Last weekend we went camping at Rathtrevor with a large group of our friends. It was the first time in 3 years that we had gone with them. The last time we went it was such a disaster (Amy was only a few months old and not sleeping) that we went home after the first night.

This year was much different.

The kids slept very well, once they got to sleep. They had a great time playing with friends, and for the most part were pretty hands free. The singalong was lots of fun with them too.

One thing Elliot was looking forward to for a long time was during the camping trip he wanted the training wheel taken off his bike. We talked a bit about what might happen (falling), and how we would teach him to ride (start by coasting down a hill with no pedals on the bike). After a couple coasting runs he was game to try pedalling. The video below shows the outcome.

It was pretty amazing to see him take off like that. He did three or four laps like this, then suddenly he wanted the training wheels back on. He can’t start riding on his own yet, and I think that he likes the freedom of being to just get on his bike and ride. We also need to work on stopping and dismounting, but that will come later.

The rest of the camping trip was great. It was a lot of fun to catch up with friends I haven’t talked to in a while. Drinking beer, standing around the campfire is always a good time too. When Sunday rolled around I was a little sad that we had to pack up and head home.