The 43

After a long week, and with the threat of thunderstorms looming, we took it a little easy Sunday and took the boys to see "Wall-E." It was Littlest's first movie in a while, and we were wondering how he was going to handle it. Like most things in his life, he might have been a little to excited -- he wanted to watch the movie, but he didn't want to sit still. He found things funny and amusing, but at times when the movie wasn't quiet or amusing, then would squeal with delight. Finally, I took him from our seats, and we walked around, seeing some of the last 20 minutes of the movie and some of the rest of the multiplex. Eldest wasn't the calmest person at a movie at Littlest's age, either -- I pulled him out of "Curious George" after we ran out of Junior Mints early, and he even got a little bored with "Cars" at the show, and that's his favorite movie. And if you are going to have a happily loud child at a movie, better it be a G-rat

It's the Fourth of July and I got to see fireworks tonight. In fact, I got to see the whole Salt Lake Valley's fireworks — I worked tonight and watched them from our office's top-floor balcony. Aside from working, it was a good holiday. The neighborhood parade/party was fun — what the Fourth of July felt like it should be before adulthood and Summerfest morphed the holiday for me (not that Independence Day at Summerfest wasn't fun). Patriotism and flag-waving notwithstanding, it's a kids' holiday, meant to highlight the summer in a blast of heat, music, food and fireworks. And the boys today had a blast, especially Eldest, who rocked on his bike during the parade, running into only one understanding neighbor and riding the whole parade. Yeah, I had to work, and it turned too hot to do much else outside the rest of the afternoon, but at least we celebrated for those couple hours at the parade. And that was holiday enough.

Eldest reached another milestone of his young life today: He officially can ride a two-wheeled bicycle. We took his training wheels off in May, partly because one fell off, partly because he saw some of his classmates riding without them and wanted to give it a shot. He started out really well, and we thought he was getting the hang of it -- he'd pedal a couple times after I let go before stopping or falling -- but he seemed to start regressing. The goal, we told him, was to ride his bike in the neighborhood July 4 parade. Between the heat, my working more nights and his sudden apprehension, I didn't think he was going to make it. But on Sunday night, we had a breakthrough, and it was a minor a change as just how I was holding him as he rode. Before, I'd hold the bottom of his seat, maybe a handlebar, let him get the balance, then let go. He'd go a few times then inexplicably stop pedaling. I think he knew when I wasn't there and purposely stopped. He was the change