Playground talk

Who knew seven kids could fit on one tire swing?

The other day Alyosha woke up in the morning and the first thing he announced was that he didn't sleep all night long. I said that was too bad because his body won't be able to run and play so much because it needs to sleep every day. After that, he amended what he said to say "My body was sleeping, actually, just my brain was awake all night. And in the morning (at 6 am--the new normal) my brain started screaming at my body to wake up."

Luka always defends me to say that my eyes are blue while Alyosha and Roma make fun and say they are grey/green. Luka was mad at me for some reason or another the other day and he said with a squished angry little face that " Your eyes are NOT blue!"

On the slide after school today I heard Alyosha say "I am so tough I beat up a seven year old and now he is afraid of me" The friend he was playing with on the slide said he was 5 and a half and he is the oldest and toughest in his family (he has a 2 year old sister and a 10 month old sister). Alyosha said he was 5 and a half and the biggest and oldest brother in the family too. Why do little lion cubs have to prove who is the toughest?

Luka came up crying and saying "my elbow, my elbow!" I looked at both of his elbows and there was nothing there. He continued to cry and say he got a bobo on his elbow. Finally he pointed down to his knee and with a sly smile and tears still running down his face he said "my elbow has a bobo!" He calls his legs his 'arms' and apparently his knees are 'elbows'. But, with the smile, I know he knows the difference, it is just his joke. I tell you though, he can keep it pretty straight because he consistently calls them his 'arms' and now, 'elbows'.

Alyosha got in a wrestling fight today--it was playful but his necklace broke. He has gotten into a habit of fighting on the side of his friend Amelia against an other team of boys. They wrestle at soccer practice and, as I learned today, at recess too. When his necklace broke, the participants helped him pick up the beads and they are all friends now; especially Amelia, she might even be his best friend right now he said. On the bike ride home Alyosha had a question that he almost didn't ask me because he thought it was too funny. I got him to ask and he said "Mama, do you think it would be funny to marry your best friend?" I said that I thought it would be a great thing to marry your best friend--but asked him what if his best friend was a boy. He said, no that isn't possible then started naming off the names of all the girls he knows. "Amelia, Hailey, Sofie, Milana, Danicia--I have five girlfriends!" He was so happy that he ran into a parked car--no damage done, physical damage that is!

Veloportation issue, Vol. 2

All right, you people do have some groundbreaking convincing ideas about transportation to school. Fine, bicycling will be postponed until Niki is capable of riding safely without the car seat. In stead they will walk, well sort of. But, to all of you suggesting walking option - walking with three little boys, despite their Russian-ness, is hard, actually, it is nearly impossible. Children of two and a half years old don't walk a mile each way two times a day, that's 4 miles - just to clear this right away. Children of 5 years old can do this, but they will be wasted by the time they get to school. Besides, Jen would
have to start walking at least an hour before school. Anyway, forget it - walking as you, guys, suggest is not going to work.

The thinking was on the right track, however.

Here is what we decided to do:
Jen will push the trailer.
Niki and Luka go into the trailer that we already have, while Alyosha would have to walk some. They will board the tram (streetcar) without bicycle right from our building. The tram would take them two thirds of the way and then Alyosha and Jen walk with the trailer to school. The same way home.

Thank you all for ideas.

Photo: Amy Vitale, National Geographic

Veloportation issue

You can feel September is crawling around the corner. More often we talk about Alyosha starting his school, what we need to prepare, what he needs to learn - yes, they are going to assess his knowledge there before classes even begin. But there is also a logistical issue, we still haven't figured out a way to cycle him over to the school.

Jen has to take Alyosha to school in the morning and pick him up in the afternoon with all three kids on the pedal power alone. Alyosha is capable of bicycling on his own there, but on the way back gradual descent with plenty of major intersections and stop signs makes it somewhat risky adventure - what if he fails to stop... When I bike with him on that route I usually bend to my side and grab his handle bar as we approach intersections or go uphill, but Jen, with two other kids on board, wouldn't be able to do it.

We decided to take a look at the inventory of what we have and check out some options for veloportation in our case.
We live downtown and school is about a mile away from us.

Here is our inventory right now:

• Mama's bike - Norco-Yorkville-ladies - nice and "minty" city bike
• Trailer - old shaken double capacity multi-purpose trailer
• Trail-gator - a long bar that hooks up Alyosha's bike to an adult bike by lifting up front wheel of the kid's bike
• Mama - one determined metro-mum
• Alyosha - a 5,4 years old bike loving dude
• Luka - a 2,8 years old can't-be-trusted-when-alone-with-his-little-brother metro-son
• Niki - a 6 months old no-choice-kinda-have-to-tag-along metro-baby

Solution #1:
Alyosha (5,4 y.o.) goes on the back rack of Mama's bike
Luka (2,8 y.o.) and Niki (6 months) go to the trailer
Pros: cheap solution, requires only purchase of a car seat for Niki. Easy to hook up trailer, unhook and store. Easy to operate with all three of the kids on board.
Cons: weak v-brakes will be under stress a lot and unreliable during wet weather, especially on the way back. Thin wheels will not make it with Mama and Alyosha on the back. A need to redesign the trailer, most likely permanently, to fit in the car seat for Niki.

