Don't Give Up. . .

Ethne running in the grass for the first time, a before so you an see how ridiculously long it was!  And below an after. . . .

Sunday after lunch Will was all ready to go out  and mow the lawn while the kids were down for their nap but I actually really wanted an excuse to get outside and accomplish something.  Isn't it nice sometimes after having so many responsibilities inside to get outside and work?  For some reason I've always enjoyed mowing the lawn, I think it's seeing the immediate difference in something, same as painting, which is another 'thing' I enjoy.  The SUPER bonus was that while I was outside getting a miniature workout Will was inside cleaning the kitchen.  : )  Such a beautiful thing & a blessing to me!
  It was a race to beat the impending rain and unfortunately for me the grass was already wet from the 4am auto sprinkler shower that hadn't dried by 3pm.  : )  I tell you this because our lawn which requires just a little over a gallon of gas to mow  took me around 2 1/2 hours to complete because the wet grass made me stop twice as much to empty the bag of clippings!  Fortunately, God had my back & held back the rain until I was finished and Will had spread the fertilizer and sprinkled some seed in some of the sparse areas.
Lilyanah woke up while I was working out back and stood on the patio while I mowed, giving me a thumbs up every time I looked over at her.  Always the encourager!  Once I got to the front everyone was awake & came out to play on their bikes.

  So now we come to our bike dilemna. . . .  I know this picture isn't great but it best displays our situation. We have a small toddler Mickey Mouse "airplane" that can be ridden, a red tricycle, and Lilyanah's bike which you see above (thanks to Grandpa & Grandma!)  Lilyanah has been incredibly resistent to ride her bike and is always taking the tricycle instead which leaves the younger two fighting over M. Mouse.  I'm a little emberassed for not having realized and fixed it sooner, but her issue with the bike was that it was too wobbly so Daddy tightened the training wheel bolts and she was good to go.  Of course at one point while he was fixing them, the point when the bike was the most sturdy, her back wheel was a 1/2" off the ground!  : )  Oops!  Even when he lowered it when she was going up the hill the back wheel had a hard time gripping the road so there's still a little adjustment to be made.

To fully appreciate this video you have to know, this little girl just the day before would NOT ride her bike without me holding onto it because she was too scared.  She ABSOLUTELY would not go down the incline in our cul-de-sac without me slowing the bike down.  So doing it completely by herself was a big deal.  I'm proud of her for not giving up, which she wants to do so badly!  I thank Word World for the episode about Sheep learning to ride her bike where Bear sings, "Don't give up, the more you try, the better you'll get, the better you'll get.  The closer you'll be to doing it right. . . . la la la la la la, don't give up!!! "  I don't remember the last words, but I seriously start singing it to Lilyanah or Ethne when they start getting frustrated.  There have been times when I've heard Lilyanah singing it lowly to herself.  Too adorable!  Of course you get to witness a taste of her frustration at the end of the clip.  Learning is a constant process isn't it!  : )