We've got a new BIKER BABE!

Extraordinary events call for immediate action. Off and on this summer I have worked with my charming little Greta on riding her bike. The training wheels were off the bike around May and we worked from time to time on teaching her to ride. She would pedal good, but her concentration is not always the best.
Last weekend, we went to the park just down the street and I helped her ride - running behind her as all our dads and moms did for us. On the way home she began to cry. Ordinarily, this dad is not the most patient daddy but freshly home from a wonderful time in California, God gave me a bit more grace for my sensitive little daughter. I asked, "Greta, why are you crying?" She said, "I was just scared I would run into that ditch over there." The ditch was a storm sewer that was off to the right of the road. This girl would have to ride harder than she ever has to be able to jump the curb, ride through the grass and into the ditch. But, still...she was scared of that big ole' hole there just off the road.
So, I asked her, "Where do we go when we're riding our bikes?" "On the road," she said. I said, "That's right. But we also go where we're looking. See Mommy up there. (By this time, Christy was about 2 blocks away with AJ and Tatum) Look at Mommy and that's where you'll go. If you look to the side at the ditch, you end up going there." It was one of those moments when you just see something click inside your child's mind and you're so thankful to be a daddy. Greta rode hard the whole way home and looked straight ahead at her mommy and even caught up with her in about a block. That was some fast riding for this little 5 year old.
That "something" that clicked in her brain made her want to ride the bike even more so today at lunch we worked on it for only about 5 minutes and she almost had it. By the time I got home from work tonight at 5:30, she could not only ride her bike by herself - She could even start herself on the bike. She's ready for tomorrow so that she can ride her bike again.
A whole new world just opened up for Greta. A whole new world opened up for us as a family - Once we had AJ, going on bike trips didn't seem too possible, but now with Greta buzzing around on her bike, we're looking forward to a bike riding summer!
It kinda reminds me that on the journey through our life that we too get easily distracted by big ditches that we could fall off into. Peter was distracted by the winds and waves and lost sight of where he was going. Like Greta, Peter was scared of the falling. But, once our eyes are on where we're going... we end up where we're supposed to be. God, help us to keep our eyes on you and your kingdom!
Don't worry we haven't forgot about the CA pics. But, like I said..."Extraordinary events call for immediate action". Celebrate with us the wonder that is Greta.

SURPRISE!!!

Christy and I left for California this morning on a surprise trip for her 30th Birthday! The blog may be down a few days until we can get some time to get some pics of sunny California for you.



We'll be gone from today through Wednesday the 24th. Christy's birthday is on the 23rd! We'll be hanging out with our good friends Ben and Robin Blair in Pasadena. Pray for safety and FUN!!!

AJ UpClose - 9 Month Old Stinky Feet Edition

9 Months Old on 9/5/08...

The blue eyed boy wonder...

Prunes! The Video

As promised on Wednesday, here's the video of AJ and his prunes... The boy loves his prunes and the boy loves to shake his head "no". If you ask him a question, he wags his head "no". If you shake your head "no", he follows suit. If you nod your head "yes", it is still "no" with the boy.

Prunes!

Enjoy these shots of AJ with his prunes! I don't think there's any way of feeding a baby some prunes without this happening. Look for a great video of AJ with the prunes coming on Friday morning!

Ready for the Paparazzi!

AJ's already practicing his moves for when those pesky tabloid photographers just won't leave you alone. With his baby blue eyes, there's generally a camera in this kid's face. We're too scared that his eyes are going to change to hazel or brown and we'll miss our blue eyed boy. Here's a few pics from last Tuesday showing AJ trying to crawl and enjoying a ride on his little scooter.

First Day of School

One of the benefits of homeschooling is that the we can start whenever we want. The girls began their school year on the day after Labor Day - the day these pictures were taken. Greta begins kindergarten this year while Tatum is beginning 3rd grade! They are both excited to start school again and had a great first week.

We've Got a Crawler!

AJ's starting to crawl! He's been working on it for a couple weeks now... bouncing up and down while sitting up, falling over and landing on his hands. Lately, he's been learning how to scoot his little knees forward a bit. He's still not too adventureous, but that's good for us! He'll be blazing a trail through our house in no time! Time to break out the gates for the bottom and top of the stairs!

Princess Night at the Fil-A

The girls got all dolled-up to go to the Princess Night at the local Chick-fil-a. They threw a big party just for the girls of Joplin (about 1/2 of which showed up - it was crazy busy!) complete with horse-drawn carriage rides, tea parties, nail painting, singing, roses on the tables, and free 4 piece chicken nuggets for the princesses!

The pics below are Greta doing her best curtsy prior to the big night, the girls before the carriage takes off, the end of carriage ride, the girls with that pesky Chick-fil-a Cow (special appearance by cousins Kyleigh, Kerstyn, and Brooklyn) and our girls with one of the princesses (special appearance by church friend Emily). The night could have go on all night, but unfortunately our girls start to change into pumpkins around 9!

Happy Labor Day!

You deserve another Turtle video!



The line to listen for this time is, "Is he dead?" Tatum the Turtle says this in reference to Edmund, who has been nearly slain by the horrible White Witch. Enjoy!

And, Happy Labor Day from the Geiser's!