Bike Derby and More

Hi Shira,

You were in your first bike derby the other day.  I thought that you would be the only 3 year old riding a pedaler without training wheels but there was one other girl who did the same.  You did very well.  You might have won or you might have been third, it was hard to tell from the angle I had. 

It was a strange race for a couple of reasons.  First, one of the five year old boys thought the ready, set, go applied to him even though he was at the staging line, not the starting line.  So he flew past all you three year olds part way through the race.  Then you, the other girl who rode without training wheels and one boy with training wheels all finished about the same time.  Although ‘finished’ in this case is a fuzzy term.  None of you seemed quite sure about what to do when you got to the finish ribbon.  So from where I was standing it was pretty impossible to declare a winner. 

Regardless of whether you were first, second or third it you performed well and we’re very proud of you.  I just watched the video of Sidra in her first bike derby when she was two and a half.  She was on the runner bike and the race was a lot shorter.   I’m trying to remember why we didn’t have you try the derby last year.  I guess you weren’t really riding the runner that well yet and we didn’t think you were ready.  So, you’ve really advanced your skills a lot in the last year. 

Well, memory fades and I did some research.  I see that last August was when you were just starting to use the runner bike.  At that time you were just getting the hang of it.  So, last July, you wouldn’t have been ready for the derby. 

The other day we were at the carnival that was in town for the mountain festival.  You were unwilling to go on a lot of the rides so our selection was limited.  I went on the big slide with you a couple of times but they wouldn’t let me go anymore unless I went back and got a ticket.  So, you made it all the way to the top of the stair by yourself but wouldn’t go down by yourself.  I sent Sidra up to help you but it wasn’t enough.  I had to go rescue you again so we were done on the slide. Except Sidra and her friend wanted to stay on the slide for a while. 

We were next to the Monkey Maze.  After looking it over for a while you went in.  I’ve written about your determination before and this was another good example.  To get through the maze you have to feel the openings because you can’t see them.  You carefully and very patiently worked your way through it.  I was really impressed because Sidra had been unable to do it earlier.  It was a stark contrast to the times you show zero patience like when you start screaming because your arm gets slightly stuck as you’re taking off a shirt. 

You showed your love of animals recently before the kids parade.  There were a couple of ponies waiting for the parade to start and grazing on the lawn.  They were being fed and petted by many kids.  But those weren’t affectionate enough gestures for you.  You lingered with your arm around one of the ponies while stroking him with the other. 

You’ve recently started picking out your own clothes and dressing yourself in the morning.  I think that’s really cool. 

Love, Aba