Two wheels! (Okay, four)

The boy is growing so fast and in some ways I feel sad for the toddler he no longer is, but excited for the boy he's becoming. As he rode away from me for the first time on his new bike tears rolled down my face. I don't cry easily, never at a Hallmark commercial but seeing my first baby turning into a little boy is hard for me to accept some days.

Jackson was a little leery at first about shopping for a new bike but he did show some excitement. He's a cautious kid and at this time scares easily and is afraid of new things. I was fully prepared to have Ron spend the time constructing the bike and Jackson refusing to get on it. However, this time was different, Jackson was excited to try out the new bike. He got on after some instruction from Dad and before we knew it, he was doing circles around Dad's van.

Jackson even rode down the block with me to get our mail and all the way back on his own. I'm so proud of that boy. And I think I told him so oh.... sixteen times last night!

A bike trailer warning...

We had a bit of a scare at our house yesterday afternoon, but thankfully everyone is okay. We took Jackson out for a bike ride around the lake near our house. On one side of the lake, the trail is downhill and twisty, making it easy to hit speeds of 20+ mph. On one of the corners the bike trailer made its way off of the path a bit and upon re-entry, the trailer came up off the ground and rolled. It was incredibly scary to see, and could have produced serious injury if not for all the precautions we have taken.

We did a lot of research while shopping for the perfect bike trailer, and wanted the safest and most comfortable trailer for Jackson to ride in. We found the safest trailer on the market, and thanks to my dad's financial assistance we were able to afford it, The Trek Go Bug.

The roll cage on the Go Bug, saved Jackson's head from reaching the trail, though his helmet did make contact with the ground and rubbed a hole through the screen. The rest of the trailer that made contact with the trail is damaged, scratched and the fabric torn. Jackson did end up with a little scrape where his elbow made just a bit of contact.

While the event itself was incredibly scary, and caused us to spend the remainder of the day indoors getting through the emotions of such an event, everyone is safe. I wanted share this post with everyone, to encourage the use of helmet, even in a bike trailer. Accidents can happen, on the road and on a secluded bike trail. Jackson escaped serious injury because he was wearing his helmet properly!

This shows a bit of the damage to the trailer
And here is what he ended up with