Lexi on a two wheel bike!

A few months ago Lexi asked the question "Will you teach me how to ride a bike with no training wheels?" I kept putting it off until finally I dumped the responsibility onto Dan. Dan (the great dad that he is) takes Lexi out to the culdesac to 'give it a go'. Not even 5 minutes later lexi comes in the house and storms upstairs to her room crying. I ask her what was wrong and she said "Daddy let go!". At that moment Dan comes in smiling and shaking his head. "She did not even need me. She had the balancing down on the first try."

Once she figures out the starting and stopping part (which is pretty important) we can check this off her milestone of childhood events. We finally talked her into letting me see what a natural she was. The video is her second attempt at riding a bike.

About a week after Dan 'taught' her to ride a bike we decided to go on a family bike ride to the park. We got about 200 yards and lexi decided she had no more confidence on her own. We discovered as long as I was touching her she was fine. It is amazing the amount of comfort my index finger gave her. So off we went. (Dan, Jared, Jamie, and Lexi on their bikes.) I had the chore of jogging along the side of Lexi so that I could touch the spine of her back. (The things a mom will do for her children.) It would have been a nice little jog except for the fact that I had one arm extended to the side of me with my index finger stretched so that it was pressed against Lexi's back. (It sounds easier than it actually was.) It was a constant struggle to keep just the right amount of pressure. Too much pressure and Lexi would start leaning towards me. Too little pressure and she would not feel it and start crying. So the next time any of you are out jogging I suggest you try running with your arm stretched out at a 90 degree angle while pointing your index finger towards the front of you. See how you like it! In the end we were so proud of Lexi- it was a long way to go for her first trip off of our street!