthday number 5, and the theme in decorations and gifts (galore) was CARS....nemo was very pleased, even though the original party at the park got rained out and we had to bring it indoors at home...ian scrambled to the store for "pin the tail on the donkey" and goody bags for the four kids and we ordered a big american dream cheese pizza...topped off with a yummy chocolate cake from jaciva's...the rain did not ruin the day!

oh, and right around this time, mia was learning where her belly button was...we're also working on eyes, nose, mouth, ears, toes, etc....she's a smart girl, this one.

another big day for nemo was june 15th, preschool graduation! he talked about it all week, even to tell me that he was going to receive a "certificate"...then, immediately asked me what a certificate was. anyway, the ceremony was very nice...they sang songs like "america the beautiful" and "this land is your land", and then they each had their names called while receiving the special certificate. nemo was pleased, and we are even more so as we're graduating on to tuition-free school for the next 13 years!!

we went through another week and a half of cool, gray weather, and just in the last couple days have returned to sunny, summer-like times...we've been relaxing outside, and today mia is finally starting to return back to her usual, curious little self...high fever and crankiness since saturday, but today mostly smiles!