Photo Frenzy

A couple of weeks ago it was picture day at Ben's preschool.  I was really happy that the photography group encouraged siblings to have their photos taken too.  I realized it was mostly about the company selling more photos and making more money....they convinced us to purchase more with the cute picture of Ben and Sam together! 

Yesterday we also ventured out into the drizzly day in a local aspen grove with our friend Jen Schmidt to do some family photos.  We weren't sure how everything would turn out due to the weather but from the sneak previews shots Jen sent us it looks like success!!!

Another Sam Moment

When we left home today to take Ben to preschool Sam had a Father's Day card that played the theme from Superman which we had given Brian back in June.  Sam kept telling Ben and I that it was a birthday card for one of Ben's teachers, Miss Noelle.  When he took it into the building I expected him to show it to her but instead he handed it to me and found something else to play with.  I gave it back to him on our way out and then we headed to the bank to deposit my sales from this week's Meals By Maggie dinner. He took the card in with him and promptly went to a small table where there are always pages to color and crayons.  He sat down with a paper and a purple crayon and told me and the girls working in the bank that he was pretending the crayon had paint inside.  When I was finished at the counter I said, "Sam, it's time to go."
"Okay," he replied, "I wrote this note and it says I love you."
Of course the girls all answered with sighs at his utter cuteness.  Then as we were heading out to the car he informed me that he was Mommy starfish and I was Baby starfish and he wrote the note for me.  He also told me his eyes were on his starfish arms and he would take care of me.

It wasn't until we were to the post office that we realized Sam had left the Superman card back at the bank.  He pled with me to go back and get it.  When I popped back into the bank all the girls watched me walk over to the little table and retrieve the card.  "Apparently, a two year-old can't live without a Father's Day card that plays music," I explained.  They all giggled and wished me a happy weekend.

Sam also informed me as I was putting him down for his rest that he really needs a red hat because he is Sam I Am.

No News is Good News?

Not much has been happening in the Browder household of late unless you count the on-going construction.  For the past few weeks we have heard hammers and saws on a daily basis and now the results are clear.  After being built over 40 years ago and being painted a handful of times, our condo building has been made-over with new siding.  There are still little things left to be done so I am refraining from posting the before and after pictures but I will get them up soon.  In addition to the siding and new deck rails that every unit got we also had a new deck surface installed as well as new front stairs.  And as a side job we are having a pantry built in under the front stairs....though we have been waiting for the contractor to come back and finish for a couple of weeks.  The boys love the construction and pretend every day to be a couple of the guys on the work crew - Keith and Saul. 

Sam is actually at a stage where he would much rather be someone else rather than himself.  He spent the weekend in Redding for cousin Isaac's first birthday as Timmy - a Disney channel character, a claymation lamb in the style of Wallace and Gromit.  My brother-in-law, Pete, thought it was hysterical that Sam would only answer or do what was asked of him if you called him by the right name.  I find myself asking Sam every day who he is so I know who to call him.  What is even cuter about the whole situation is that Sam really gets into character.  If he is Timmy he spends the day answering in baas and maas as a little lamb would.  And if he is Saul, he uses a gruff manly voice and issues orders to get to work on the construction site.

Last week was also the Incline Schools' October break and the perfect time to get one more trip in before the weather turns.  But because Brian had been out of town for a week and because the boys and I had just made a trip north to see my family we opted to stay close to home.  We had some pretty rainy days so we did some puddle stomping and made an over-night trip to Quincy to see my best friend/the boys' godmother and her family.  It was the first time in three years that Steph and I have had more than about 20 consecutive minutes to just sit and catch up.  Ben (4), Julianna (3) and Sam (almost 3) played non-stop for hours at a time without needing the mommies for anything more than providing food and helping with the occasional potty visit.  Steph and I took turns holding little Bradley (4 months) and felt like our old selves again.  It was a beautiful 24 hours!

Other than all of that, we are in the normal swing of things.  Ben is doing great in preschool and has shown a major interest in writing the letters of the alphabet over and over again.  Sam and I have been going to TCF just one day a week while our new sitter Jaime spends time with Ben.  I have been cooking on Thursdays in the Meals By Maggie kitchen and have been able to pick up a couple of new clients who are quickly becoming regulars as well.  We got new tires on the car and are preparing for the busyness of the next couple of weeks with the local Halloween/Oktoberfest activities.  So, look for photos of costumes soon too. We also have family portraits scheduled with our good friend, Jen, this weekend.  Now hopefully the strange sound emitting from the laptop will not turn to something serious before I get some new photos uploaded.

