Some milestones are timeless...

Whether you were a child growing up in the 1940s, 1950s, 1980s, or today, April 2, 2011...there are some things that don't change. What am I thinking of...let me give you a clue...

Learning to make that brave step...to have daddy take off the training wheels, find your balance, take a deep breath, and GO FOR IT! And this weekend...Daddy grabbed one of these...

And Charley slipped on his helmet. And off they went...

And within minutes Charley was ready to pick up the pace. Come on daddy...keep up...maybe you should put down the beer?!

Or hold onto the beer, step back, watch your son fly!

5 minutes...I was in awe.  Now, I do have to admit that you will notice a change of clothes in some of these pictures...that is because some of them were taken on Saturday when he learned how to ride...and today when he seemed much more confident. 

What makes me the most proud is that he got on the bike today.  You see, yesterday after he got the hang of it...we wandered around the corner to a bigger cul-de-sac loop and as I stood with Ed and our neighbor watching Charley zip around the circle...I chatted.  And I exclaimed, "I just can't believe he learned so fast and there as no spills or blood shed."   (spills being Charley wiping out, not Ed's beer.)

I spoke too soon.  Because not 5 minutes later was there a collision of Charley and a parked car.  Charley face planted it into the suv parked on the side of the car.  Lucky for a helmet.  He stood up with a bloody lip and tears.  Hugs, ice packs, and a hopeful mama that this disaster wouldn't keep him off the bike for the rest of the summer.  I prayed that the taste of the wind in his hair, the freedom of the glide, and the thoughts of riding his bike to school, with his friends, and on walks with mama and his little siblings would overshadow this tragic accident.  Mama and daddy assured him that EVERYONE learning to ride a bike has a fall and even when you know how to ride you fall.  And the important thing is that you get back up on the bike. 

And today he asked daddy to go back out and out we went - no hesitation!  And today, he got the brake thing under control. 

So proud of my boy, who took another step towards independence.  He no longer will ride in a stroller with me pushing him and giving him his momentum...he will now peddle his path this summer.  The adventures he will have are endless!  He doesn't even realize it!