Bikes!

As promised, Santa made a visit to our house while we were away over Christmas. We came home to treat-filled stockings hanging from the handlebars of two shiny new bikes with training wheels.

Initially, the kids were focused on their stockings, pulling out a stuffed unicorn for Lucie, stuffed baseball for Ryan, their own sets of flashlights, chocolates, and Santa's favorite, fruit leather. Little attention was paid to the bikes. We're convinced the kids thought the bikes were not theirs, but on loan from Santa to hang up the stockings.

After a little encouragement, Lucie and Ryan came to the mind-blowing realization that the sets of wheels in their living room were all theirs -- purple with flowers for Lucie and blue with green racing stripes for Ryan. After that first spin, they haven't left their bikes since.

We agreed to let the bikes stay in the house for practice before hitting the pavement. What we thought might just be a few days of practice has turned into weeks. The kids are just having too much fun.

Lucie and Ryan come downstairs each morning, hop on their bikes, ride to the breakfast table, hop off to eat, then hop back on again for a few more rounds through the house. This pattern repeats itself over and over again. All hours of the day you're bound to see little cyclists pedaling around dressed in everything from pajamas, party dresses, slippers, socks and as Lucie shows here, even new snow boots.

Lucie and Ryan have devised little games and routines on their bikes, with rings of their bike bells (thanks Uncle Greg and Jessica) to call for a "tow truck" whenever someone gets in a jam, and personalized parking spaces through out the house. Their current favorite trick is to do laps through the kitchen while I'm cooking, hoping to be fed a chocolate chip one lap at a time.

What a life these little cyclists lead. We just hope the scuff marks come off the floor eventually...