The twins received some Strider balance bikes from Grandpa for their 2nd birthday, and while they preferred their scooters for the first little while, they gradually got better and better at balancing and after their third birthday, were zooming around like balance bike pros.

We were about to see if the whole balance bike theory of teaching kids to balance first, before putting them on a bike and skipping training wheels was going to pay off. For their fourth birthdays, the girls asked for “big girl pedal bikes.” I put Jake on the job and he picked out an ultra-light aluminum, 13 pound, USA Woom 3 bike online and the girls picked out their colors– Samantha chose purple and Amelia chose red. I don’t know who was more excited when they arrived– Jake or the girls. He wanted to come home from Disneyland when they arrived, just to try them out, but we waited until we had some time to go on a proper outing with them.

On our first spin with the bikes, the girls did surprisingly well and could pedal for about ten seconds before veering off or putting their feet on the ground. We definitely had a few crashes, but the girls brushed themselves off and didn’t seem too afraid of getting back on the horse. Amelia was a little more apprehensive about falling and wanted Daddy right there beside here, but Samantha was full speed ahead.

On our second outing with the bikes, we went to the Orange County Great Park where the paths are a lot wider, since the girls were having trouble steering on narrow paths. The girls made vast improvements and could bike for 30 seconds plus!

No training wheels for Samantha!

Amelia made vast strides in her confidence and biking prowess.

Look at me!

After a successful bike ride, Jake treated the girls to a hot air balloon ride while Meredith tried on their helmets and ran around the park.

Back at home, the girls love to practice on their bikes and let Meredith in on the fun. Meredith is jealous she has to put up with her tricycle for the foreseeable future, but she may just be learning on one of the girls’ old balance bikes soon!

We are envisioning some awesome family bike rides this summer (I guess I need to hurry up and get myself a bike now!) We’re so proud of you, girls! Way to go!

Lots of love,