More Biking Practice

This summer has brought on a new chapter of biking in our family.  First, Taelyn has discovered the world on riding a bike on dirt, hilly roads.  She has been determined to figure it out and ride farther and farther each time.  She actually started riding alongside Justin or I when we are out for a run.  The longest she has made it so far is four miles!

All summer, Taelyn has been trying to get Kaelia to ride with her, but Kaelia has not shown any interest in riding a big girl bike since her first ride several months ago.  Just recently, Taelyn came running in to the house to tell us that she taught Kaelia how to ride a bike.  So we went outside and witnessed Taelyn holding on to the back of Kaelia's bike seat, instructing her exactly what to do.  Kaelia was so excited to get lessons from her big sister!  Then we went to Uncle Matty and Aunt Brandy's house the next day where Kaelia could practice on a flat, paved surface.  It looks like she may finally be ready to stick with the big girl bike - thanks to Taelyn!

Look Who Has Pierced Ears!

Taelyn made the courageous decision to get her ears pierced today!  She announced just before her last birthday that she wanted to get it done, and then decided to wait until she was in Michigan for the summer.  So today was the big trip to Claire's!

Just before going to Claire's we took Taelyn, Kaelia, and Jacob to lunch at the mall.  The entire time, Taelyn was really nervous and second guessing her decision.  After a great pep talk from her daddy, we walked over to Claire's, and Taelyn quickly picked out the earrings that she wanted to have.  When it was time to pierce the first ear, the lady counted to three, and Taelyn scrunched her face as tight as she could. The earring went in, and Taelyn was silent but grabbed me closer to her.  The  moment I hugged her, tears streamed down her face.  The lady quickly then turned to her second ear before she had a chance to get too upset, and she was in my arms once again.  After several minutes, she started to regain her composure - especially when she started shopping for new earrings!  By the end of the visit, Taelyn was bouncing around with Kaelia and Jacob, forgetting that her ears had just been in pain.

We are so proud of Taelyn, and we can't believe how big she is becoming!

Happy 4th!

To celebrate the 4th of July, my mom and I took the girls to a parade nearby where they truly felt what it was like to be American for the first time.  Kaelia has been eagerly interested in the concept of "American" for about a month now since her Pre-K class studied the US and had the other classes "travel" to their classroom to visit the USA.  She has developed a strong sense of pride for her own country, and now both girls got to see that pride everywhere during the parade.

Highlights of the parade were, of course, getting candy, but the girls also enjoyed waving their USA flags, getting more flags handed out to them, and watching the floats.  Their favorite float was Disney themed and had characters like Tinkerbell and several princesses who all through candy out to the crowd.  The girls actually got so much candy and flags, that they started giving theirs to some kids around them to share!

After the parade, we went to lunch and then headed over to a park where the girls got to go on a few bouncy castles, look at farm animals, and watch a dog show while slurping on snow cones.  It was a great 4th this year!