Road trip photos 1

Turkey day in Yreka

Olivia and Grandpa getting ready to carve the turkey.

Ben helping Grandma and Gram stuff the turkey.

Sam with great Gram.

Ben in his apron to help cook.

The pinecone turkey that has been around as long as I can remember.

Road trip photos 2

And a few more.....

Welcome to Happy Camp!

Ben's drum like the marching band drummers.

The spider at the park in Yreka.

Watching the holiday parade in Yreka.

Playing with great Aunt Jane using blocks made by Pop.

It's the little things

After traveling for 3 weeks and then staying in a home that is not our own for another week I'm quickly realizing it's the little things I miss the most...
*my own bed
*sharp knives in my kitchen
*my AllClad cookware
*a large capacity washer and dryer
*cloth diapers
*cable tv (local news)
*my dustbuster
*the boys' large assortment of toys and books
*a baby who sleeps through the night (the last time this happened was when Sam was in his crib, in his room)
*my entire wardrobe not just the handful of things that have been in my suitcase for a month

But there are also things I am so thankful for....
*being back with Brian
*Sam's birthday gifts and early Christmas gifts for the boys to break up the monotony of the same old clothes and toys
*the thought that when I do return home I'll have new windows! a new living room! and all of the things listed above.
*the simple gesture from John (our good friend whose home we are staying in) of making sure to tell me that there was an empty dresser we could put our clothes in. Just the thought of not pulling clothes from a suitcase every day nearly brought tears to my eyes!

A few months back I remember reading my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's blog while they were transitioning from Cleveland, Ohio, to Seattle, Washington. They were stuck in temporary housing while they tried to find a house to buy. They were such troopers and I just try to keep them in my mind to spare my sanity. They did it all with two little girls starting new schools and a newborn! Yikes!

Snow fun

The boys seem to enjoy the snow....at least for a little while. Sam was quick to fuss because I forgot to pull his little snowsuit feet over his boots so he had snow packed around his ankles. Ben especially loves his kid-sized snow shovel we found at our local hardware store. We love that he enjoys shoveling the snow...let's just hope that enjoyment lasts into his teen years!

Let it snow!

The boys with our borrowed Christmas tree.

"Merry Christmas!"

The view from John's dining room window.

As the snow falls and piles up we are comfortable in our friend John's home while he is away visiting family in Texas. It's something like house-sitting/squatting while we are waiting for work to finish up at our own home. Right now most of the living room is put together including windows, cabinets and wiring but due to the weather we may be waiting a bit longer for the windows in the rest of the house. This upcoming weekend shows a break in the snow showers so if it's not too cold we may see more progress.

Ben was pleased to see that John put up his little Christmas tree. While we were in Benicia at Auntie Beth and Uncle Pete's Ben pretended that their tree was ours. At least now we have somewhere to put our gifts!

This entire week is supposed to be snowy but with any luck the weather will break up enough that we can head down to Modesto to Great Grammy and Grandpa's house for Christmas.

