Our little rider and reader

We decided to get Jacob a new bike without training wheels and use that excuse to teach him how to ride all by himself! We tried to take his training wheels off his bike last year, but he wasn't quite ready yet. Adam said just one year made a huge difference in his confidence and what he is able to do!

I love this picture... all geared up with his helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves. It's as if he's saying, "I got this mom. It's in the bag!"


Here are some pictures of Daddy teaching his first son how to ride a bike. He was so patient and encouraging... it was really heartwarming to watch. He kept asking Jacob, "Can you do it?" To which Jacob would respond, "YES I CAN!" Jacob would feel scared when his daddy let go, so he would sing songs while riding to calm himself down. It was adorable. I realized that I was so focused on catching his first solo ride on video, that I don't have a picture of it! He rode for a few seconds by himself at first, which quickly turned into 20-30 seconds! I think it helped that he had his very own mommy cheerleader jumping up and down in excitement.


Here is little brother, trying to keep up. ;)

The littlest brother was along for the ride too!

Some other toys in our garage we've been playing with lately.


On a different note, I remember writing in our Christmas letter that Jacob was reading most three to four letter words. Well, he really caught on fast and can now read almost any word we throw at him! Being a first grade teacher, I did a little assessment to find out that his reading ability is the same as a typical first grader at the end of the year! It's pretty exciting.