Two Wheels!

Leon and Scarlett can now both ride two wheeler bikes without training wheels!  We taught Scarlett about a month ago and she was pretty resistant.  She liked using the training wheels but she was really getting too big for her bike and I thought she was old enough to take the plunge.  We made her learn without the training wheels.  She did get the hang of it pretty quickly but for a couple weeks after she knew how to ride the bike she still kept trying to ride her training wheels bike.  I think she just thought it was easier.

Leon on the other hand was a whole different story.  The kids called me into the backyard randomly the other day telling me that Leon could ride a bike.  I stepped out and sure enough Leon was riding a two wheeler around the yard.  Tucker was helping him get started and off he went.  I was pretty surprised and I told them to stop so Bob could "teach" him how to ride a bike.  A couple days later when we had time we went out for Bob to teach Leon how to ride.  Bob didn't know about the earlier rides so he was pretty surprised when Leon got it just fine after Bob holding the back for about a second.

Since that first day Leon has been wanting to ride every day.  Even on that very first day he learned to start all by himself, a skill which has been difficult for my other children.  And on the next day he showed me that he could stand up and ride.  I really think he is probably better than both the girls.  He really took to riding the bike!

Bob stayed home with Calista the other day and I went on a bike ride with the kids.  It was pretty cool just watching all of them ride.  Scarlett seemed to get tired really fast though, I think she needs a bigger bike.

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NYC 4

New York already seems like so long ago and I'm not done posting about it yet.

We went to the Metropolitan Museum of art.  Did you know you can pay what you want?  I felt weird not paying the full $25 each (I'm not sure if that was the price but it was close) but I really didn't want to pay $50 so we didn't.  I'm glad too because we didn't end up staying very long.  It was gigantic and Bob and I just weren't that into it so we walked around, looked at art, got lost, used their bathrooms, asked for help finding the entrance, asked for help again, and left.

I did want to get a picture with one famous painting though.

After that we headed over to central park.  We rented bikes so we could see the whole thing.  It was the perfect size for us to ride around.  We would haven't been able to see very much of it if we walked.

Bob really enjoys biking but I haven't ridden a bicycle since we dated and I was getting pretty tired going up the hills.  Luckily Bob was patient with me and I made it ok.  As you can tell it was beautiful and the weather was perfect.

Next we headed over to the Brooklyn Bridge.  I really wanted to walk across it. So that is what we did.  They are replacing all the metal one piece at a time without shutting the bridge down.  We could see where they were at.

The view of the city was great and I wanted to see it at night so we hung out on the bridge for about an hour.  This next picture is of the other bridge next to the Brooklyn Bridge.

It was late by the time we got home.  It seemed like our nights kept getting later and our mornings kept getting earlier.  There was just so much to do I didn't want to waste any time sleeping.

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Bike Expo 2014

Last Saturday we made the hour and a half drive to Seattle for the annual Bike expo.  Tucker was way to excited for it.  Last year Bob and the kids went without me.  I stayed in town and went to a Women's Conference.  It was also the day Leon was almost born.  Because I missed it before I was just a little bit curious.

It was basically tons of vendors selling various bike stuff.  I don't think Bob ended up buying anything but he did enjoy looking.  And we got more then our fare share of flyers and pieces of candy from the booths.  In fact Cliff was handing out granola bars and we made sure to stop by their both several times.  It kept the kids happy.

I'm not sure what this particular booth was for.  I took Penelope to the bathroom and when we came back Tucker was time traveling.

They even had a fog machine going.  They told him he traveled one minute into the future.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

This was like my fifth attempt to get a picture of all the kids looking.

Bob really liked these wood bikes.  I guess they sell for about 4 thousand dollars.

I didn't get a picture of it but they did have some really neat bikes for families.  I saw this one with a cool bench on the back of it meant to hold three kids.  Then there was a baby seat on the front.  It was perfect for us... minus the price tag.