Yes, Ben, there is a Santa Claus

During our recent travels, my sister Pauline brought up the "Santa issue." I really didn't even know we had an issue until I was asked if Ben understands that Santa brings gifts at Christmas. My reply was, "I don't think so." For us, Santa is a part of our lives every week because we attend the 10:00 morning service at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church which happens to be the service Santa attends too.
Our kids see Santa as a friend, not a mysterious being who surprises children with Christmas gifts. In fact, Santa has become such a big part of our lives that he actually took part in our boys' baptism last May. Many Incline residents don't know that he is an ordained monk who lives a life of poverty - unheard of in most Incline neighborhoods.
When Auntie Pauline asked Ben what he was going to ask for Christmas from Santa, he was silent. The concept of asking our Santa for anything is so strange. I'm sure to Ben, Santa is just an average guy.
We did make a visit to a Santa in the Mt. Shasta Mall in Redding, California while on our family trip. Both my little boys and their eight year-old cousin, Olivia, waited patiently for their turn to sit with the jolly old elf. As we got close enough to see him, Ben said, "Mommy, that's not Santa." Thank goodness Olivia was out of earshot! I'd hate for her to think Ben wasn't a believer. She had her Christmas ideas all ready including an American Girl doll. She also told Ben that after he saw Santa he would get a candy cane.
As we approached the big guy, Ben expressed that he didn't want to sit with this Santa. I did my best not to ruin the moment for my niece. I told Ben that this Santa looked like our Santa and that there are many men who look like our Santa and they all work together at Christmas time to talk to kids and find out what they want for Christmas. The look on Ben's face told me that this still wasn't sinking in.
We got all three kids situated with Santa for their photo - Ben and Olivia smiled, Sam screamed. Oh well. And when asked by Santa what he would like for Christmas Ben replied, "A candy cane."
So, what to do? I was a kid who grew up looking forward to my gifts from Santa each year and I always assumed that I would carry on the tradition with my own children. But things are different now. Why would I want my children to think that the wonderful man we know as Santa owes them anything? If anything, we should reverse the tradition and give to the Santa Claus Foundation that helps children across the country. http://thesantaclausfoundation.org/
The best gift for us is having him in our lives.

Hooray for Ben!

Note: This entry is for all of you parents out there who remember going through potty-training with your kids or are dealing with it now.

Ben began potty training back in July. He's done fairly well considering he is just 2 1/2 and supposedly it's harder to train boys than girls. The one thing we've really been battling has been pooping in the potty. He just wouldn't do it! But, after months of having to clean him up and wash out nasty undies, he did it!!!!!
We arrived at my sister, Beth's, home yesterday afternoon and Ben had been gassy all morning. He said his tummy hurt so I suggested he use the potty. He sat down and tried three times before SUCCESS! And it was the big potty rather than his little training seat. I ran out of the bathroom jumping up and down and everyone joined in the celebration. Ben was so proud of himself. I'd been telling him all along that when he pooped in the potty he'd get a treat. Today we went to the Jelly Belly factory and he picked out a keychain for himself.
And, when we got home he told me that he had toots in his bottom and went again!!! This time he was the one so excited he yelled out, "Happy Birthday, Ben!" (Remember that we just celebrated Sam's first birthday so that's been our big exclamation lately.)

Family time

A handful of pictures of the boys and I with their cousins Kayla and Olivia and Aunties Beth and Pauline from Sam's birthday.

Sam's First Birthday!

Sam is one!

"Ooh, cake!"

Taking a small taste.


The cake for the birthday boy.

Surrounded by gifts.

We celebrated Sam's first birthday over the weekend in Yreka. His actual birthday was on the 8th but obviously the weekend was a better time to get the family together. The participants included Sam, Ben, and I; Great Gram and Pop; Grandma and Grandpa; Uncle Howie, Aunt Pauline and Olivia; Uncle Pete, Aunt Beth and Kayla; and Uncle Ray.

Before I left Happy Camp to return to Yreka I made two big lasagnas as well as mini bundt cakes. I was so excited to bake cakes at a normal altitude since all of my cake baking attempts in Tahoe have fallen short.....literally. I opted for chocolate and white cakes with chocolate ganache and fresh berries. Both the lasagna and the cakes went over well with the family.

As is usual with a little one's first birthday, there were way too many gifts (thanks, everyone for making Sam and Ben so happy). He received two remote controlled cars, a drum, a baby doll, a toy cell phone, books, and lots of other good stuff.

The sweetest part of the evening was watching Sam with his cake. I had forgotten to leave the ganache off one so we gave it to him anyway. He ate the raspberry off the top and proceeded to use the ganache as body paint. Luckily I had the foresight to strip him down to his diaper before presenting him with his celebratory pastry.

Pictures will be here soon

Just a quick note to let you know that I've had some difficulty getting pictures to upload.....I thought that I'd at least get my entries from this last week up so you'd all have an idea of what's been happening. I'll add photos ASAP.

