Fun snippets from life with our silly kids

When we moved from the country into the middle of a busy city, I was very surprised to discover that the Greenway here, while shorter than the 36 mile paved river trail near our previous home, are actually greener and more rugged than any of the trail paths in the more rural area where we previously lived.  The change was so stark that I even traded in my top of the line (for me) road bike for a hybrid which I am enjoying so much more.  I feel much more comfortable on the new bike as I cut sharp corners, climb steep heels and catch some air over bumps along the way.  All this bike needs is a banana seat and some fringe from the handle bars, and I'll feel seven all over again.

My childhood bike that still resides at my parents' home

Another difference is that the trails here connect a large number of very sophisticated parks where the sounds of young children giggling on swings or slides or the thumping sounds of teens playing basketball can be heard over my Pandora music.  Oh how I wish we had lived here when the children were younger with so many nice parks scattered all over the city.

The largest difference between the trails here and those in the country are the bridges.  In the country, shaky, wooden planked bridges span across swamps, marshes, or streams.   Here, enormous truss bridges with bright metallic ornamentation cross major interstates.

View from my bike as I cross the bridge

The contrast between the rugged, wooded bike paths and these urban bridges with the swooshing sounds of cars and trucks zooming underneath is overwhelming, and I feel nervous every time I cross those bridges.  I wondered how my more cautious, 6-year-old, who only started feeling comfortable on a 2-wheeled bike this summer, would feel crossing that bridge if his 40 something sports enthusiast mama gets nervous on it.  He took it slowly but seemed much less nervous than I did my first time crossing it.

Kids' first trip across the bridge

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While our son waits for any of his four front teeth to appear, our daughter has been losing teeth again. She lost her ninth tooth as soon as we returned home from attending my uncle's funeral last weekend.  She immediately began complaining about how odd her mouth feels with the new gap inside of it.  So I  told her that whenever she notices that gap in her mouth, she should pray for my aunt who has experienced a huge loss now that her husband has passed, and like my daughter's mouth, our family will not feel the same with this new gap in it. But praise God that as our girl's temporary tooth will be replaced with a permanent one, my uncle's temporal body on this earth will be replaced with a new glorified body that will last forever. While he spent most of his years on earth looking only through one eye following a bad accident, he will gaze upon our Lord through two eyes that see perfectly.
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Speaking of teeth, I had to get a filling replaced in one of my teeth last week.  I took my home schooled son with me, and he tried to encourage me by saying, "Sometimes you just have to face the facts, Mom."

Then while the dentist was drilling feverishly, he repeatedly cried, "Mom! I'm done with my writing and grammar! Can I watch TV now?"...as if I could have said anything in that condition.
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Later that evening, that same 6-year-old who implored us to let him wear an afro to my uncle's funeral (my uncle would have loved it) and while at the funeral, insisted that his dad and I buy burial plots ASAP in case we die tonight (since, as he says, we need to be prepared for death both spiritually and logistically), lit candles so we could eat dinner with ambiance. He's a hip, romantic planner. What more could any girl want? 
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The following day during our homeschooling time, I gave my son a science assignment which required him to name, describe, and classify animals found in the desert. He wailed, moaned, & lamented with a few false tears thrown in for good measure. I pressed with words similar to those found in Dr. Seuss' classic book, Green Eggs and Ham:

"You do not like them.
SO you say.
Try them! Try them! And you may.
Try them and you may I say."

As soon as he began reading, his eyes grew bright, and he excitedly told me every amazing detail and feature about every animal he discovered. He loved every minute of his study despite his little tantrum. And though he did not say it, he was probably thinking:

"I do so like
this science work!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Mom's no jerk!" 

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The images my son's innocent comments evoke put me in stitches sometimes. My son noticed a new sports top in my room and asked about the zipper across the chest. I explained that the pocket could hold keys, gel packs, or even a phone while I'm exercising. Having recently grown interested in tennis now that we live next to some tennis courts, he asked, "Can you fit tennis balls inside it?"

There was a time during my early teen years, when I wished I could have worn two tennis balls there and gotten away with it.
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Now that our girl has to wear stiff dressy uniforms for school every day, I assumed this super active, outdoorsy girl would choose casual, ultra-comfortable clothing for non-school hours. Instead, she has been opting for sequins and ruffles at bedtime instead of her comfy pajamas.

She sure does seem to be growing up all of a sudden.