Big Girl Bike

Sadie has been asking for a new bike all summer. We have a couple of friends on our street that are a little older who have "big girl bikes" & she has really noticed. Last week she actually came home crying because the big girls were riding their bikes & she was trying to keep up on her tricycle but she couldn't. Then one of the little girls called her a baby & it hurt her feelings. It was the first time I had witnessed a scenario like this & I'm sure it won't be the last time, but it broke my heart. She didn't want to be a baby, she wanted to be a big girl, like them:

 

 

You know what else has happened in the past couple of weeks? Sophie has discovered the tricycle so there have been some squabbles between the girls over who gets to ride it. So Bryan & I gave in & did something I always said we wouldn't - we took them to Toys 'R Us & let her pick out a bike. I know, I have felt huge mommy guilt since then. I really try hard not to buy them things unless it is necessary, like clothes or shoes. I am usually pretty good at balancing to make sure they get everything as a birthday gift or holiday gift, but that makes it pretty hard when your birthday & Christmas is at the same time. I feel like they get everything at once & nothing the rest of the year. One of the reasons I consented was the $25 gift certificate I have had there since last Christmas. We still hadn't spent it so that helped lower the cost. We also haven't spent much time outside this summer unless we were in the pool, but since school started, we have been playing outside every night with our neighbors again. I figure they will be out there all fall & she will ride that bike everyday until it is too cold out. And Bryan told me if we waited until December to give it to her, then she probably wouldn't ride it until the spring when it warms up again:

 

 

I know, excuses, excuses. Bottom line, we broke down & bought her a new bike so she can keep up with the big girls & Sophie can have the tricycle. Now everyone is happy :) Sadie is even happier since she picked out a Frozen bike. It has a purse attached so she can store her stuff (she currently has a pair of sunglasses, a necklace & a ring in there) & Elsa streamers. She got the helmet for Christmas so luckily we already had that. She already had a lot of practice from our neighbor's bikes, so she took off on her first try. It's been a fun week watching her ride every night, but it's also been a good bargaining tool for when she is acting up :)