Happy Camp Highlights

Grandma gave Ben a small cookie tin to use as a drum. He kept saying he needed a belt for playing it. I could not figure out what he meant. He told me he needed a belt like the drums in the parade. Finally I got it....he wanted to have a drum like the ones in marching band he saw during the holiday parade in Yreka! So creative!
Grandpa filled the bird feeder with seeds so Ben anxiously waited for the birds to arrive. He loved the binoculars that were mine when I was a little girl.
We went to visit Grandma at work on Monday morning. We arrived at Happy Camp Elementary School and after saying hello to a handful of people, proceeded to the cafeteria to see Grandma and her coworker, Lisa. Ben was excited to have a snack of yogurt with Grandma and was reluctant to leave. Soon, Casey, the school's principal and mother to my good friend Courtney, came in to meet the boys. She invited Ben to return to the school later in the afternoon for a special assembly with Australian animals.
We arrived to the assembly a little late because I refused to wake the boys from their nap. But we got there just in time to see a seven month old red kangaroo! We also saw a kookaburra, a baby crocodile, two sugar babies, two tiny box jelly fish, and a baby tree python. Ben and Sam seemed to like the kangaroo the best. Who knew we would see Australian animals in Happy Camp!
We made sure to visit the “Welcome to Happy Camp” sign and take a picture.
While Grandma was at work on Wednesday, Grandpa, the boys, and I headed down to Bill and Sylvia Parry's house to visit. They were so excited to meet the boys and catch up with our lives in Tahoe. We talked about the big news of the morning of a mountain lion crossing the parking lot at the little market in town (which happens to be owned by Bill and Sylvia's son Bobby). Apparently, one of the employees was arriving to work and waiting at the front door to be let in since the store wasn't open yet. She saw the big cat going through the parking lot and was frantic to get inside. Bulletins were sent out to the schools to warn them. In the past few weeks there have been many mountain lion sightings as well as pets being killed. Needless to say, the boys didn't play outside while in Happy Camp. We were also lucky to have dinner with Bill and Sylvia on Thursday evening.
Friday after lunch the boys and I headed to the elementary school on our way out of town to see Grandma one last time. While there we said goodbye to Lisa as well and I was able to see one of my teachers from seventh grade, Terry Mattson. She looks just the same and was excited to meet the kids.
I also saw Casey Chambers one last time and gave her an extra hug to pass on to Courtney when she arrives for Christmas from Israel.
The boys and I arrived back in Yreka at Gram and Pop's mid-afternoon Friday.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles has always been a movie my family has enjoyed. Brian and I often find ourselves quoting it and laughing when we find ourselves in sticky travel situations.
Sunday morning Brian, my dad, and I got up before four o'clock to get on the road to Medford, Oregon where Brian had a six o'clock flight back to Reno via Seattle. The drive up is just over 40 miles so we wanted to be on the road with plenty of time to spare. It's a good thing we left so early because the fog was thick. We arrived at the airport and were immediately told by one of the security officials that no planes had come in the night before and nothing had landed yet that morning. Brian went in to find out that his flight was canceled. He traded in his ticket for another that would leave at five o'clock the next morning. We turned the car around and drove back through the fog to Yreka and cursed ourselves for not calling the airline before leaving the house that morning.
We got home and went right back to bed with our fingers crossed that the boys wouldn't wake too early. When Gram entered the kitchen that morning and saw Brian her exact words were, “What on earth are you doing here?” We all chuckled and went about figuring out how to get Brian home. He made a couple of phone calls to car rental places in Yreka only to find that they are closed on Sundays. He called another in Medford and was set up with a car to pick up later that morning to drive to Reno. Luckily, Jane and Drew needed to go right through Medford to get home to North Bend, Oregon, so Brian hitched a ride with them back to the airport. He was on the road right around eleven in the morning and arrived in Reno right around five in the evening. Our good friend Sue was in Reno running errands and picked up Brian and got him back over the mountain by dinner time. He was exhausted after his LONG day but was happy to be home.
While Brian was on the road back to Reno, the boys and I were on our way down the Klamath River road to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Happy Camp. It had been over five years since I was last in Happy Camp and this would be the boy's first visit. Let the adventure begin!

