When at first you don't succeed...

...Call KJ, he understands.

And THEN go try try again.

I'm so proud of our biggest boy!
He FINALLY learned to ride a bike without training wheels.
I say finally because he has taken the training wheels off of his bike twice before and then requested that they be put back on. 
But this time was different.

I'm pretty sure I've never seen him more determined.

And I'm pretty sure I've never been more proud.

Dear KJ,

You, my son, are a super star.  I'm your Momma, so I'll always think that.  But I sure hope you believe it, too.  I have a million reasons to be proud of you, bud, but today it is because you have learned to ride a bicycle all by yourself.  Your Daddy and I would have held on to the back of that bicycle forever if we thought it would help you ride.  But we knew that at some point you'd have to do it yourself.  There were lots of falls, sometimes some pretty hard falls.  Once you even crashed over Lou.  We laughed about how you had conquered bike riding...and conquered your sister.  It was sometimes frustrating and there were lots of bumps and bruises, but you did not give up.  I can't tell you how many times you jumped up and got back on that bike.  You've added a few more holes to your blue jeans and there were times when you'd had enough falling for one day, and had to take a break.  But you always amazed us when you requested to go back out again the next day.  You pushed yourself to accomplish this goal and it was so much fun to watch.  I'll never forget the emotions I felt as I watched you try to learn how to get started.  You'd already mastered riding and balancing and turning.  But taking that first pedal all on your own was a doozie for you.  I stood watching from the sidewalk, pacing a little.  You tried and fell and tried and fell.  You put one foot on the pedal and one foot on the ground, then switched with the other foot on the pedal and one on the ground.  Over and over.  I stopped myself just short of saying "Cmon bud, you can try again tomorrow, lets take a break".  Instead, I stood back with patient expectation and whispered to myself "you can do it, buddy.  I know you can do it."  And eventually, YOU DID.  You took off down the road without so much as a push from me and the look on your face as you came around the turn was PRICELESS.  You were so proud.  And I was, too.  It was official. You were a bike rider.

Buddy, life will be like this.  Your Daddy and I will want so desperately to hold you up, to keep you from falling, to help you succeed.  But sometimes we'll have to stand back and watch you fall.  We will teach you everything we can, but eventually you'll have to be determined to do it on your own.   I hope you know that when we do let go, we'll be standing back just far enough to watch.  We'll be whispering under our breath, "YOU CAN DO IT, buddy, we know you can".  And then we will watch with patient expectation while you try.  You'll try over and over sometimes.  Until finally FINALLY you will get it.  And you better believe that when you come around the turn, we'll be the first to jump up and down sharing your JOY at what you've accomplished.  We could hold on to you forever, but if we did, you would never experience the thrill of riding alone.  And that's worth more to us than the holes in a million pairs of blue jeans.

Because we love you, so much!

Momma

Just for fun, here are a couple of videos.  Totally laughing at myself as I listen to my voice. 
Here is one of the process (including the funny...but not...wreck with Lou.)

And one of the finished product.  A confident (and THRILLED) bicycle rider!