New Bike

After Owens birthday he had a Toys R Us gift card to use and I thought it would be a great time to finally go pick out a big boy bike for the newly turned 3 year old. I had some grand ideas of how the whole thing would play out- we'd arrive, Owen would be in awe over all of his potential bike choices, he would fall in love with one, he'd insist on riding it to the check-out counter and he'd be impatient with excitement to get home and ride all over the neighborhood while Robert and I chased after, barely able to keep up...

HA!

Here's how the story actually played out- we arrive, Owen is overwhelmed by any number of the other toy options there are to choose from in this wonderland, Owen sees the bikes and is unimpressed, Owen spies a princess tricycle he wants to ride, Owen declares he does not want a bike, Robert and Stacey choose the cheapest bike & helmet available, Robert and Stacey purchase said items and put them in the car, from his carseat Owen declares when he gets home he will ride his McQueen big wheel.

The End.

And now we know why parents choose to surprise little ones on Christmas morning with an already assembled bike no where near a toy store at a time of year when they will have several months to warm up to the idea of riding it. :)

...Ok, so it didn't take him several months to warm up to the idea, and we got him on it as soon as it was assembled that evening. Its going to take some practice as the idea of steering and peddling at the same time is right now impractical, but we're getting somewhere at least!

He even rode all the way to the park last week! (and by rode I mean Robert led his feet on the pedals and I held the handle bar to steer...and then I pushed the bike the whole way home while Owen ran...)

Entourage

Ever since Owen was tiny, we've kept his crib and bed relatively clear of clutter. As a baby, he never attached to a teddy or blankie the way some kids do. Then somewhere around his first birthday he started taking a car to bed. It was really cute they way he would meticulously park the car under his pillow for night, and if he had 2, they'd be parked neatly side-by-side. It started with Mator and McQueen and he went through stages of preferring certain cars over the others, but for the most part, he has not been picky over having, or not having, a sleeping companion. That is, until recently...

These days he has what we refer to as "the entourage." The entourage includes a stuffed Sally car, puppy, Little Lu the giraffe, his water, and whatever other random toy he may choose to sleep with. And its very important that the entourage comes upstairs with him every morning and after every nap, which makes for a pretty amusing sight at the top of the stairs twice a day.

So without further ado, I'd like to introduce The Entourage-

Its hard to see here, but he typically carries one toy in his teeth to have more arm space available.