Ride On

Ben made three proclamations yesterday, on his sixth birthday:

1. I'm not taking baths anymore, just showers.
2. Dad needs to take the training wheels off my bike.
3. (To Roman) God let me be born first so I'd be taller than you.

I was cool with #1 and terrified of #2. As for #3...well, it remains unaddressed, since I can neither confirm nor deny. I just keep my fingers crossed that they'll both grow taller than me.

So, back to #2. Ben hadn't even attempted a two-wheeler, so I was prepping my shoe-tying persistence pep talk...only replacing bunny ears with speed, gravity and concrete.

But off went the wheels, crossed went our fingers (again) and...would you believe?!

Our little six-year-old boy rode it like a pro! That is, a pro who only turns left, which I believe is a NASCAR driver. 

Here's a live action shot:

And, yes, Ben did eventually run into our neighbor's red truck. Nevertheless, we were amazed, Ben was thrilled and he ended a lengthy, lovely birthday celebration feeling like king of the sidewalk. In fact, I'll keep this short because he's waiting to ride again.

Grand Theft Marbles

Roman came home from pre-school with a pocket full of marbles today. Super cool, glittery marbles, unlike anything we own.

Uh oh.

"Are those ours?" I asked. After all, I have an A-plus grasp of our home's contents; Just ask Anthony, who receives an unwanted refrigerator inventory every time he opens its door.

So, Roman tried to pull one over on me ("Yeah, I got them in the upstairs closet," he said. Uh, is there a gift shop up there I'm not aware of?), but thankfully he's inherited my inability to pull off a whopper.

Oh, and I watch a lot of Law & Order so I'm a pretty skilled interrogator.

Fast forward through my "so very disappointed" speech, his crying and my secret crying, and we returned to pre-school where the wonderful Mrs. Wilson - trying to eat her own lunch - accepted them graciously, told Roman she still loves him, assured me privately that he's not the first marble thief (they are super cool), then sent us away on Spring Break.

So, a D-minus day for parenting, but I do think his punishment - returning to the scene of the crime - worked for now. I mean...does this look like the face of a felon?!

(Yes.)

Occupy Chick-fil-A?

This week marks the openings of Cabela's and Chick-fil-A here in Wichita. Big news folks. BIG. Highly anticipated stuff...by everyone but me.

No offense to Cabela's, of course; I'm simply more in- than outdoorsy. But, I'm hoping it'll lure some of my more adventurous friends here for a visit.

C-f-A, on the other hand, I could do without, since I'm not a fan of chicken. Or fried food. Or long lines. Or homophobes. (They heavily support Prop 8.)

My opinion aside, it's a fitting pair, since Cabela's no doubt sold some of these tents:

It's a little hard to make out, but that's Chick-fil-A (opening tomorrow, not today), with a parking lot full of temporary residents. It's Occupy Chick-fil-A, I guess, but the only protesting these folks are doing is against their Wednesday paychecks and Thursday digestive systems.

But it got me thinking:
1. What would be worth an overnight stay in a tent? Concert tickets? Cheap TVs? I can't think of a single thing, but maybe that's just my indoorsy side showing through.

I did once get up extra early and skip Race for the Cure (nice) for the opening of Super Target in Denver. But we called it "Race for the Super Target" and made a Komen donation, so it's cool, right? And it was during my 20s, so it shall be stricken from the record.

2. Would this happen at a gym? Two national chains are opening locations in town early next year. While I don't welcome the competition to Genesis and, frankly, can't believe there's demand for it (see above picture), I wonder, will it draw overnight visitors who can't wait to hop aboard a treadmill?

Oh, I can sure dream.

P.S. I wonder if these campers are aware: there's already a Chick-fil-A in town, about 4 miles from their campsite...