frankie rides a big bike

based on empirical evidence, balance bikes work!
frankie has used the balance bike pretty regularly for a few weeks.  the kids are always riding something out front with the neighbor gang.  she had been begging to have us help her ride her "princess bike" but it didn't have training wheels.  she is only three after all!
so when her little homemade balance bike was kind of bent up by a car (no, frankie wasn't on it at the time of the crushing), i decided to throw john on my back and get to it.  as i pushed her i felt in my hands that she was balancing - i wasn't doing much to aid her.  so gradually i pulled my hand away.  she realized this and started to falter.  after she made a couple runs i told her she as doing so well that i wanted to video her and i needed both hands to do that.  frankie being frankie, she readily agreed.  i caught a good bit of her biking and when i learn to move videos from my phone to youtube i will share it.  she had such a getup on that i had to snap a pic.  this is what she HAD to carry in her basket - notice the goose feathers and jessie minifig.  and on top of this she had a baby carrier on her back with a little black bear in it. 
i am so proud of her.