No Training Wheels

For Max's birthday he received a little balance bike from Judd's parents. The more we thought about it, the more it seemed like it was the best way to learn to ride a bike. So, we dusted off Charlotte's bike (she didn't ride it much be cause the training wheels were just too wobbly and we couldn't ever get them right), watched a video on YouTube about how to remove pedals, and stripped her bike of the pedals and chain. She now had a balance bike.

After a few tries she was coasting down the driveway with her feet up - balancing. She started to be able to make some turns like that. So, after about 3 weeks of riding like that every few days, we put the pedals back on and gave it a whirl.

She jumped on, started pedaling and hasn't looked back. She got it immediately. It was the coolest thing to watch. I wish I could have captured her face on camera at that exact moment - the pride and sense of accomplishment just beamed out of her.

She rode for a long time that afternoon. She has wiped out a couple of times since that first day, one time gave her some road rash, but other than that she has been great on the bike. She loves to go fast, which is funny to me because she is a pretty cautious kid. I'm so happy for my bike riding girl!