Our Second Home: The Car

I think I could write a book about our experiences on the road as a family. It doesn't seem to matter if it's sunny or snowy, I always seem to have something to write about. Without doubt, we had yet another eventful trip to Reno this past weekend. It was my bright idea to leave for Reno on Friday night. I thought everyone would be heading out earlier in the afternoon, so I figured we'd leave later in the evening and be driving late enough to miss the traffic. This so-called thought of mine made me feel pretty much everything but bright. We ended up leaving town around 7pm and arrived in Reno....oh, around 1:30am. Yeah, good times had by all. Crazy traffic, we were surrounded by other bay area people, and the traffic was moving no faster than 5 mph through the mountains. People were jumping out of the car and into the woods to relieve themselves. People were just getting out of their car to stretch and make small talk with the car next to them. One car was nice enough to entertain all of us as the passenger stood up through the sunroof and serenaded us with a beautiful song on his guitar. Thankfully, the kids slept much of the way since it was so late.....it made the drive just a tad bit easier!

Anyway, I'll just skip the entire weekend we spent in Reno.....we had a wonderful time, celebrated my Dad and Noah's birthday (again!) and before we knew it....we were back on the road.

Lucky us, we realized the storm had already hit the base of the Sierras by the time we woke up that morning. So, we stalled and hung out. Tim was getting more and more nervous as he kept hearing these loud blasts as they were doing avalanche control in the mountains. I, on the other hand, was in no hurry to leave town and was already making up excuses in my head about what I was going to tell my work. But now that I have a kid in school, I was feeling the pressure to get on the road and get home. This time, I made the effort to document what it's like in the winter where I'm from. Here's a few pictures to share.....I'm sure I didn't annoy Tim AT ALL taking pictures while he was sweating bullets driving!

Not too far out of Reno, we come upon the dreadful sign telling us about chain controls ahead. Good thing we were already traveling only 5mph!!! At the last minute, we decide to try and avoid the standstill traffic by going through the ski resort areas and then eventually cut back through.

Okay, we can handle this...not so bad. We're doing our best to take in all the beauty surrounding us, but did we have to drive by the Donner Party statue? Really? Thankfully, the kids aren't whining......yet.

Hmmmm......the roads are getting worse. I'm trying my best to keep the kids somewhat quiet while Tim is focused on driving. See the height of the snow on the right? That would be about twice the height of our SUV. Meanwhile, he's starting to sweat and feels the need to roll down his window in the middle of a blizzard. Awesome....I'm afraid to say anything, so I make sure the kids are warm in their blankets while I am losing valuable degrees of body heat.

Tim's doing a fantastic job driving and I am promising myself I will never travel again during the winter months. This sucks, the DVD keeps skipping out on the kids, and I am daydreaming about flip flops and suntan lotion.

What does that sign say? A little hard to see since THE SNOW has buried it! This is pretty much the last picture before I freak out and put the camera away. Not that my backseat driving is going to help Tim one bit, but I'm too nervous to document anything.....let's just say we made it through, slowly but surely! We actually made it home in just under 6 hours so I consider that a success! I'm so ready for spring.....get here now!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Happy Birthday Papa! Hope you have a great day! We had so much fun playing with you this weekend! Make sure to eat a lot of pancit today!
Love,
Sophia and Noah

Multi-tasking

Apparently, Noah is unaware of the cell phone law in California. Grammy and Goppie called to wish him a happy birthday while we were at the park, so Noah conversed while he took a few laps. As I was watching him drive around like a race car driver and pretty much focusing on everything except what was actually in front of him, I quickly discovered this kid definitely has the Youngberg male driving gene.....and I hate to say it, but that isn't a compliment! Hopefully, the driving age will change by the time he's ready!

Happy Birthday Noah!

Noah turns 3 today! I can't help but wonder where the time has gone....it seems like it was just moments ago that I was holding this little guy in my arms for the first time, sharing my hopes and dreams with him and singing lullabies as I rocked him to sleep. I knew he was going to be a rough and tumble kid from the very beginning....even in my tummy he was non-stop kicking and rolling around. Well, he has definitely lived up to that expectation thus far!

I cannot even begin to explain how much my love for this kid grows on a daily basis. I can already tell he is going to keep me laughing, just like his Daddy. I love that he is so affectionate and still allows me to cradle him like a baby and cuddle with him in the mornings. Even though I don't know how he does it, I think it is adorable how he must sleep with his Lightning McQueen car and Mack truck....sleeping in one corner of his bed so they have enough room. I love watching him play with his sister (when they're not fighting, that is!) as they explore their imaginations to the fullest. I love everything about him, but most of all, I love his heart.

