We all adore Sue and couldn't ask for a more wonderful person to call our friend.
Happy Birthday, Sue!
Sue and her boys.
The boys with the finished cookies.
WE LOVE SUE!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Happy Birthday, Sue!!!
Today we made a special delivery to Daddy's office to take a plate of birthday cookies to Sue. Sue is not technically a blood relative but she is definitely the closest thing we have to family here in Incline. Sue has been part of both boys' lives since the day they were born and she fondly refers to them as, "My boys."
We all adore Sue and couldn't ask for a more wonderful person to call our friend.
Happy Birthday, Sue!
We all adore Sue and couldn't ask for a more wonderful person to call our friend.
Happy Birthday, Sue!
Giddy-up
Sam thought it was hysterical to sit on Ben and call him a rony (a pony). Ben didn't seem to mind much.
Sam's Success
Sam just has to be a big boy like Ben and his latest step in becoming a big boy is potty training himself. For several months he has been using the potty when we ask him to or when we sit him on it. But this week when he has woken from his nap he has decided that he wants to wear big boy underwear and has managed to keep them dry 90% of the time right up to bedtime.
Yesterday he insisted I take a picture of him doing his business and of his success (#1 only). So, any of you with weak stomachs, don't scroll down!
Yesterday he insisted I take a picture of him doing his business and of his success (#1 only). So, any of you with weak stomachs, don't scroll down!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
D is for Dinosaur!
Each week Ben's preschool has a different theme that they learn all about. Past themes have included Snow and Ice, Arctic Animals, Giving, Food, Colors, and several more. This last week's focus was Dinosaurs. It's funny because at one point when I was a kid I was sure I would grow up to be a paleontologist and could identify many dinosaurs. You would think that we would have plunged into dinosaurs long ago but even with a handful of books about dinosaurs, dinosaur stuffed animals, small plastic dinosaur figurines, and a dinosaur costume handed down from cousin Kayla the boys just haven't shown all that much interest. Until now.
Even with a short week of school because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, the preschool teachers focused completely on dinosaurs with paintings, fossil digs, and other activities. I even had a chance to get in on the fun as the week's "Mystery Reader." Each Friday a different parent or family member of one of the preschool students gets to secretly arrive at the school and have the kids guess who they are based only on their voice. Once the kids have guessed the Mystery Reader joins the class and shares a story. I was originally signed up to be the reader during Arctic Animals week but with the help of the preschool director I was able to switch weeks with another family and be the Dinosaur week reader.
Sam and I arrived at the preschool ready to entertain. I crammed myself into the dinosaur costume and when the class said, "Hello, Mystery Reader," I let out a roar. They immediately guessed a dinosaur was in their presence and were excited to see me enter the room. I read a fun story called, "When Dinosaurs Came with Everything," that followed a little boy on errands with his mom. The usual places they visited to take care of their business had a very special offer that day....with a dozen donuts you got a dinosaur, instead of a balloon from the barber you got a dinosaur, at the doctor's office you got a dinosaur instead of a sticker (two dinosaurs if you got a shot).
After the story ended I gave each child a small dinosaur figurine to take home because on Friday a dinosaur came with the Mystery Reader story too!
Even with a short week of school because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, the preschool teachers focused completely on dinosaurs with paintings, fossil digs, and other activities. I even had a chance to get in on the fun as the week's "Mystery Reader." Each Friday a different parent or family member of one of the preschool students gets to secretly arrive at the school and have the kids guess who they are based only on their voice. Once the kids have guessed the Mystery Reader joins the class and shares a story. I was originally signed up to be the reader during Arctic Animals week but with the help of the preschool director I was able to switch weeks with another family and be the Dinosaur week reader.
Sam and I arrived at the preschool ready to entertain. I crammed myself into the dinosaur costume and when the class said, "Hello, Mystery Reader," I let out a roar. They immediately guessed a dinosaur was in their presence and were excited to see me enter the room. I read a fun story called, "When Dinosaurs Came with Everything," that followed a little boy on errands with his mom. The usual places they visited to take care of their business had a very special offer that day....with a dozen donuts you got a dinosaur, instead of a balloon from the barber you got a dinosaur, at the doctor's office you got a dinosaur instead of a sticker (two dinosaurs if you got a shot).
