Tahoe Part 1

Well, we've been back for a week so it's about time, right?

We left last Friday to drive to Lake Tahoe - that's a 2 days trip when you have kids. Andy stayed home to help out with important family happenings (more on that another time) so it was just us meeting up with my parents in Palm Desert. It was my first long drive with the kids by myself and it went well. Will was especially excited when we passed through the windmills in that area. He just kept saying Look at that! except it sounded more like Gook at Dat. We continued on with my mom in our car and my dad enjoying some peace and quiet in his car. We paused for a night and a very nice Comfort Inn in Ridgecrest, CA. The drive was better than expected and it was fun to drive through towns I remember stopping in when my family drove up to Mammoth every year. The kids got very excited when the snow on the ground started to appear. We drove up through Gardnerville, Nevada and I am now dying to know who lives there. The houses are huge and beautiful on many acres. Some were obviously ranches but others were not and I'm wondering what those people do for a living. They live about 30 minutes or less from the slopes of Heavenly and have this gorgeous house. Sounds good to me!

Our little caravan headed up the mountain to our condo and it was a very short drive. I was thinking we would have to wind up and up and up, not realizing that we had gradually been heading "up" all day. Will, again, was Mr. Observant and staring out the window - this time shouting Christmas Tree, Christmas Tree. Something he would continue to repeat all week. I think, other than the snow, that was his favorite part of the trip.

We got settled into our place which was perched on the mountain with a beautiful view of Gardnerville. I had to include this picture of the front desk. My dad checked in by video with someone in Sparks Nevada. It was pretty crazy. I think there was a sensor on the door, so when you walk in, someone comes to check and see if anyone is at the counter needing help.

We spent the first day or so exploring and checking out the slopes at Heavenly.

The kids were VERY excited to see the snow and play in it. Unfortunately the place we were staying at didn't really have a good place to just walk out and play in the snow. We drove toward town a bit and found a small place to play. The kids tried to make snow angels but the snow was a bit too icy. They also tried to dig a hole but didn't get very deep. 

A snowman with this snow was out of the question but the kids didn't seem to mind too much. They were just loving the snow. Talk about Arizona kids. My dad and I went skiing for an afternoon and I signed Sarah up for ski school.   

After a lovely afternoon on the slopes, we decided to hit the indoor/outdoor pool which was not heated enough.  That's putting it mildly.  It was the kind where you can swim under a wall to go to the outside part of the pool.  The pool was maybe room temperature but when the room is not really heated and there's snow outside, I was expecting a nice warm bath type temperature.  The kids did not care and loved it.  The adults (all 3 of us) made it a very short pool trip.

The next day, my dad and I took Sarah to ski school which was supposed to go from 9ish to 3:45pm.  I knew it would be a long day for her but she was very excited about it.  She hesitated at first when I left her but one of the instructors offered her a Heavenly Ski Tattoo.  She was, of course, interested. So off we went.  I spotted her after a run or 2 off to the side of her class, skis OFF, playing in the snow.  Not a good sign.

My dad and I made our way to the California side of the mountain to ski a particularly beautiful run.  There was a spot where you could see both the valley and Lake Tahoe.  

We called my mom just after we stopped for a lunch outside in the warm sun.  She said "Not to worry, Sarah is with me."  OH NO!  Apparently the ski school called my mom's cell (she was the contact since she was not up on the mountain skiing and cell service on the mountain being intermittent) around 11:30 and told her to come get Sarah.  I don't think Sarah every really got up on skis.  She told the ski instructors and me that her feet hurt.  I think they even tried a different boot for her.  Maybe I will try cushier socks next time.  I was pretty mad because it was not cheap and she didn't seem to really try but she's 4 and it was vacation time.  My mom arrived to get her but she wanted to stay with the cookies and Snow White on TV.  Geeeeeeez.  My dad and I finished up pretty early because our legs were burning and we were exhausted.

I will finish the rest of the trip in Part 2!

In with the new!

I write this to the quiet hum of  a new dishwasher.  YAY!!  Our dishwasher died back in November - yes you read that right, NOVEMBER.  We spent some time debating whether to replace a motor or get a new one.  We finally decided to get a new one and then put it off until after the holidays.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be but I must say that we used paper plates many times.  It did bring back memories of the little place I lived in with Julie is San Antonio and my apartment in Boston except now I have the counter space to let dishes dry.

Well, all that is over now and I didn't think I could be so excited about a new appliance. 

We Did It

We got Will a haircut - his first "salon" haircut.  He's had trims at home and always does okay with those.  He was in a terrible mood before the appointment, which made me worry, but then he was Mr. Happy and charmed the ladies in the salon.  

It was too funny.  He sat in a yellow car with a steering wheel and just thought it was the greatest thing ever.  He sat about as still as I would have expected.  He still has his adorable curls but the whole thing is just a bit cleaned up.

  

Just Because

I snapped this picture of Will a couple days ago while he was asking me to try on some of the ski stuff.  He took it all off immediately and threw it on the floor.  The picture just made me smile so I thought I would share it.   This is the little boy I adore!

Bah-Dum, Goon-Dah Meet Doh-Jay

I have noticed that Will is a bit more particular about getting his words right than Sarah was, until now.  I think he finally got tired of getting it right and decided to just let the words and sentences flow, pronunciation be damned.  He insists on calling PJ (our dog), Doh-Jay.  Hey, at least he gets the J part, right?  Sarah called her Bah-Dum for the longest time.  I have no idea the connection.  Among her many other famous names is Goon-Dah - any guesses??????

That would be her name for Dora (the Explorer).  

Anyways, we are enjoying the talking but not so much the throwing himself on the floor part of nearing 2.  I am also realizing that genetics have kicked in and Will is incredibly impatient.  He doesn't understand why it takes soooooo long (10-15 min MAX) to go see Shishies at the pet store.  He also loves muffins and doesn't understand the oven part of making muffins.  I think I could put a muffin cup full of batter in front of him and he would take a big bite and then throw a fit because I didn't use my magic 5 second baking powers to make a real muffin.  (By the way, how cool would that be!)

The Merits of the Double Stroller

(Picture is from when we bought the stroller in 2007)

I bought the big old Graco double stroller a couple months after Will was born and used it A Lot for many months.  Then Sarah got big enough to walk on her own a bit and to stand on the back of our single stroller.  The Graco came out only for big walking trips like the zoo and malls.  I pulled it out today for a trip to the mall because Sarah requested it.  I have not used it in many, many months - like maybe last summer?  I figured why not?  I now remember why it is a pain (heavy to push, hard to get into bathrooms, and huge in the car) but more importantly why, contrary to most moms, I loved it.  We had, for the most part, a very peaceful mall trip.  The kids enjoyed the ride and actually listened to me.  They got out to play in the play area for about 15 minutes while I waited for stores to open.  The minute I said last slide, the 2 of them took the slide together and very willingly came with me to put shoes on, hop back in the stroller and wander the mall.  Other than 5 minutes of Will figuring out he could put his feet up on Sarah's seat, we had a lovely time and actually got some stuff done.  I didn't have to chase anyone, there was no whining for not wanting to be in a store or wanting another ride on the carousel, just peace.  Maybe it was the novelty of the stroller coming back out or just the simple lack of having to walk with mom everywhere, but the kids enjoyed the mall and so did I.  That is a pretty rare occurrence for a trip of 2 hours with all 3 of us.  Thank you Graco.