Happy 3rd birthday my little Noah! May the year ahead bring even more fun adventures, new friendships, and a continued love for learning. May you always be my sunshine and happy little guy.....we love you!

Noah the Firefighter

Noah loves his cars and trucks and lately he is obsessed with fire trucks and gets very excited anytime he sees one on the road or if we pass a station. Tim has a friend who is a firefighter in Oakland and we were very lucky to get a personal tour of the historic fire station and meet all the guys in the house. They had cupcakes for the kids and made us all feel so welcome! It was such a special treat for Noah and a great way to kick off his birthday celebration! We are so grateful to Mark for showing us around. Thank you! Above is a picture of the kids listening intently about how they get ready when they receive a call. Noah was in complete awe the whole time!

Sitting on the back of the fire engine!

Here's Noah, who is in complete control of the back of the engine! He's ready to go!

Where Noah was sitting in the above photo.

They pulled the truck out for Noah and let him use the fire hose! They pretty much stopped traffic in downtown Oakland so Noah could have this experience.....we felt way too cool for words.

You can see Daddy, Noah and Sophie waving in the fire truck as they head out!

All together....

We ended the evening with ice cream at Fenton's. The kids had such a great time and were still riding high from the visit....as you can see with Noah being goofy!

Sophie is equally goofy.

Alice (aka Sophie)

Tim and I took the kids out to a restaurant last night. It's a cool little place with a big play area for the kids (no, not McDonalds!). Lots of activities, blocks, art areas, etc. where the kids can safely roam and play while Tim and I catch up on some adult conversation (or play with the apps on our cell phones, but whatever).

Anyway, Sophie immediately finds a friend and is running around like crazy with her. They are having a ton of fun and we hear the young girl yell, "Alice! Come here! Alice!" Tim and I look at each and wonder who the heck she's yelling at. Obviously it can't be Sophie. There's no other kid around her and it looks like she's yelling at Sophie....who brought the weird kid? And then it dawned on us......Sophie has been telling us lately that her name is Alice. Did she seriously tell this little girl her name is Alice? Sometimes she tells us to pretend play and call her Alice and there may have been a single occasion where she actually asked me to change her name. Fabulous....either she hates her name or she is already going through an identity crisis. Thankfully, I NEVER overreact.....ever. So, Tim and I laugh it off and just continue watching them play.

Why Alice, you ask? I have no idea. She says she likes the name and she has referenced Alice in Wonderland. Okay, I get it....I like Alice in Wonderland....she's a cute little girl. But, how come whenever I hear the name Alice I envision an old lady in a blue maid outfit living in the Brady Bunch house?

Not what I had in mind

Mario and Luigi....in the flesh.

Busy Living

So, it's apparent my New Year's resolution is NOT about blogging more. Especially since this is my first in 2010! I have a long creative list of excuses, but none of them articulate any sort of responsibility on my part, so I'd rather not share.

After celebrating a great win against Oregon to start the new year, Tim and I have been laying low and just enjoying some quality time with the kids (although I don't consider Super Mario as quality time, Sophie and Tim!). Trips to the park, crafts with the kids, library time, riding bikes, less computer time, etc.

We're off to a good start.

The Dangers of Sledding

After Christmas, we headed to Reno to spend a few days with my family. We had a great time enjoying the winter weather and took the kids sledding a few times while we were there, just heading to a small sledding hill behind my parents' house. Actually, let me rephrase that....I took Tim and the kids sledding. I think Tim has some sort of twisted belief that sledding must include at least one crash into a tree, people, rock, or all of the above. On the first day we went, Tim was in perfect form as he managed to crash into all of these things. And since Tim is such a sledding pro, he did not do this in one trip down the hill; he managed to hit something or someone in 7 out of every 10 opportunities. That, I tell ya, takes talent. Check out this video my sister was able to capture as Tim hits a bump and speeds down the hill towards all of us.....knocking every single one of us down like bowling pins. I should have known.....next time we will be wearing helmets.

Christmas with the Youngbergs

We were so happy to have Tim's family out from Ohio for Christmas this year. The kids were in heaven as they had an entire week of fun with Grammy, Goppie, and Uncle John. Needless to say, the kids were exhausted by the end of each day and loved every second of it!

A quick picture before we attended church on Christmas Eve. Notice Noah's shoes....oh yes, Mommy forgot to complete his Christmas outfit with a dressy pair of shoes....instead, he was stylin' with his Nikes for the evening (thanks Auntie Kelli!).

Daddy was in the background doing his best to get Sophie and Noah smile. Of course, the kids end up laughing hysterically.....I just love their faces in this picture! After a whirlwind week, I am finally able to reflect on the wonderful memories we created throughout the holiday. We have a lot to be thankful for.