After the story ended I gave each child a small dinosaur figurine to take home because on Friday a dinosaur came with the Mystery Reader story too!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Truck Luck
In the six and a half years that I have known Brian I have never seen the old Ramcharger do anything more than sit in the garage. The old truck dates back to Great-Grandpa Browder who purchased the truck in the 1970's. Brian "inherited" the truck, had a little work done to it, and enjoyed driving it when he lived in the Bay Area during his bachelor days. Since moving up in elevation the old truck became old and grouchy about the lack of oxygen. Brian had another car (a true bachelor sports car) when we met so the need to fix up the Ramcharger was pointless. When we found out I was pregnant with Ben we both traded in our less than practical cars (the sports car for Brian and the two-wheel drive sedan for me) and opted for the "Super-Deluxe Mommy Wagon," AKA a Subaru Outback Wagon, AKA the official car of Lake Tahoe.
After having the boys and trying to get both of them into carseats with the car crammed in the garage with the Ramcharger and all of the kid gear we had accumulated we decided that maybe it was time to find the old truck a new home. Luckily, our friend Paul enjoys older cars and fixing them up so we offered the truck to him.....about two years ago.
Needless to say, despite all our best efforts/intentions the truck remained in the garage collecting dust, kids' toys, etc., etc., as we went through last year's remodel and another full year. We joked with Paul whenever we saw him that his truck was becoming a virtual storage unit in our garage and he was welcome to take it any time. The boys even picked up on it and Ben would occasionally ask, "When is Paul coming to get his truck?"
After the most recent new year Brian made it his personal mission to say goodbye to the truck once and for all so that we could put the space in our garage to better use. Which leads us to today......
Paul arrived early and he and Brian went right to work emptying the truck and clearing out the masses of things that had come to live under it......extra molding for the cabinets, old paint cans, spools of wire, the old vertical blinds that were removed during the remodel, and other things I didn't even know existed in our garage.
I would like to say that as soon as the truck was towed out the space in the garage was instantly usable but the reality is that all that stuff had to go somewhere and that currently happens to be spread across the garage floor. So though it's one small step for used cars everywhere it's one giant leap for the Browder family.
After having the boys and trying to get both of them into carseats with the car crammed in the garage with the Ramcharger and all of the kid gear we had accumulated we decided that maybe it was time to find the old truck a new home. Luckily, our friend Paul enjoys older cars and fixing them up so we offered the truck to him.....about two years ago.
Needless to say, despite all our best efforts/intentions the truck remained in the garage collecting dust, kids' toys, etc., etc., as we went through last year's remodel and another full year. We joked with Paul whenever we saw him that his truck was becoming a virtual storage unit in our garage and he was welcome to take it any time. The boys even picked up on it and Ben would occasionally ask, "When is Paul coming to get his truck?"
After the most recent new year Brian made it his personal mission to say goodbye to the truck once and for all so that we could put the space in our garage to better use. Which leads us to today......
Paul arrived early and he and Brian went right to work emptying the truck and clearing out the masses of things that had come to live under it......extra molding for the cabinets, old paint cans, spools of wire, the old vertical blinds that were removed during the remodel, and other things I didn't even know existed in our garage.
I would like to say that as soon as the truck was towed out the space in the garage was instantly usable but the reality is that all that stuff had to go somewhere and that currently happens to be spread across the garage floor. So though it's one small step for used cars everywhere it's one giant leap for the Browder family.
All loaded up and ready to go.....another reason to love AAA.
The boys waving goodbye to the old truck.
Making the deal official!
The aftermath.
A Random Sampling
Gram and Pop gave us an amaryllis bulb for Christmas and after just a couple of weeks this is what we've seen emerge......beautiful!
Last week we also had some incredibly foggy days. These photos give you an idea of how socked in we were.
The lake is under there somewhere.
Just the tops of the lake rim showing.
After three days of thick fog we got this partial inversion.
Sam signing, "Thank you."
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