Evenings

We pull out our lawnchairs and get the kids' bikes. We set the chairs up in the drive way and sit (or in my case plop) down. The kids are all excited to be free from the confines of the house. All three girls are riding big wheels and George is on his scooter. They zoom around, sometimes crashing into each other. The wheels rolling on the pavement is loud and the smiles are big. Happy, wearing a coat and a stocking cap that nearly covers her eyes, has a small big wheel, just her size. She hasnt yet figured out how to steer, but her little legs push her forward and back until she runs into something or a wheel goes off the pavement. Then she'll climb off her bike and slowly, bundled as she is, crawl over to have us move her bike and put her back on. Once seated she again pushes herself back and forth, stopping to watch her sibilings fly by. When they do her little bum will bounce up and down on her seat in excitement. George in a red hooded sweatshirt and angry bird hat, is zipping up and down the road. I watch in amazement and think about how well hes gotten at riding his scooter in just a years time. He takes it to the top of the driveway and yells "WATCH MOMMY!" Then pushes off as fast as he can, steering to miss obsticles (his sisters) as he zooms down the driveway. He takes a sharp right turn, his foot hanging out to briefly touch the pavement to steady the 360 circle that he makes. He rides back up to us and then wants me to count... Off he goes again! Blondie is dressed in her normal loud clothing, her own style, which she pulls off beautifully. She has on boots, and jeans, on top of her jeans she has a jumper, a pink sweatshirt and a blue vest-coat, and a knitted stocking cap. Shes the noisest child playing, but shes having the time of her life. We can hear her shrieking as she holds the dog leash and the dog pulls her up and down the road. Blondie comes up to us to say that she loves Lasso. Her eyes are bright and nearly the same color as the bright blue vest shes wearing. Shes lovely with pink cheeks and big smiles. Tiny, never far behind Blondie, comes riding up behind her. She always cracks R and I up with how fast she can go on her big wheel. She doesnt peddal but pushes with her feet. She makes that thing fly, and when she turns corners sharply she almost rides on two wheels. Tiny's hair is all over the place under her stocking cap. Blonde whisp's of hair tickle her face, she pushes it away over and over again, but the wind always blows it back. Tiny loves to play outside and you can see it on her face. Her eyes are sparkeling, her smile is enourmous. She doesnt hang around long before she takes off again. She crouches her body low to the handle bars, her little legs are pumping under the big wheel making it race down the driveway. She picks her legs up and yells "Weehoooooo!" then leans back with her face pointed to the sky as she rolls down the hill. The shadows are starting to get long and I pull my jacket tighter around my shoulders (because my belly no longer fits in my jacket). I can feel that the breeze is getting cooler. R yells to the kids that its almost time to go inside. Tiny tries out the scooter before going inside, and makes it to the bottom of the driveway before she wipes out. Loud cries echo through the air and thats the cue that it is indeed time to go in. R walks to go get Tiny, she cries into his shoulder, he snuggles her. I can hear the rhythm of his deep voice as he soothes her. He walks up then passes her to me while he and George put the bikes away. I gather the girls up and head inside. These normal, yet special evenings are something I dont want to forget. Our family, happy together.