Little Man's Wisdom - My, How He's Grown

Little Man had a tough day on the bike yesterday. On the way to the Bike Rodeo at the Y, he took a tumble and scraped his leg up. We came back home, patched him up, and darned if he didn't ride his bike all the way back to the rodeo.*

He got his bike inspected by the bike shop mechanics, had his helmet adjusted to fit properly (bad mama), saw a demonstration with an egg about the importance of wearing said helmet, and rode the obstacle course about 10 times (with the proper hand signals). He had a blast.

On the way home, he fell again. As I came up to the scene of the accident, he was laying flat on his back, attempting to push the bike off of him with both feet, muttering "Oh, well, I'm okay. It wasn't too bad."

When I told him he did a great job getting back on the bike, he informed me: "Well, mom, that's just the nature of bike riding."

So wise.

* He has had this bike and ridden it on and off for two years. Before yesterday, he had fallen off it twice. On his first weekend riding it, he fell and wouldn't get back on it for over a year. About six months ago, he tried riding to the library, fell, and just started riding again about a month ago. So the quick recovery from two falls in one day is... priceless.

I love giveaways...

but I never seem to win. Here's hoping this will change. Simple Mom is having a great gift basket giveaway. Such cute things - a ruffly apron and fabric sandwich wraps. Fun. One of the items is a lifetime subscription to Pear Budgeting, which is so sleek and user friendly.

I simply love her site. It has helped my start my organizing journey.

Let's see if this works...

Quote for the Day - Put off

Me - Okay, baby, I want you to count the ladybugs in the book with me as I read, okay?

B.B. - No, you can do it. You're a big girl now.

Quote for the Day - Growing Up

"Well, I used to like artichoke hearts, when I was little, when I was 2. But things change as you get older. Right, Dad?"

--Little Man

Quote for the Day - Responsibility

"No, Dad. It's your responsibility to make the chocolate milk."

Yes, Dad puts in much more chocolate syrup than Mom, and yes, we've been talking about responsibility.

Shaggy Story - Batman and Superman

Little man is quite the storyteller. He could sit for hours looking at books or with his dinosaurs and tell very detailed, involved stories (and he's teaching his little brother to do the same thing - yeah!)

His favorite type of storytelling, though, is more interactive. My mom calls them Shaggy stories, and we each take turns telling a little bit of the story.

Today he suggested a story about Batman and Robin (big surprise - he's superhero crazy at the moment).

Starts with the setup:
I ask, "What story would you like to tell?"

"Batman and Robin are driving around in the Batmobile looking for bad guys and people to save"

I repeat what he says (he gets his storytelling abilities from his dad), and pass it back to him with "they're driving around, and they see..."

"Superman picking strawberries!"

I love this boy. The story went on from there. Many bad guys were caught, many people were rescued, all is well.

Five

My baby turned five recently, and it really hit me.

Very clichéd, but I realized he's not a baby anymore. In the past few months, his fears have slipped away (well, most of them), his energy has increased (is that possible?), his boyishness has increased (wow - has it ever), his thirst for knowledge has increased exponentially and my boy is a reader!!

My sweet angel baby, you are such a wonderful little man, with a gentle, giving soul. You take such good care of your little brother, and you are his best friend. I love that your biggest wish for when you grow up is to have children of your own. I am as proud of you as a mother could be, and can't wait to see those children of yours (far, far in the future, if you please).

I love you.