Turkey Day continues

We continued our long Thanksgiving weekend in Yreka along with Gram and Pop and Grandma and Grandpa. Aunt Jane (my dad's sister) and Uncle Drew arrived on Friday. Ben and Sam had so much fun playing with Aunt Jane. They built towers, buildings, and structures using the wooden blocks that Pop made for them. Aunt Jane and Uncle Drew are expecting their first grandchild in March and seemed to be taking the opportunity to “practice” with our boys. It seemed to be fun for all of them.
During the weekend it also seemed that Sam had all but given up on crawling unless he is in a big hurry to get somewhere. He loved having lots of furniture and people to grab on to while cruising around. He especially loved having the wall of the long hallway in Gram's house to help him walk.
On Saturday morning we attended the Yreka Holiday Parade. It was a first for both boys to watch a parade since the only other parade they've attended is the 4th of July parade in Incline which they've been in.
Ben loved the school marching bands and kept asking when another band was coming. He and Sam liked all the fire trucks with their loud sirens. We saw some other extended family members and enjoyed the sunny morning.
Later that day we all watched the Civil War Game between Oregon and Oregon State. Jane and Drew are big Beaver fans and were sad to see the loss to the Ducks. Thank goodness for leftover pie to soothe them.

Turkey Day

We left home early Wednesday morning (5:15 to be exact) with the boys still in their pajamas thinking that getting them in their car seats before they usually wake up would give us a couple of hours in the car with them sleeping. Wishful thinking. Sam fell asleep after about 20 minutes and slept for about an hour and a half but Ben stayed awake the entire trip! After just over five hours in the car we arrived in time for some visiting/play time before lunch at Gram and Pop's house in Yreka. We were all happy to be able to stretch our legs and have the rest of the day to relax. Grandma and Grandpa arrived later in the afternoon while Ben was resting and we all enjoyed an evening together.
The boys woke early Thursday morning after a relatively good night's sleep (Ben called out twice and woke Sam at one point). We all worked together to get the turkey into the oven and get all the side dishes organized. Ben helped with the stuffing of the bird and was decked out in an apron made long ago by my great aunt Patsy. My sister, Pauline along with Howie and Olivia, arrived mid-morning. Ben was thrilled to have his “crazy cousin” to play with. He probably said, “Olivia, come with me,” about a thousand times that day. Together they helped make the centerpiece and set the table. The other big attraction was watching all the birds on the bird feeder. At one point a Cooper's hawk swooped into the yard and had his own Thanksgiving feast on one of the little finches. The kids loved watching nature in action.
All together there were fourteen of us for the meal including: Gram and Pop (the boy's maternal great grandparents), Grandma Norma and Grandpa Bob (my parents), Auntie Pauline and Uncle Howie with cousin Olivia, Uncle Ray (my dad's brother) and Aunt Annie, cousin Mike, and Brian, Ben, Sam and I.
The menu included: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, butternut squash, green beans, red cabbage, cranberry sauce, green salad, fruit salad, and rolls. Dessert included pumpkin pie, apple pie, mincemeat pie, and peach pie. Wow! It was all amazing but definitely A LOT of food!
Ben was reluctant to try any of the food so he ate cheese and crackers with avocado instead. Sam actually napped right through his very first Thanksgiving since we had dinner at 3:00 P.M. He tried most of the food but seemed most impressed with the red cabbage and pumpkin pie. Go figure. For anyone not familiar with my family's red cabbage recipe it's basically a sweet and sour type dish. The shredded cabbage is cooked in a little sugar, water, butter, and vinegar until it's tender and then is finished off with a little red currant jelly before serving. It sounds unusual to some but it's amazing with all the other turkey day dishes. I actually had the honor of making not only the red cabbage this year but also the cranberry sauce.
We were so happy to be with everyone for such a family-focused day.

Travel to the turkey

This is Second Avenue in Happy Camp...this is where you turn off the highway to head towards my childhood home.

We will soon be headed north to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents in Yreka. We haven't seen them since March so I know they are excited to see the boys, especially Sam since he was just over 3 months old then. He's a totally different kid now!

