So now we ride bikes.

The past few months at the gym my exercise of choice has been the stationary bike.  Some how I've gotten it in my overly-ambitious little brain that this summer we will all be taking better advantage of the forest preserve that flanks our subdivision and we will become bikers.  I even went on craigslist and bought a bike trailer for the girls to ride in (no where in my vision of summer-time fitness was there a baby on a tricycle being pulled by a dog leash, hence the addition of a Burley bike trailer to our garage).

Before you start thinking I'm some kind of "fit" person, let me tell you that although I do own a bike, that bike has been sitting in the back of my shed for the past three years.  Before that, my bike was sitting in the back of the garage for three years.  I vaguely remember biking from my condo to work down Lake Shore Dr. one summer, which would have been about 7 years ago, but other than that... I'm pretty sure the thing hasn't been used.

I took the bike into the bike shop for a tune-up as there were clearly some issues... like the front brake being disconnected, the tires being flat, a kryponite bike lock permanently locked around the body, and a happy family of spiders living amongst the spokes.  The nice bike-repair-guy didn't even bat an eye, what a sweetheart.

I got the bike back and eager to try out the bike trailer strapped that sucker on and buckled up the girls, with helmets on, for the inaugural ride.  We made it around the block.  The bike and trailer work just fine.  Mom does not.  I really did not expect that hauling fifty-two pounds of kid would be soooo hard.  Good thing the forest preserve is flat.  I'll be working my way up to that journey for at least another month.

Maggie The Adult

Maggie The Adult quickly lends me her beach towel to clean up the bottle of water her baby sister just spilled on the carpet.  After I clean up the spill she wants the towel back and I tell her, "You can have it, but it might be a little wet now.  Thank you for letting me use it, that really helped to keep the water from soaking in!"  Maggie The Adult replied, "Aww Mom, you don't have to thank me."

I don't know that this exchange comes across in type the way it did in real life, but I had to put it in here.  She says these sorts of things all the time lately, very unexpectedly.  She could have been a middle-aged southern woman with pearls and a mint julip in one hand... "Honey, you don't have to thank me. I would do anything for my fellow DAR." 

Excuse You!

The things a big sister teaches a little sister are priceless.  Take for example, belching.  Maggie rarely burps legitimately, but that does not mean she doesn't enjoy throwing out a fake belch every now and again... and now so does her baby sister.  While sitting in the gymnastics waiting room, watching sister on the trampoline, Catie decided to have a little burping contest with herself.  "ERCH!  Ssoose Me!"  Over and over and over again... "ERCH! Ssoose Me!"  Smiling ear to ear the entire time. 

And while we're on the topic of disgusting bodily functions, I have mentioned that Catie wants to start potty training?  Her baby-dolls are constantly on the potty now, and so is she - fully clothed at this point, I'm still in the pre-training/denial stage of preparation.  I guess the second one really does learn faster, she's not two until the middle of summer!

Spring has Sprung

The weather forecast for this week is anticipating 50 + degrees every day... with a Tuesday high over 70!  So I think I can safely post that it is FINALLY spring!  Today we spent our afternoon searching the yard for sprouting tulips and perennials, trying out new bikes (the kids, not mom), swinging, and dining al fresco.  We even had our annual burning of the Christmas tree in the fire kettle out back.  Maggie wanted to roast marshmallows (we did), but Catie was terrified by the towering Christmas tree inferno.  She keep her hands over her eyes and only lowered them to say "Oh no!" and try to blow out the fire (from 15 feet away, using only her tiny little baby breath).  Here are some pics from our day.

Butterscotch

Last night I got the bright idea to offer Maggie butterscotch milk instead of chocolate milk (butterscotch is her fav ice cream topping).  I mixed it up, gave her a bendy straw and watched her take a gulp.  "How is it? Does it taste like butterscotch?" I asked.  "No, it just tastes like scotch," she replied. 

Yogurt

I'm sitting across the table from sweet Catie watching her try really hard to eat a cup of yogurt.  She's getting the hang of it now, actually scooping instead of just dipping with the spoon.  And I think most of it is in her belly or on her face, which is better than on her shirt or in her hair.  I tried to help her at first and she let me put one spoonful in her mouth, then shook her head and said "No!" and waved bye-bye to me.  Big girl can do it herself.

Absent

I've been reprimanded for allowing such a long gap between posts.  My excuses are many, the first of which is that our entire house has been sick in alternating order since early February.  Being puked on in the middle of the night doesn't really give you the motivation you need the next day for anything other than laundry (and running through the house with a bucket).  My second excuse is Menards.  We've decided to spruce things up a bit around here, so painting walls and cabinets, trolling the Internet for "deals", and many trips to Menards have taken priority over writing funny anecdotes about our life.  And my final excuse is Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Although I am only self-diagnosed, and this has been a particularly mild winter (really more of an abnormally long autumn), I find that I really don't feel right and my brain cells are a little freeze-dried at the moment.  Oops... one more good excuse - Real Housewives of Atlanta AND Dance Moms are both airing new seasons right now, how could I possibly have time for anything else!