Ode to Kate on Her Fifth Birthday

Our family had only known grandsons before you.

And so, with bated breath, everyone was hoping that you would be a girl.

But no one knew that you would come out of the womb, the most beautiful, sweet, feisty, funky ball of sass and love that the world had ever seen.

You, my middle child, my first daughter.  My little one who read complete sentences by the age of three and who corrects my grammar and the injustices of the world around her.

You who walks around in mix matched tights and dresses with braids, cowboy hats, princess tutus and a mind that is always cranking out the most amazing and bold thoughts like, "Mama, why do you have a spiky vagina?"

You who looks like me, but is far more self assured, far more indulgent to the present moment, far more willing to love the red in the rose and the brown in the chocolate, and the warmth in the hug.

You who I would die for and nearly did when you hit your head on the diving board yesterday and then hours later, landed on your neck and back falling off of a trampoline.

You who is fearless, focused, capable, beautiful and aware....may you know today and always (especially when I am not here to tell you daily), that you are loved, you are wanted, and that the world is a brighter, more loving place because of you.

Happy Birthday, Kate.

Poor & Pedaling

If you need me, I'll be living in my car.

We had planned for months to take our soon-to-be five year old daughter, Kate to the Trek store to buy a bike for her upcoming birthday.

We wanted it to be special.  A real "big girl" bike complete with a basket and streamers, like the one I had growing up.  Pink, purple, silver, glitter, ribbons, the more decked out, the better.

But most importantly, we wanted it to be made well because everything of Kate's gets passed down to Claire, our 18-month old daughter.

So, we expected to drop some change.

We brought the whole family including our seven year old son, Sam who was also in need of a bigger frame, but we thought we could hold off on his.  However, the cool thing about Trek bikes is that much like Honda's, they maintain their resale value and our local retailer offers a pretty sweet trade in price when you bring back your old one.

And of course, there was a perfect used one screaming his name.

Once we committed to the two 20 inch frames, we knew we needed a bike rack.  Our small SUV could no longer carry them in the back and of course, we have a rear spare tire which makes fitting a bike rack without a hitch really challenging and costly.

An hour later we walked out with two happy children and a promise to eat macaroni and cheese for weeks to come.  I suppose its the price you pay for the fun of childhood or its not.  We didn't have to buy the bikes or the rack...but I definitely see hours, days, weeks of fun in all of our futures.  Because on hot summer days, if you can't be by the pool, riding your bike is the next best way to zap your energy and land you in bed for lots of afternoon nap time. Right?

Until then, we'll sell the house to pay for the bikes and be happy living in the car having fun with our new cycles.