Following the holiday weekend Brian will return home to work and oversee our remodel while the boys and I will take a three week tour of northern California visiting my grandparent's, parent's, and my oldest sister's homes. It will be a long time away from home but a good chance to visit and get out of the remodel chaos. I'll do my best to keep the news here up to date with Thanksgiving, the boy's first visit to Happy Camp, and Sam's first birthday.

Played their little hearts out

Since the house is being worked on every day from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. I am trying to get the kids out and about by 9:30 every morning. Most days this is no problem because we can go to TCF. But Tuesdays are the trickiest days. The library doesn't open until ten, and it's November so the weather is chilly.
So this morning we decided to try something new. Each Tuesday morning during the school year there is Tahoe Tiny Timbers gym time for kids birth to 5 years of age at the rec center. I was reluctant to go last winter when Sam was a newborn and because Ben was still pretty little. As it turns out, it's awesome! They have the bouncy house set up, along with a huge collapsible tunnel and playhouse structure. They have balls, horseshoes, push toys, riding toys, big foam blocks, and even a riding toy on a miniature roller coaster track. The boys loved it!
And we were so happy to see lots of familiar faces of moms with their kids ranging from under one year-old to four-years old. The hour and a half flew by and wiped me out. But as we were loading up in the car another mom rolled down her car window and said, "We're going to Incline Beach if you're up for it." Why not? Today's weather is unseasonably warm.
The kids and I arrived at the beach to a completely flat lake, and dazzling sun. Several families had the same idea as moms stood around chatting while watching their kiddos climb, run, slide, and bask in the warm November sun.
We'd been there just a few minutes when we heard a low flying plane. It turned out to be a seaplane that landed right in front of the beach and taxied/floated over to pick up a passenger on the shore and took off again. Believe me, this is a big deal to a two year-old boy. Within moments two National Guard helicopters also flew over low enough for us to see details on their underbellies.
Ben soon joined his buddy, Max, down by the water's edge to build sand castles. It took less than ten minutes for both of them to be bare footed with their jeans rolled above their knees. The water was cold but worth a little wading. We saw a fishing boat go by, as well as a rower, and a man on a long board with a pole.
Sam was happy in the back pack carrier watching big bro play until I finally convinced Ben that we should go check in on Daddy at the office and see how the construction for the day went. Within twenty paces of the car I felt Sam's weight shift as his head drooped in slumber. After a visit to Daddy we came home to saw dust and busy workers and waited patiently for the daily wrap up so we could get a rest.
Here's the funny thing. After all that playing, the boys aren't resting well. Over stimulated, maybe? Sam snoozed for maybe a half an hour total between the backpack, car seat, and a little bit at Daddy's office. Yet right now he's in his travel crib in the living room crying like mad. I went in to check on him three different times and he is refusing to rest - thus the travel crib. When he was in his regular crib his crying was keeping Ben from sleeping. And believe me, Ben NEEDS to sleep! We'll see how this all plays out. All I know is that right now, I am tired!

Balancing Acts

Juggling. A full plate. In over my head. Biting off more than I can chew.
Whatever you want to call it, that's where I am.
It seems that I must have been incredibly inebriated recently (though I missed out on all the fun of it) while someone used a Sharpie to write "sucker" on my forehead.
Not really, but still I now have massive loads of responsibility on my shoulders. First of all, I am a mom of two...like you didn't know that already, right? I have been on the Tahoe Children's Foundation board of directors for almost two years, acting as secretary for the past year. I have been VERY involved in their fundraising during those two years - mainly as the donations person for the annual golf tournament. This fall I took on the role as the foundation's main representative for a HUGE golf tournament that helps local education, with this being TCF's first year included. And last week at a TCF board meeting I was elected as the new President! See what I mean about "sucker"?
On top of all the TCF jazz, I have been toting the kids to music classes and yoga classes weekly while trying to maintain my sanity in a construction zone....just over a month to go.
A few weeks back I wrote a guest column for our local paper and have promised to write more. And I am now not only blogging here (not as much as I would like) but also on the newspaper's website under the tag Moms and Families of Tahoe. SUCKER. http://apps.tahoebonanza.com/utils/blogs/index.php
All this should equal an amazing paycheck, right? If only. Sigh.

