Family Alive

Today is the third Sunday in February, which, according to our family calendar, is the first bike race of the season. It’s actually a training race, but everyone treats it like a real race. And every year, it takes me back to being at this race in previous years with my kids. I can measure the passage of time by the memories.

Six years ago, I sat on the side of the road with a newly-crawling 7-month old (see the photo of a photo… from my kitchen). This year, I have two independent kids, 4 1/2 and 6 1/2. They climbed on the playground, played frisbee, built fairy houses, slid down the slides, cheered right alongside me.

They only called me to help them across the monkey bars (and Analise is SO CLOSE to being able to do it by herself. Amazing.) and get them started on the swing (and both of them can pump their legs to keep themselves going). So I sat and reminisced, cheered for the race, wrote a blog on my phone (which got lost. Twice. They were both much more eloquent than this), appreciated my amazing growing kids.

No diaper bags, no tantrums, no whining, no changing diapers in the backseat of the car, no mad dashes to the bathroom, no keeping kids from dashing into the road.

Reasonable, fun capable kids, who were really a pleasure to be with. Love them. Thank you, Lord. It’s going to be a great season.

PS. Brian and his teammate rode across the line 1-2, hand-in-hand, more than a minute ahead of the rest of the group. On par with my technology-cursed day, I missed the awesome photo moment. Ug. But yay Brian and Pat! It is going to be a great season!