Things Continue to be Awkward . . .

. . . but I don't care about annoying neighbors this week.

Why? Because my not-so-little BooBaaa is turning four years old tomorrow.

Yes, today my middle child is enjoying his last day of being three.

His grandparents were here over the weekend, and the weather was decent, so we did give him his big surprise present a few days early so they could share in the excitement: a new (secondhand but excellent*) bike just like Ramekin's with a slightly smaller frame.

I've noted before that BooBaaa has always been a very physically-gifted child. A couple weeks after Lambchop was born, not long after he himself had turned two, he taught himself to ride a bike. When he turned three, the training wheels came off. He spent all last summer going on various biking outings, frequently leaving bigger kids in his wake. And two weeks ago he did a stunning eight miles around a local reservoir, on a route full of mud, hills, declines, etc. And yes, he got back on his bike when he came off it a couple of times. And now?

Now, with his new bike, he has gears:

So he's faster than ever, as he's quickly worked out that popping the bike into 4th or 5th gear means he can go super fast with a little more work. And his legs will do the work. So he easily stayed with his brother in impromptu races at the same reservoir this weekend where we went to try it out. Which also means G and I are going to have to work seriously hard if we want to keep track of them on our biking expeditions this year.

But he's worth it, my remarkable little BooBaaa.

I only wonder what other talents four will uncover this year...

One more day,one more da y to enjoy three. Then we will see where four takes us.



(*Is*la*bik*es Because of the search factor, I will break up the name of the bike. They are beyond brilliant children's bikes, aluminium (light) with child-sized cranks and brakes to make them safer and easier to use for small hands. But very expensive new (you can only get them new from their own shop), and even the second-hand market sees them going for roughly 2/3rds of 'new' value. We got dirt lucky finding this one secondhand for an underpriced buy-it-now ebay option, and it was worth every pence, especially since it will pass down to Lambchop eventually. I can't recommend these bikes enough if you live in the UK.)