Playing Catch up

We're keeping busy here as usual. We had a little snow last week which prompted us to start winterizing the car....tire chains (check), tool box (check), water filter and bottle (check), space blanket (check), appointment scheduled for an oil change and service (check), new tires (ouch!). That's one problem with having the car we do. Because it is the Subaru Outback with turbo it is considered a performance vehicle. Now back in our single days both Brian and I would have driven it that way, but now with two kids buckled in the back seat it is just a wagon. Unfortunately, the turbo also means premium gas and high performance sport tires. All that means extra $$$. Such is life. At least now we know we will be safe for our trip to Gram and Pop's for Turkey Day. (The reason we went with the turbo is because of the altitude we reach on the passes in the Sierras...the turbo gives us the get up and go we need.)
With all that said, the boys are changing every day. Sam is really starting to talk and do some signs. The other day we stopped by Brian's office to drop something off and when I pulled Sam out of the car he promptly pointed to the sky and said, "Ah ba." This could be anything, right? What was cool was that he was pointing directly at an airplane which Ben then pointed out by saying, "Mom, look at that jet with a contrail." Amazing. Then Sam turned his attention to the moon, pointed, and said, "Ma."
Sam's vocabulary now includes ball, all done, yeah, mama, dada, dog, woof, moo, and his signing consists mostly of more and all done.
Ben's Spanish vocabulary is also growing rapidly. Yesterday before his nap Ben, Brian and I were all cuddled up together (Sam was already asleep) to read a couple of books. The book Ben chose was a basic first words book. I began asking Ben in Spanish where certain things were and nine times out of ten he repeated the word and pointed to the correct picture. Awesome.
Sam has also decided to give walking a try. Yesterday he took five steps between Brian and I before letting gravity get the best of him. Maybe he will walk before his first birthday.

VOTE!

A friend of mine shared this image with me...need I say more?

We were lucky enough to vote early in Nevada, thus avoiding the typical Election day chaos.

If you haven't voted yet go do it now! Please.

Magic pumpkins

The artist hard at work.

The Great Pumpkin

"Daddy's boots fit me!"

"This is my costume. I'm a penguin."

This year was another typical Halloween...gray skies and rainy so we decided to do a fun rainy day activity - painting. Ben used orange and green poster paint to create his one-of-a-kind pumpkin artwork. And now that he understands the idea of costumes everything now has the potential to be a costume - ribbons, blankets, Daddy's boots.

He also wanted to share a Halloween rhyme with everyone. In case you can't understand him well enough:

"To scare some folks on Halloween, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll hide behind a pumpkin face and then I'll shout out boo!"

Are we there yet?

If any of you were wondering or had forgotten after having your own children, this phrase apparently kicks in at age 2 1/2. In Ben's case the exact phrase is, "Are we here yet?"
He first said it in the car when we were on the way to the bank, about five minutes from home. I'm sure his restlessness had to do mostly with having to run other errands before going to the library. Not only did he get the phrase mostly correct, but he also perfected the skill of asking it repeatedly. Oh dear.

Local Profile

After I wrote the column for our local paper a couple of weeks ago I was asked by the community editor if she could do a "Weekly Profile" on me. I agreed and spent last Friday morning sitting and visiting with her...I guess it was an interview although very informal since it was here at home with the boys playing and making their normal demands.

Somehow she managed to get enough information to yield today's article... http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20081029/NEWS/810289964/1036&parentprofile=1055&title=Weekly%20Profile:%20Maggie%20Browder

A few of the details are not quite right but that's understandable considering the interview setting.

Barack the Vote!

Today the boys and I joined many other Incline residents for early voting. Lucky for me it was at our local library so it was a double duty trip....voting for me, kids' area for the boys.

