My Little "Dirt" Biker

Nikolas has become quite the proficient bike rider over the last month, being able to stop and start on his own, slow down, make sharp turns and so on. I've been wanting to take him somewhere else to ride his bike other than our little dead end street, so with the weather so nice we headed for Happy Valley Park. I put Lukas in the stroller and Nikolas hopped on his bike and we headed for the board walk. The board walk is a really cool path through trees, marshland and fields and as I found out, not quite wide enough for two full size strollers to pass each other. Nikolas did surprisingly amazing going straight, slowing down for corners and for other people and not getting too far ahead of me. People commented to me as they walked past at how amazing it is that he doesn't have training wheels, to which I usually agree. It is quite amazing, actually. I only know of one other 3 year old who learned to ride a bike at 3 and that is my friend, Shawna's son. So when we were nearly done with our ride and had only one last sharp corner to make before the home stretch to the paved path and grass, I commented to a runner who was passing Nikolas with a worried look, "Don't worry, he's done great the whole time and knows to slow down."

And then time slowed down; yes, now just picture this in your mind:
Tiny little boy riding a tiny little bike on a boardwalk 3 feet wide. Man runs past him causing him to swerve a little, little boy sees he needs to make a sharp turn onto the next path at the same time he sees a walker approaching from said path with a little yappy dog on a leash.
Tiny little boy makes the turn......and forgets? to straighten his front wheel sending him right off the edge of the boardwalk and three feet down causing him to fly over his handlebars and do a face plant into the very squishy, thick and wet mud below. :0

Now picture this:
Mama half screams, half laughs as she starts running/pushing stroller towards screaming mud covered little boy. Mama pulls little boy out of the mud while laughing and trying to calm mud boy down at the same time. Muddy boy has ooey gooey mud dripping off his eyelashes, in his hair and ears, up his nose and all over his favorite soccer shorts. Worst of all, to little boy, is that his very favorite "fire" bike is also covered in thick gooey mud.

Thankfully, the runner who I had made the comment about Nik being quite safe came running back and pulled the bike out of the muck. He looked quite helpless just standing there, like he really wanted to do something more, but eventually saw that I was not as distraught as most mothers probably would have been.

After I wiped the mud off Nik's face as best I could I plopped him on top of the stroller, stuck the bike's front wheel in the stroller basket and headed for the car. Upon gaining composure Nikolas said to me," Mama, that was a very nice man. He pulled my fire bike out of the mud. I need to find that man and tell him, "Thank you." I love that nice man. "

Aaaawwwwwww, I think that was the sweetest thing I have ever heard my boy say:) I sure wish I had seen that man again, cause I bet that comment would have made his day!