In which I admit I'm a ninny

When it comes to my parenting skills I do my best to be a chill, laid-back kind of mom, but as hard as I try, I think I can generally be summed up as this:

AN OVER PROTECTIVE NINNY.

And sometimes I need little GIANT nudges pushes to quit being a being ninny and let my kids do their thing.

For example: I still had Hope in swimmies last summer, and it was Brittany who was like, "girl you need to take those things off and teach her how to swim!" On the outside I agreed, but inside I was hoping to have her in swimmies till she was like 15.

Kidding.

  Maybe.

And of course once I took the swimmies off, she took to it right away.



And then this summer it was Brittany again who made me realize I needed to back off my ninny game.

It was just a week or so ago that they took Luke's training wheels off his bike, and guess who is riding his bike like a dude, AT JUST THREE YEARS OLD? Yeah.

Hope promptly shamed me, "MOMMY HE'S THREE AND DOESN'T HAVE TRAINING WHEELS!"

Okay I get it, it's time.

Hope had already made some progress on Luke's bike, but it wasn't really official until we took the wheels off of her bike.

Of course it was a little touch and go at first.

But with tears in her eyes she gritted her teeth and was determined to get it.

And in just a matter of minutes she had it down, and off she went with her neon-sign brother. 

I know this is a little blurry, but that expression on her face? SO, SO EXCITED.

Maybe I keep all these "baby" things on her longer because she is my baby, and somehow I'm trying to keep her that? I don't know.

But this smile makes it all okay.