In the car on the way I prepped Ben as best I could as to what was going to happen. I told him I had a very important job to do and he and Sam would be my helpers. Their job was to be very quiet and wait for me to finish. Ben's reply, "What does voting mean?" I told him that voting is a way for people to help make important decisions. "What does decisions mean?"

This went on for a while and eventually led to the word President. That one he understood. "Like George Washington in the Curious George book!" Exactly! I told him there were lots of people who want to be President but only two who most people know about -McCain and Obama. "Obama like Mama! It sounds the same!" I smiled and said, "How about Obama for Mama, Ben?"

We arrived at the library and both Ben and Sam were very patient as I checked in and got my voting card to activate the machine. Ben sat quietly eating his bagel, and Sam looked around from the stroller. A couple of people commented on how well-behaved they both were. I found a machine on an end so as not to block any other voters with the stroller, and asked Ben to stay right next to me. As I began the process, Sam started to fuss. I picked him up and continued as Ben climbed into the stroller. When it was all said and done we had cast our ballot, got our stickers proclaiming that we voted early, and headed out to the kids' area for some play time. A successfull morning all around.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Photo taken by Chris Talbot

For Ben's first Halloween we purchased a baby Yoda costume. He looked absolutely adorable in it and I wasn't wiling to give it away since I knew we wanted to have another baby. So for Sam's first Halloween, he too gets to be baby Yoda. But this year the costume comes with accessories: Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia.

At first I decided to make a simple Jedi costume for Ben using scrap fabric I had in my sewing box and thought Obi-Wan was appropriate because his name was also Ben. He was so patient as I dusted off my sewing machine and tried to remember the basics that my mom taught me so long ago. I did have to call her and find out the best way to attach sleeves but then it went fairly well. One costume for Ben soon turned into costumes for the entire family!

I was very resourceful when it came to fabric and accessories for Brian and my costumes because I didn't want to spend much money and didn't want to have to make a trip out of town. I hit the local thrift stores and bought off-white and white sheets, and some odd-ball belts. I spent less than $20 but felt good knowing that the money from the thrift stores goes to local agencies. I tried to buy an actual Star Wars costume pattern but found that the one from the 80's is no longer being made and I missed out on bidding on eBay. So, I sketched, cut, stitched, ripped out stitches, and stitched again and came up with costumes for Brian and I. Using pictures online from the Star Wars movies I got the basic gist of the styles. I did buy the wig online since my hair wasn't quite long enough and bought the light saber at a local costume/party supply store which also gives a percentage of their proceeds to local charities.

The boys first modeled their costumes at the library Halloween party on October 14th but Brian and I waited (mainly because I wasn't finished sewing) to debut ours at the Tahoe Children's Foundation annual Harvest Party held last night.

We created quite a stir when we arrived fashionably late. (Really we were late because I was having issues with my trademark Leia wig and getting two little ones into costumes and out the door was a bigger job than we had anticipated.) We took a couple of pictures with our camera but were very lucky to have some more taken by another TCF dad who also happens to be a photographer. Thanks, Chris Talbot! http://talbotimages.com/

Pumpkin boy comparison

Sam's first pumpkin patch (10 months olds, Ben 2 1/2 years)

Ben's first Pumpkin patch (6 months old)

The Pumpkin Patch

Jekyl and Hyde?

Who's happy to be at the pumpkin patch? We are!

Sam spent most of his time pushing the pumpkins over.

We had an incredibly busy Saturday this weekend. We got up and moving early and headed to the Incline Village Nursery School's Annual Pumpkin Patch. It's not an actual pumpkin patch since you couldn't really grow pumpkins in Tahoe but they get together enough pumpkins for it to resemble one. There are games for the kids, pony rides, a huge bake sale and lots of other things to enjoy. The boys posed with the pumpkins and then Ben's only request was a turn in the bouncy house.

From the pumpkin patch we headed to the Burnt Cedar pool where we spent a lot of time this summer for swim lessons. This was the one day of the year that dogs were allowed in the water to play, swim, and show off their skills. Ben and Sam were mezmerized by all of the different dogs.

