RAD Canyon BMX

The Purple Class had its end of year party at a BMX park today. This seemed like a strange choice to us given the age group of the kids and the location of the park. The huge rainstorm this afternoon didn't make it sound any more appealing. Well, we went anyway.

Kennedy doesn't have a bike. She hasn't shown any interest in learning to ride yet. I'm not sure she can pedal her big wheel more than five feet. She does have a Dora helmet, and it's her favorite color, purple. I guess that's a start.

We were told there would be some extra bikes and that this place was good for kids of all abilities. It looked like a fun track, and it was reserved just for our group. Most of the kids that were there did pretty well, but we saw quite a few crashes, a couple of skinned knees, some tears, and parents running behind bikes trying to push their kids up the steep hills. A few of the kids were surprisingly good, and some of the parents got into the fun by having a "dads' race" and a "moms' race."

Kennedy didn't want to try riding. She was very upset that daddy even suggested it. Even after seeing Mae Mae and Freya riding, she still wanted nothing to do with any of the bikes.

Macy gave it a try, but not for long. She was much more interested in walking the track.

Kennedy found some snacks and then a viewing tower where she could keep an eye on everything. That seemed to cheer her up. When we left, she told us that she had a good time. Maybe we can try this place again in another five years.

I wasn't exactly dying to give it a try myself - not with my history of bike riding/crashing. I think I didn't learn how to ride without training wheels until I was seven or eight. And my first memory is riding on the elementary school playground and running right into a basketball pole. Then there was my big crash that resulted in a concussion, broken wrist, and separated shoulder - and I think I might have broken or chipped a bone in my foot, but it was never officially diagnosed. And add to that several more minor falls in between. There's no rush to teach the girls to ride, right?

Spelling list

Kennedy gave herself a homework assignment. She wanted to make a list of spelling words, just like Fancy Nancy. Some of the words she can spell on her own, but she needed some help with the others.

She wrote these all by herself:
Kennedy, Cat, Dog, Katie, Jake, Macy and Mickey

Then she asked me how to spell the rest:
Elephant, Zebra, House, Family, Harp, Flower, Pepper, Zombie, Color, Bird

Macy can only spell one word: T-O-Y, but I don't think she realizes what she spelling. She is really interested in doing puzzles, and she's getting quite good at them. Her favorite is the fish puzzle and most days we do it several times. She also likes to say all the names as we put it together: whale, seahorse, starfish, shark, crab, marlin, jellyfish, octopus and anemone (it's funny to hear her say some of these). I love to see how excited she gets when she accomplishes something. Her whole face lights up and she exclaims, "I did it!" She also gets this same look of glee when she sees the princess nightgowns.

When Kennedy and I picked up Macy after school yesterday, Mace heard us come in the back door. She came running out to give her sister a hug shouting, "It's my friend, Tenn-da-dee!" Then she gave me a big hug and a kiss. Life is good!