There was one booth I was interested in.  A bike lawyer had a booth set up.  He represents bicycle riders after they get hit by cars.  I kind of have a love hate thing going on with Bob riding his bike to work every day.  I want to support him because he loves it and it is a really healthy thing to do.  But on the other hand I just get scared that one day he isn't going to come home and I'm going to get a call about how he got hit by a car.  It just happened to someone in our ward a couple months ago.  He is ok now but he was in the hospital for a couple of days.  I hope Bob never gets hurt, but our town is not the most bike friendly.  So there will always be that possibility.  At least now I will be prepared with a lawyer to call if something happens.

My favorite part was watching the bike artistry.  Three people came out on bikes and did some really crazy cool tricks.

The video is of their intro.  I kinda wish we got a video later because their tricks got way more spectacular toward the end of the performance.  Check it out.


After the expo we drove over to the Freemont Troll  under the bridge.  It is always a fun stop for the kids, although this time we were freezing.  Tucker kept telling everyone not to look into the eye.  Apparently if you look into the trolls eye you will have bad dreams.  it was funny watching him walk around making sure not to turn his head toward the eye.

I love little day trips with my family!

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Bob's New Bike!!!

So, this is bob hijacking the wife's blog. ;-)

As some of you know, I do not drive a car to work. I ride my bike. I bought a bike just over 2 years ago and put over 7,000 miles on it since then. It is almost 7 miles to the gym at work, and then 6.5 miles home after work. I love riding my bike to work. It is a really nice break between home and work. during the 20-25 minute bike ride I can purge my mind of almost all the worries of work, so when I get home I can focus on the family, and not stress about work.
Like I said, I have been riding my bike to work for 2 years, since we went to Japan. That seems like so long ago. So, like any other avid cyclist, I have spent more than my far share online looking at cool bikes, wishing I had the cool new stuff. Now that I know I plan on riding my bike to work as long as our home is within a 10 mile radius, I decided it was about time to upgrade. And man did I upgrade.
I was a little scared at first to spend all my "Savings" and "Christmas Money" (thanks mom dad and grandma). But I believe it was worth it.

So here it is, my new bike!!!

Now why is it so cool? And why did it cost more money than bob feels comfortable posting on the blog? And is it worth more than our 95 honda accord?
Well, let me spell it out. ULTEGRA Di2!!!

A couple years ago Shimano came out with electronic shifting. It is like clicking a mouse button and your bike shifts perfect every time forever. I have spent a long time adjusting cables and such on my bike in the past. But with the Ultegra Di2 components it is super low maintenance.

Yes, that is a battery under the bottle cage, and it only needs charged every 2-3 thousand miles!

Oh, and did I mention it has disc brakes. Which are needed for all the rain we get out here.

I don't think I have ever been so excited to go to work!!!

Bob
ps. Maria, I installed the cyclometer after I took the pics. thanks again for the christmas gift. I love it!!

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Bicycle Basket

Exactly.

I want one on the back too.
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Garden & Be Well,            XO Tara
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Described this to Handy-Man when I found a trio of bikes.  He got that glassy-eyed 'women-are-crazy' look.  Popped my balloon about being original, seeing the pic, but gave me a Cheshire cat smile because before the sun sets, Handy-Man will see this picture.
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And, Handy-Man, I want all my bikes to have 2 baskets.
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Pic via Paris Through My Lens

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1000+ miles

This is Bob. So, we all know Doranda loves to post on her blog. But I am taking over the post for today to let everyone know that I hit the 1000+ mile mark on my bike.
I have had my bike since February, and ave been riding it the 6+ mile to work, and the 6+ miles back. I really enjoy riding my bike to and from work. It helps me wind down before I get home, and wakes me up on my ride in. I would recommend that everyone who lives within a couple miles of work should consider riding there bike. It is fun and invigorating, good for the environment, and for your own health. You can burn from 700 to 1000 calories.

Here is a new picture of my bike. I have a spot for it on wall in the garage, with all my tools. :-)

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