Solution #2:
Tricycle with big basket on the front axle.
Alyosha goes on the back of the tricycle.
Luka and Niki go to the basket, custom modified to fit car seat and another child.
Pros: children are in front (well most of them anyway) and mother can see them. Tricycle folds in a half making it possible to park outside of the apartment building.
Cons: Expensive. Can't be used without the basket. Requires training and careful operation.



Solution #3:
Pedicab.
Alyosha, Luka and Niki go in the back cushioned seat.
Pros: safe. comfortable. easy. Can make money by working as a cab (for Papa).
Cons: expensive. big. problem with storage.



Solution #4:
Cargobike.
Alyosha goes on the back rack.
Luka and Niki sit in the front box.
Pros: It is a bike - the riding principle is just like on a regular bike. Kids (majority) are in the front. Unlike in tricycle, the weight is positioned lower to the ground and not on the front axle, making it easier to turn.
Cons: expensive. Long. Storage problems.



Solution #5:
Custom made.
We met with Ryan Hashagen who operates custom bike shop in Portland and he is interested in making something else for us. We will go to a few other places, check out different solutions, weigh them and may be come up with our own design.

We welcome your input with any relevant ideas.

Pascal and Pi

The Jacklins came to visit. Well, we did visit, but the main event was Greg's ride from Seattle to Portland. The Seattle/Portland bike race has been going on for 30 years--it is a 1-2 day, 200 mile ride that almost 10,000 people participate in each year. Greg made it in 10 hours! Yeah, Greg.

While Greg was doing his little bike trip (he will like that I said it that way...) we were playing and having a good time in beautiful Portland with Tanya and the kids.Here are the boys. Niki, 4 months, Pi 2.5 years, Pascal 4 years, Luka 2.5 years and Alyosha 5 years

Pi, Pascal and Luka are fishing in our 'backyard'.

I think that the kids could swing for hours. It is no wonder that Alyosha doesn't want to learn to pump and swing himself, it is really relaxing to just sit and be pushed back and forth. I could sit there for hours too.

Well, this trip isn't so relaxing-if you let Greg push you on the tire swing, then hold on tight and prepare to be dizzy when you get off.

Luka LOVES baby brother. He is a really good big brother for Nikolai. Niko is very lucky.

We went to the Rose Garden--Niki's first view of the roses on top of Portland

Pedalpalooza

Yesterday we joined in on the Pedalpalooza--a 2 week celebration all about bicycles. We rode the entire parade route to kick it off--out to around 30th and Stark--where the bicyclers just hung out and played in the sun.

We saw the crazy bikers last year gathering at Jamison park and wondered who are these crazy people all dressed up and bicycles decorated riding around town? This year we were 4 of those bicyclers--Jen a Piratess, Alyosha a batman, and Luka a monster--Papa went as a hippie Papa (his normal self) and photographer.

There are videos--maybe to come, but click on the big picture to see more...or here

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Велосипедность

С велосипедами у нас в семье связано многое: в 1999-ом мы с Женей впервые встретились в Бонне, где в одной команде оказывали техническую поддержку веломарафону;
в Техасе мы были одними из немногих рассекавших на великах просторы штата не только с целью прокатиться, но и по делам;
в 2002 мы проехали на великах против встречного ветра, 3-х недель дождя и жизни под открытым небом через 2/3 всей прибалтики (Эстония, Латвия и Литва);
последующие годы были отмечены полосой переменного успеха с двухколёсными друзьями - всего в США у нас украли 5 велосипедов, как дорогих, так и дешёвых, причём все были с замками, опять же, дорогими и не очень. Вот одна история из этого душераздирающего опыта;
В 2008, после того, как дядя Сэм вернул часть наших налогов, мы всё-таки решили, что не можем жить без велосипедов и купили опять пару, на этот раз, канадских "коней".
Недавно, будучи в отпуске в Техасе, удалось принять участие на велосипеде в парадной процессии, продвигая заодно предвыборную кампанию тестя.

Пройдя вместе с нами через радости и трагедии, Алёша почувствовал какое немаловажное отношение к велосипедам в этой семье, и решил, что пришло время и ему научится кататься. Кататься на двух колёсах, в техническом смысле, он, наверняка, умел и раньше, но не знал, а узнать боялся.

Что бы как-то поднять дух и объяснить наглядно, что падать можно безболезненно, я показал ему такой вид молодёжного уличного "спорта", как - parkour (от французского parcours), в котором основная идея - пройти уличные препятствия быстро и с наименьшими усилиями.

В детстве, мы все занимались этим "спортом", не зная, что он называется паркур, и занимались им часто по пути из школы домой, благо в последние годы в союзе не было проблем с препятствиями, в виде различных неоконченных строек.

Посмотрев все эти забавы, Алёша загорелся и решил тут же, что он непременно должен стать паркуристом и, уже на следующее утро попросил маму, помочь ему открыть окно (третий этаж), чтобы он мог попрактиковаться "как в том видео, которое показывал папа". После тяжелого и многозначительного взгляда мамы Жени, папа Рома спешно решил направить внимание сына на велосипед, сказав, что всё это можно делать и на велосипеде.

Глаза сына загорелись и уже через пол-часа он рассекал двор на двух колёсах без поддержки, прыгая по канавам и грациозно падая на землю, "как паркурист". Правда над поворотами нам придётся ещё поработать.

Внимание, велосипедный дебют или, как назвал его сам Алёша - "Action riding"!

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