Behold!  My birthday present!  It’s a big comfy Schwinn.  All it’s missing is some tassels and a basket.  Just kidding.  It DOES have fancy gears that I haven’t quite figured out how to use.  And a squishy big seat that won’t mince my nether regions.  I love it.  And the best part?  It was all Mr. B’s idea.  He came up with this gift on his own, and man is he proud of himself.  I was the only one in the family that didn’t have a bike.  Mr. B and I took it out for a ride around the park the day I got it, and he loved stepping in to the role of tour guide.  He even asked me several times “So, Mommy, how does it feel riding your bike for the first time?”  Abso-freakin-lutely adorable. 

For what it’s worth, I haven’t owned my own bike since perhaps junior high?  And even then, I don’t think I rode it much.  In sixth grade, I ran in to a moving car on my brother’s dirt bike, and the fear of riding a bike in traffic still prevails.  But the park is only three blocks away, and with kids, I can get away with riding on the sidewalk. 

And in other news, our tomato plant lives on!  Mr. B and I tried our hands at farming some vegetables this summer.  There’s basil and red peppers in this gigantic pot too.  The basil has fared pretty well.  The peppers, not so much.  And our cucumber plant has taken a turn south.  But we’ve managed to get a few juicy and tasty tomatoes out of the whole deal.  Too bad it’s not one of the three vegetables my children actually eat.