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.

Sam is 10 months

With the tenth month mark Sam is hitting milestones like crazy. He said two words the other day: "hi" and "yea!" Yea is especially cute because he waves his little arms around when he says it, mostly for Ben. He has also started letting go once he's standing and is balancing for several seconds at a time. If there is something he can push while he walks he will go until he runs into a barrier. And, the five teeth he's been suffering through are now almost all the way in.

Ninja Road Biking

Ben models Daddy's ninja hood...aka balaclava.

Lately Brian has been taking every opportunity to get out on his road bike before the roads are completely covered in ice and snow. Last summer (2007) he rode all the time to train for the Tour de Tahoe - Bike Big Blue ride around the lake....72 miles of torture if you ask me. He somehow managed to talk his parents, his brother (Chris) and sister-in-law (Emily), and Uncle Roger and Aunt Janet into joining him. I was able to play the pregnancy card and avoid the ride since I was about 6 months into my Sam belly era. Ben and I were the moral support.

This summer (2008) Brian didn't get out to ride nearly as much. A lot of that had to do with not getting much sleep as we worked through the agony of a sleepless infant. But Brian's making up for it now.

The thing about Tahoe is that even though the days may be warm and sunny in September and October, the nights and mornings are downright COLD! Brian is prepared of course with covers for his shoes, insulated biking gloves, and his ninja mask. It's really one of those balaclava things to keep your head/face/neck warm. But as one of our friends put it, "Don't have Brian stop by a convenience store to pick up anything on his way home from a ride or they might think he's gonna hold the place up."

Brian is an early riser and likes to workout before he has breakfast and heads to the office. He usually starts his bike rides as the sun is coming up. This isn't unusual for a lot of people but seriously, how many people would willingly go out to ride their bikes up an 8900' mountain in 26 degree weather?

By the time Brian got home this morning he had been gone for about an hour and the temperature had risen to a toasty 27 degrees. He was bundled from head to toe and had a fine layer of frost all over the ninja mask where his sweat had accumulated. Just seeing him gave me chills. Then he picked up his water bottle and gave it a shake....ice rattled.

I forgot to mention that we had snow here the two days prior to Brian's ride this morning.

Curious Ben

Our curious monkey loves another curious monkey.

These are the faces of four great presidents.

According to Ben, he's been here lots of times.

This is Ben. Ben is a good little monkey and always very curious. One day Ben and his daddy sat down to read a library book. Ben was a big fan of another little monkey named George. Today's story was called "Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon." It was about a trip George took with his friend, the man with the yellow hat.
Ben had heard this story many times. As Daddy paused in reading Ben picked up with the plot, "They were in South Dakota so of course they went to see Mount Rushmore. These are the faces of four great presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln."
As Ben said all of this, Mommy and Daddy looked at each other in awe. Ben knew the entire story and it was cuter than cute hearing his little boy voice spout out the names of the presidents.
Thanks, George, for teaching our little monkey too.

Sam-o-Lantern

In a post about a week ago I said that Sam was getting two new teeth. Well, that's changed. It's now up to five. Yep, you read correctly. The poor little one is getting a whole mouthful of teeth all at once. At least he picked the season correctly, we'll just dress him in orange and set him out with all the other pumpkins with his toothy grin.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

We finally got a little rain this weekend which was a nice change. However, as with most changes there are often downsides as well...in our case it meant an uninvited guest in the boys' room.
I had just finished helping Ben brush his teeth before bed and had moved on to Sam. Ben and Brian were getting settled in to read a Curious George story when abruptly Brian brought Ben back into the bathroom, and quickly grabbed a handful of kleenex. As he headed back to the boys' room he said, "I don't want to alarm anyone...."
The kleenex gave it away. It was a spider. I'm not really scared of bugs and such but more bothered by their movements. I don't like the scurrying of insects, arachnids, rodents, etc. Ben is yet to encounter a critter in our home so it's hard to say how he would react. I'm so glad Brian didn't wait to find out. The last thing we need is a 2 1/2 year-old refusing to sleep in his bed.
Yes, his bed. That's where the HUGE spider was. Within a few inches of the little man when he climbed in. Brian happened to see the movement, scooped Ben up and returned him to me.
It took just a moment to remedy the situation but I still get a shiver down my spine just writing about it. Brian kept the evidence for me and it was a big guy. Thanks again for Brian - Mr. Calm, Cool and Collected.

Pizza Night!

Sam loves the crust with sauce.

Ben is a great helper in the kitchen lately. Tonight's dinner was pizza made with ingredients from our weekly farm box and a trip to the farmers' market this morning. I made a double batch of whole wheat pizza crust (I put one in the freezer for another night), turned two huge bunches of basil into pesto (again, some in the freezer for future use), halved some cherry and yellow pear tomatoes, made a basic garlic-tomato sauce, and cut up some grilled portobello from dinner a couple of nights ago. Ben's job was getting the cheese ready. One of our favorite pizza recipes calls for provolone which is perfect for little hands to tear and cut into smaller pieces.

Ben wielding a dinner knife quite well.

Putting cheese on his pizza.

Ta Da!

Pizza for the rest of the family.

Cousins? Brothers?

Sam at 5 months

Harry at 5 months



Ben at 5 months

I was so excited to get a phone call today from Emily, my sister-in-law. It's been forever since we've talked due to a number of things....we both have had babies in the last year (Sam in December and Harry in May), we both have other little ones, and they just got settled in their new home in Washington. We had a great conversation and both agree that our little boys are interchangeable. Apparently all the Browder boys look the same. Old pictures of Brian show striking similarities to pictures of Ben, and Emily and I both think that Harry looks an awful lot like Ben when he was a baby. What do you think?