Keeping Up

I guess having an older brother to keep up with is good motivation to learn quickly. Last night Aaron took the training wheels off Max's bike and held Max's seat while Max made a few tentative laps around the driveway. With just a few minutes of practice, Aaron was able to let go of the bicycle seat for a few seconds at a time. As soon as Max would realize that he was riding by himself, he'd get nervous and slow down, causing his bike to wobble and crash. Max took a couple rough spills and, as it was getting dark, decided to call it a night.

First thing this morning, before Aaron and I were even out of bed, Max got himself dressed, prepared himself a poptart for breakfast, brushed his hair and teeth, and set right back outside to practice riding his bike. Sure enough, Max was riding loops around the driveway and soon he even felt brave enough to ride standing-up and eyes closed (which I promptly discouraged). I'm so proud of Max for showing such determination and independence--he took a couple rough falls and got right back up and kept trying. Go Max!

 

 

While I'm on the subject of Max, I may as well continue bragging about how awesome Max is. With Max in preschool just three mornings a week, he and I get to spend a lot of time together. I thoroughly enjoy his company. He is ceaselessly cheerful and always makes me feel happier when I am around him. He is a remarkably good share-er and is very thoughtful and generous. Max is the peacemaker in our home and is a natural helper. He is my buddy, my right-hand-man. Max is the dustpan to my broom, the door-opener to my pushing a baby-loaded cart. He is the early-morning car starter on every cold morning. He is the bowl-scraper to my chocolate-chip cookie baking. Max is the diaper-fetcher to my diaper-changing, the baby-watcher to my house-cleaning, and the backseat chatter to my taxi service. Max is such a special little boy. He knows that I love him a whole bunch, but I hope he also knows that I like him a whole bunch, too.