Our Pedaling Monkey

So you've seen big brother ride his bike and now it's little brother's turn in the spotlight. Up until a few weeks ago, Noah never showed any interest in riding any of the bikes the boys have. While he got a new one for his birthday in November, he's much to small for it still and so the toddler bike that was Hayden's is just his size, and his legs can reach the pedals. He has enjoyed us pushing him in the past, but recently began showing interest in actually pedaling for himself. At first, he had himself riding backwards, which as I recall Hayden also did. Finally, within the last week, he's figured out how to continually push his feet in the forward direction to get himself moving - now that he's got it, he's a pedaling fool. He rode all around the front of the house, up the street and down the street and is now starting to figure out how to steer himself and turn around without help. With his little legs pedaling, here is our little monkey riding his bike.

A Zoo Trip

Today we planned an impromptu visit to the Phoenix Zoo - we haven't been in several years, Noah has never been, so we decided to get out of the house and go do something. We invited Grammy to come along with us too and while enjoying the beautiful spring weather, we walked around the zoo and saw all the boys' favorites, including elephants which the wildlife zoo by us does not have. The orangutans were especially cute, with the little one all wrapped up in a t-shirt while playing with her mama. While posing for the picture on the "ibex," Noah was concerned and told us "it not working" - I think he thought we were putting him on a real animal and because it wasn't moving, he just figured it wasn't working. We all had a good laugh after that and truly enjoyed the walk around the zoo and the time spent together.

Having Fun

I have been having so much fun this past week taking pictures with a borrowed "fancy" camera that my friend Lori, who teaches at my school, so graciously let me take home to try out over spring break. For a while now, I have been thinking about getting a really nice camera, especially when I think about all the money I have paid other people to take pictures of my kids and I've often thought to myself "if only I had my own fancy camera" ... so this past week, I kind of did. Lori and I've talked a lot about her digital Canon Rebel, and she's shared with me how much she loves it and a few different times offered to let me try it out. Finally, I was able to do just that and boy, am I hooked! My mom has a 35 mm Canon Rebel that I've always loved (and that she still uses!) - the picture quality is beyond compare, and when Lori told me hers was a Rebel also, I started looking into them a bit more. Especially now that I am in need of a new camera, I have been thinking more and more about investing in one that yes, will be a bit more costly, but knowing the way I take pictures, I know I'd get my money's worth. After Hayden's soccer game today, when I was able to capture some true action shots, I became officially hooked. I don't even care that it's a bit cumbersome to haul around either as I just love the ease of snapping pictures and the quality. Anyway, here are some shots I've taken in the past week with the "fancy camera" ... mostly just random shots of the boys, and a few from the backyard. Enjoy ... I certainly have!

Out for a Hike

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and get outdoors for a hike today. Wanting to try something new, we went up to Thunderbird Mountain Preserve, close by where we've been going to church and hiked around the mountain for a bit this morning. We let both boys walk at first, giving Noah a chance to try the hike out before it got a bit too steep for his little legs - at that point, we packed him in the backpack and Chris carried him up to the top. Hayden, on the other hand, was a little trooper, trotting ahead and forging his way to the top of the mountain. Here are just a few pictures taken from our hike, where we stopped to rest at the top, with snacks of course!

Our Soccer Star

Move over David Beckham ... here comes Hayden Robb! Our little boy was a star on the soccer field today. He woke up this morning, hair sticking up all over, and winking at me said, "It's soccer time!" Ah, it makes me smile just thinking about his excitement and how ready he felt to play his game this morning. He even tried to look up at the clock to figure out what time it was in order to make sure we didn't miss his 9:00 game. To say that he has been obsessed with starting soccer is an understatement; since before Christmas, he has been talking about soccer, and talking about it, and talking about it and finally, today was the official kick-off of his season, no pun intended.

He looked so good out there, chasing after the ball, dribbling it as perfectly as any five year old can, and even scored two goals! I never thought I would be one of those moms that would get so into her child's sport, but seeing my baby run down the field, kick his ball into the goal and score, and then turn around and go give his daddy a high five brings tears to my eyes. I just can't believe how fast he's growing up - and what a year makes as I think back to the struggles he had last year with overcoming his shyness and hesitation to get out there and play with his team. Not to say that he didn't participate last year, because he certainly did as we all became more relaxed about it, but today was different - he just went right on out there without any fear at all. And not only did he play well, he was a good sportsman as he took time out to give his other teammates time to play as well. We are filled with pride for our little boy and know we will have a blast watching him play over the course of the next few weeks. What's better is Chris being able to share it with him, acting as the "unofficial" assistant coach! So for those of you who won't be able to join us at a game, here are some pictures to start you off on what should be a very fun soccer season with Hayden!

Pizza Picnic

I had to share these pictures I took today of the boys and their pizza picnic. While outside enjoying our spring weather (I told you the temperature would be on the rise!), riding bikes and playing with friends, we planned an impromptu pizza picnic in the driveway for lunch. I was teased by Chris for choosing the driveway as he indicated we could be "more civilized" and have the boys eat inside ... they are boys, after all, and they didn't mind one bit - they were excited about the prospect of eating on a blanket in the driveway, and they all looked darn cute just sitting in a row eating their pizza and grapes. Plus, what better way is there to keep the mess at a minimum than to eat outside?

Here in mid-bite, Hayden and Carter sit and eat, with a little bit of sauce around the lips, but a picture so precious I had to share. Aren't they two of the cutest little boys you have ever seen?

Our little monkey, sitting on the other side of the blanket, enjoys his juice like a big boy.

Here are just a few more shots I took of the kids enjoying their pizza picnic outside ... the perfect recipe for fun!

Hayden Rides On

Daddy gets him balanced.With a little push, off he goes!
He rides on his own!

This evening a very exciting event happened in our family ... Hayden took his first ride on his bike without training wheels! We were all so excited as we watched him ride effortlessly down the sidewalk without those two little wheels to use for balance. He's been ready for a while to try riding on his own, and today he figured it was time. A few weeks back, Chris had to replace the inter tube on one wheel of his bike and when he put the bike back together, he purposely put the training wheels back on slightly off-centered to help Hayden learn to start balancing on his own. Each time since, we had noticed Hayden doing better and better at balancing on just two tires and at times it seemed as if he was riding on his own, as neither training wheel touched the ground. Today was the same ... we were outside and I was watching him ride and told him he was ready to go on his own. So he asked his daddy to take them off, and with a little help getting started, off he rode ... no help, no out-of-breath daddy running behind him ... with us and our neighbor friends looking and cheering him on, he just rode the bike, on his own, down the street, as if he had always done it. What a champ - we are so proud of him! As he rode, you could hear him chanting "woo hoo" and see him beaming with pride as he recognized the enormity of his great accomplishment. Hope you find yourself smiling, and maybe even cheering on, just as we did watching our little boy take this big leap forward and ride on his bike with just two wheels! YAY - way to go Hayden!