Birthday Bash

After dropping Brian off at the airport in Reno as he set out to travel to the east coast for work last week, the boys and I continued driving on to Redding to celebrate my nephew Isaac's first birthday. 

Ben and Sam had lots of fun playigng with their "big girl cousins" Kayla and Oliva and were happy to see Gram and Pop, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Pete and Auntie Beth, and of course Auntie Pauline and Uncle Howie.

Isaac has become such a little man and keeps everyone smiling.  Ben especially loves him and does what he can to help Isaac do things. 

Though it was a quick up and back trip for us we had a great time with four generations celebrating the littlest family member.  

Stateline Fire Lookout Hike

Another hike we did this summer was up to the Stateline Fire Lookout above Crystal Bay.  We had been told that it was a good hike to do with kids as it wasn't very long, the path was paved, and at the top you had amazing views of the lake with lots of room to explore.  Though Sam protested the entire way up that he couldn't do it, he changed his tune at the top.  It was beautiful! 

For a Good Cause

This summer also marked the end of my efforts to grow my hair long enough to donate it to an organization that encourages women and men to grow, cut, and donate their hair to make real hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.  Because I only needed eight inches to donate my new haircut was not nearly as short as I thought it would be.  Overall it was a great experience and one I will do again.

Browder Family Gathering

We traveled to Modesto over Labor Day weekend to visit Great-Grandpa and meet up with the rest of the Browder family.  Dave and Sarah traveled from Virginia and Chris and Emily and their kids traveled from Seattle so we could all spend the long weekend at Grandpa's.  The kids had a great time playing together.  They went to the park multiple times, swam at the neighborhood pool, picked grapefruit off of Grandpa's tree, made up songs, slept out in the yard in the tent, and generally enjoyed their time together.

Everyone had fun going to the Modesto Reservoir and roasting marshmallows in Grandpa's back yard.  We also went to the Modesto Nuts baseball field and took in their last home game of the season.  Elyse ended up being a star for the day as she was broadcast over the jumbo-tron during the game and interviewed by the stadium announcer since it was her first ever baseball game.  It was an incredibly hot afternoon but seeing the happiness on Ellie's face made it all worth it.

The Browder grandkids proud of their grapefruit harvest.



Grapefruit basketball!

Boating on the Modesto Reservoir.

Sam was happy to have a boat ride.

Beach boy.

Pretending to drive Grandpa's boat.

Cousin Harrison and Uncle Chris.

The three older cousins had so much fun together.

Brian water-skiing behind Grandpa's little boat.

Elyse getting interviewed by "Mike on the Mic" at the Modesto Nuts game.

Ellie with her team ball after appearing on the jumbo-tron as the "MVP" of the game.

Ben and Elyse with the Modesto Nuts' mascots - Wally and Al.

Toasting marshmallows for S'mores.

Good morning, Sunshine!

Camille and Elyse each with one of Grammy's necklaces from Grandpa.

The only Browder man missing was Sam who was in a mood.

And again, Sam refused to be part of the picture.

More Summer Outings

Earlier in the summer we made a trip over to Carson City to the Nevada State Railroad Museum and had a great time.  We decided at that point to go back to the museum during one of the weekends when they would be running one of their steam trains.  So, on August 14th we met up with our friends Mike and Colleen and their two little boys, Mitchell and Ryan, and spent the morning exploring.  After playing and riding we all had lunch together at a fun and quirky restaurant in Carson City called Red's Old 395 Grill.

Tickets in hand.

Mike and Ryan.

Sam, Ben and Mitchell.

The boys had both told us that they wanted to be train engineers for Halloween so we bought the striped overalls at the museum gift shop before heading home.

Just a week after our outing to the railroad museum we decided to forego church for the week and go to Northstar to ride the gondola up to their hiking trails.  It was another glorious Tahoe summer day!

Ben started his second year of preschool at the Incline Village Nursery School on August 23rd.  He was incredibly excited to get back to school after the summer and carefully chose the clothes he would wear on his first day.  After picking him up at the end of the day I found out he had been the classroom ambassador to his friend Mitchell who was new to the class.  Ben told me that he held Mitch's hand and showed him around the classroom and introduced him to all the kids.  Sam was also quite excited to go back to Ben's classroom.