The hubs had returned home late the night before, and spent about an hour putting together this bike while she slept.
In the morning when she awoke, the bike was waiting for her in the kitchen. Given that the weather was nasty and that she was off to preschool later that morning, I allowed her to take a spin on the bike around the house. Her excitement level was off the charts. She rode that bike in circles around the house for an hour and a half.
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Fortunately, the weather cleared up later in the day, and she was able to ride it outside, which she did for almost two hours.
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And the bike? Well, for lack of a better term, it's pretty kick-ass.
Most little girls' bikes look like this, or this, or this. Which is fine, if your daughter is a girly-girl. But, much like her mama, Isabella is not. This is the little girl who declared at barely three that her favorite color was red and that she did not like the lavender shade of her bedroom in the new house. The child who has an encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs, and who watches Thomas the Tank Engine. Clearly, a stereotypically feminine-style bike was not the right choice for her.
So, I spent a lot of time I did not have to spare researching bikes on CSN Stores to find the perfect bike to suit Isabella's preferences and personality.
The Kawasaki Girl's 12" Bike in Periwinkle Blue fit the bill perfectly.
The bike has a great safety rating (it's made by Kawasaki, after all), has a very padded seat (which many kids' bikes do not), and has a fully protected chain to keep curious little fingers away. Frankly, it's just a cool-looking bike, and definitely not one you'll see every kid in the neighborhood riding.
And Isabella's favorite part? The bike comes with a bag that can either fit over the handlebars or on her back AND a small water bottle that fits into a pouch on the bag. Isabella loved taking her best pal, Charlie, for spins on her new ride, and the water bottle was a bit hit too.
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The only drawback to this bike was the directions provided for its assembly. The hubs said they were vague, lacking in detail, and did not describe how to install some of the parts. Of course, this is the fault of the company supplying the instructions (oddly, it's not Kawasaki), and given the hubs' high level of intelligence (he married me, remember), he was able to ascertain which part fit where without much difficulty.
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The entire ordering experience from CSN Stores was seamless, from start to finish. I ordered the bike on a Wednesday, and it was delivered on the following Monday. Best of all? The bike ships for free.
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it also makes me just slightly nostalgic, because it seems not so long ago that Isabella was riding her first bike.
What a difference two years makes.
As a Mamma who seems to be going to one "last this" and "last that" after another nowadays, enjoy, it truly slips by faster than you can imagine.
She looks fabulously happy.
wow. The girls really are growing up aren't they. Seems like five minutes ago we both had newborns. Now I am all teary:(
Totally cute photos!! Love that bike. We're researching one for Tabby and I am not into the Disney Princess thing either ... :P
Amazing! I would love for my boy to ride a bike but he refuses to pedal.
If Isabella likes Thomas the Train, then she and my boy would get along great!
Yes, 2 years makes a huge difference! I'm the same in that I'm not a girly-girl at all - ugh. Although I do enjoy purple :) Another thing - your suburb looks absolutely idyllic! So, well so *American* looking! The brick chimneys etc - I'm referring to the photo of Isabella riding away from the camera etc. It takes me right back to when I worked in upstate NY. Dang. I miss it!
Awesome! Bridget is getting a "big girl" bike for her birthday, and this looks perfect. I will definitely keep this in mind.
Swinging by on our next trip to the canal (tomorrow maybe?) and bringing her with us for a ride :)
Aww! So cute! We never had trikes, we went straight to bikes with training wheels and I think the wheels are coming off of the boy's this summer!! It is amazing how fast it goes. Isabella looks so grown-up.