After lunch and a nap we walked across the street to the shopping center in our neighborhood for an Oktoberfest celebration. There was a local band playing called Shameus, bratwurst grilling, and lots of booths to peruse. But the highlight was a tricycle race sponsored by TCF. They held 2 races for the kids (Ben was not interested in competing) and one race for the adults. There's nothing like seeing four grown men make complete fools of themselves when their "strategies" fail and they fall head over heels on asphalt. Luckily Brian was off visiting so he was not one of the four to crash and burn.

Too Darn Cute!

Punk rocker Sam in the tub.

Ben's shirt reads, "I tried to be good but I got bored." How appropriate.

Sam in his super fuzzy blue suit....the picture really doesn't do it justice. Only hugging him will really give you the full experience!

Maggie the Columnist

I've been blogging now for a few months and feel like I am slowly getting back into the writing groove that I maintained all through high school, college, and into teaching. I didn't realize how much I missed writing not for an assignment but for myself. This blog has been something of a scrapbook not only for my kids but for all of you loyal readers as well. Thanks for reading!

Thank goodness I have been honing my skills because I was called to duty on Monday by the Community Editor of our local paper, the North Lake Tahoe Bonanza. This woman, Jean Eick, is also a children's book author and her most recent book follows a bear cub as he is displaced during the forest fires of 2007 in South Lake Tahoe (yes, that's the kids and I on the far left at the book reading) http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20080516/COMMUNITY/336555654 .

Back to the real point of this post. Jean called me and asked if I would be willing to write a column for this week's Friday edition that would be a follow-up to an article that was done a year ago. At that time, four other expecting moms and I painted our pregnant bellies to look like pumpkins. http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20070921/NEWS01/109210051&parentprofile=search

I was hesitant at first but still agreed even with only two days to write. But once I started writing it only took me about thirty minutes to feel like I had something worth keeping. The result is this article published today... http://www.tahoebonanza.com/article/20081017/NEWS/810169950&parentprofile=search

Our Summer Romance Ends

The last box of the season.....so sad :(

For the past two summers we have taken part in Community Supported Agriculture. This basically means that we have a share in a local farm and get a box of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables each week from mid-May to mid-October. This is a huge deal to us because the climate in Tahoe is not good for gardens, the produce at the grocery store doesn't compare to "homegrown", and we are able to reduce our carbon footprint by eating foods that were not only grown organically but also just a couple of hours away. http://www.naturaltradingco.com/docs/ntcebrochure.pdf

Our farm is located in Newcastle, CA on highway 80 and is owned and operated by Bryan and Caren and a group of interns and laborers. Every week we are so lucky to get a box delivered that is literally overflowing with the freshest produce you can get. They also have booths at the local farmers' markets but this has been a much more convenient option for us. Every week we are excited to open the box and see what's inside. All summer long there were only two things we grew tired of - radishes and arugula. They were amazing for the first couple of deliveries but soon we found them piling up in the fridge because they were both just too spicy for us. The office at the farm was kind enough to substitute other items for us after that. There is also a weekly newsletter in the box each week that includes updates from the farm and a recipe that contains at least one of the items for the week. Last night I made a pasta dish that included wilted greens (your choice - I used spinach), roasted winter squash or pumpkin, garlic, olive oil, sage, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. Yummy!

This week we were sad to receive our last box of the season. But, like all the other boxes we got this summer, it didn't disappoint. We opened it to find carrots, tomatoes, kale, peppers, yellow beans, butternut squash, persimmons, golden delicious apples, and pomegranates.

I think I will miss the tomatoes and basil and peaches the most.

A potpourri of Ben

Ben and Daddy make Jalapeno, Corn and Cheddar waffles to go with Mommy's famous chili.

The Browder family version of "Burning Man" for cousin Megan and Uncle Roger.

Ben likes to pretend this book is his laptop....busy typing.

One day after using the potty Ben didn't want to get dressed....he was pretending that his drums stacked up were a birthday cake. Birthday suit...birthday cake.

Ben practices his downward dog for our family yoga class.