Fun on the track.

Now that Haylie has her new bike she absolutely loves to ride.  On this particular day we had gotten our chores done early and had enough time to go over to my mom and dad's track to ride.  Unfortunately we live far enough out of town that there aren't a lot of places for the kids to ride their bikes.  They make due riding through the dirt, grass, weeds, and pastures to get over to the track.  Thanks mom and dad for giving them a safe place to ride!

They're off! The route getting to the track can sometimes be a little tricky to maneuver.

Brody took his Ripstick over to ride when he got "bored" with his bike.  After sitting and looking at it for a little while Shane couldn't stand it anymore.  He had to give it a try.  When he first got on and attempted to ride I was extremely grateful that we had an accident insurance policy.  He was a little out of control and went down a couple of different times.  As you can see in this picture...not the best form.

Getting a little better.  Still bent at the waste.  I guess this is for stability?  He has to walk up to the top of the hill behind him and let his momentum carry him down so that we doesn't have to wiggle his hips. 

Wow...I think he's got it!  All he needs to do is stay on.

It didn't take Brody long to figure it out.  And...he looks good doing it. 

Brody could go anywhere on the track.  He's good at wiggling his hips to keep it going.

Rounding the corner going pretty fast. 

Racing around the track on their bikes.  Looks like Haylie is in the lead!

My cute little bike riders.

Haylie has to stop quite frequently because she "needs to take a little break."  That hill is quite steep and requires a lot of hard peddling to reach the top.  By the end of the afternoon she was getting all the way to the top.

So happy to be outside riding her bike!

It started raining hard and got cold really fast while we were at the track so our "gentlemen" went home to  get some warmer transportation for us.

Brody following behind his dad.  He is constantly trying to be just like him.

Haylie chillin' out in the greenhouse while we were waiting for a ride.

He comes the cavalry...our heroes!

A Monday night ritual at our house that has been going on for 3 years during the winter is to hurry and get dinner over with so that we could sit down and watch Dancing with the Stars.  Immediately after it started Haylie would make either Shane or Brody dance with her. (Usually Shane)  One of my favorite questions she asked Shane..."Hey Dad, are you ready to cha cha cha?"  That's all it took.  With a smile and a quick giggle off the couch he would go and a night of dancing would begin. They were very good sports to dance with her every Monday night.  I kept trying to sneak my camera in the living room so that I could take pictures but I wasn't very successful.  Luckily I got it past them a couple of different nights.

She is definitely in her element.  She would do just about anything to get someone to dance with her.  The smile on her face says it all...so much happiness from something so simple.

She was trying to "coach" Brody on what to do.  He was a pretty good sport.

"THE QUICKSTEP"

I think they are attempting the quickstep.  Sometimes their feet got going faster than their bodies which resulted in a pile-up on the floor. 

Shane giving her a spin.

A lot more tricks were involved when it was dad's turn to dance. 

"THE WALTZ"

Slow dancing.  Practicing for the future?

"THE DIP"

 This move enables Shane to take the opportunity to move in for a quick squeeze or a tickle.  Always fun to add a little laughter to the move.

"DANCING THE FREE STYLE!"

  Lifts are allowed when performing this dance and she takes full advantage of that.  Notice the pointed toes.

Don't you worry...if she can't talk Shane or Brody into dancing with her (or when they're tired) she has no problem carrying on with the performance by herself.  Always asking at the end of the dance what her score is. 

Haylie is such a little bundle of joy and happiness in our family.  It seems like she has us all wrapped around her cute little finger.  Brody is an excellent big brother to her.  She doesn't have to coax for very long to get him to participate with her.  Shane is an extraordinary dad.  One of the first things I fell in love with about him was the way he interacted with children.  It made my heart melt to watch him get on the floor and play with the kids.  He is so hands on with his children.  He always takes the time to give them a squeeze, a kiss or a tickle, and ask them about their day.  They admire and look up to him more and more every day.  I am very grateful to have everyone of them in my life.  We have a pretty special little family...they all receive a perfect "10" from me.

Finally...a "Girl Bike!"

Haylie finally got a big "girl" bike.  No more hand me downs from Brody.  We took her to Richfield and as we walked by the bikes she happened to say "oh...wish I could get a new bike".  Wish granted!  I had told Brody earlier in the day that we needed to get her a new bike.  The old "flame bike" of Brody's that she had been riding had a bent rim, the chain kept falling off, the seat twisted, and it was no longer safe.  What a happy/proud little girl she was as she pushed her new bike through Walmart.  She couldn't wait to get home and show her dad.

She was so excited to show Shane her new fancy bike...and he humored her nicely by going over every detail on her bike and commenting about it.

Checking out her new storage bag on front.  That's where her pads and gloves go. (Among other things)

So, so proud, yet so grateful.  I think she told me over 15 times on the ride home thank you for the new bike.  It makes it all worth it.

Please mom just once without my helmet...please, it's getting dark.  (How do you say no to a face like that?)

And she's off! She was only allowed to ride to the top of the driveway and back but nonetheless she didn't seem to mind.  She was just so excited and happy to have her very own "NEW" bike.