Trick or Treat?

The trick:

A fender-bender on the way to Sam's preschool Halloween party. I made a left turn after stopping and pulled right in front of someone. Lucky for me, no one was hurt, damage was minimal to both cars, and I didn't get a ticket on top of it all. The man I hit was incredibly gracious and kind. And Ryan came to the scene to take Cowboy Sam a block down the street to his party. When I finally got to the party, I found him feasting on candy and cookies, happy as a clam.

The treat:

I ended the day with an enjoyable (read: it was at least 45 degrees out! balmy!) evening of trick or treating around our neighborhood with these fabulous guys:

We R Boaters!

So, we got a boat. Not surprising after how we drooled all summer at all our neighbors towing their boats down to the launch and enjoying the beautiful lake! (Also not surprising considering that I am daughter of Bill, the King of Boat Research and Purchasing! Hmmm... does that make me a Princess?!?!)

Yes, since we moved here, to this pristine and beautiful place, Ryan has longed for a boat. And he waited, ever so patiently, for the right one to come along. One that was not too big (is there such a thing as too big?), not too small, not too old, not too much money, and WITH A POTTY (for the Princess!), of course. At the end of September, the right boat found him. It stared him down every day as he took Sam to preschool. Alas, that boat was to be ours! Not too old, its a 2006 Bayliner. Not too small at 20 feet. Not too expensive as the owner was moving out of state and wanting to unload the boat. And, importantly, a cuddy cabin with a potty.

We managed to get out on it 3 times before the lake level came down too much and it got too cold! You can tell by the photo, its going to be great!



Oh, and reservations for summer accomodations and cruising will begin in May. Check back to reserve your visiting dates! ;)

We've been vor-tex-i-fied!

This weekend we took a little road trip to the Montana Vortex. It was a great trip over to northwestern Montana, and a lot of fun. I've got the pictures up over at dropshots- the link is over on the right side bar.

We made the trip exactly one week after my sister and her family went. We were all quite mystified (with a grain of salt)! On her recommendation we also stayed at a Holiday Inn with a water slide that the boys found endlessly entertaining. In fact, Ben wants to spend each and every day of next summer vacation at that hotel!

Our trip back was unfortunately rainy, so we skipped going to see the Swinging bridge that the Green's also recommended. We'll have to do that as a day trip another time.

The kids did well on the car trip, with Ben reading quite a bit to Sam. If Sam wasn't occupied though, he worked on his new found talent: annoying repetitive noises. (I should have gotten some video of that- but I was worried I would just encourage him!) He perfected the noises that can be made while sticking your tongue out repetitively (lal-lal-lallal) and invented songs "its getting bigger- its getting bigger! whoa, oh- its getting bih- ihg- ger!". Try that times 500 (and don't ask what's getting bigger- we don't know!). Ryan seemed to have quite a high tolerance for this and kept our car on the road, doing Montana speeds. (No, I won't be reporting actual numbers- you know what I mean!)

We are now home, getting ready for the weekly grind. Hope you had a great weekend, too!

First Day

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Sam's first day of preschool and Ben's first day of first grade! The day went terrifically well for all!

Ben was greeted by almost all his classmates from Kindergarten and seems to really like his new teacher. When he finally got home, he was exhausted and insisted on a nap! (That's gotta be a first right there!)

Sam had no trouble parting when I took him to preschool. He knew only one boy in the class, but really took to his teacher right away. They got busy unloading school supplies as I stood in the doorway, getting a bit misty-eyed. Sam looked up briefly and gave me a very quick "Bye, Mom!" as I left. When I came to pick him up, he folded his arms across his chest and gave me the big furrowed brow and asked, "Why didn't you pack my lunch???". You see, lunch is optional, and being the first day, I figured we'd not pack it. He couldn't wait until the next day to tote his new Batman lunch box to school!!!

As for me, I had a blissful first day/ week of school. I got to go grocery shopping by myself, sat at Starbuck's drinking coffee and reading the paper, and even went to workout! I think our new schedule is going to work out really well!

It just doesn't get any better than this!

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Labor Day swim

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Happy Anniversary Sugar and Pa!
Congrats on 35 years!