a yummy homemade corned-beef boiled dinner. He liked the beef, didn't so much like the green beans or cabbage.Last weekend Xander flew to Reno with Mommy to meet Daddy, who was visiting UNR. Xander had his nose pressed to the plane window for takeoff; he loved watching the lights as we flew up into the sky. After he bored of that, he practiced moving the windowshade up and down, and tried--almost successfully--to remove it from the tracks that keep it in place. The plane was full, so a very nice 12-year-old girl sat next to us. Xander immediately fell in love with her. He was staring at her, reached out to touch her hand gently, and then when she smiled at him, he grinned and snuggled back into Mommy's lap.
Reno was sunny, cold, and surrounded by beautiful mountains. It also seemed really empty. Either everyone was inside gambling, or outside in the mountains skiing. We drove to Truckee the next day and snowshoed at Castle Peak with Xander in the backpack. Things didn't go so well--he refused to wear gloves, didn't get a good nap in the backpack, and started crying inconsolably after our lunch break, so we turned around prematurely. The last quarter mile, Mommy snowshoed back with a snuffly baby in her arms. As soon as we got to the trailhead, Xander saw lots of dogs and people and started smiling and talking.
This weekend Grammy Ellen and Grandpa Denis are visiting, and we're looking forward to seeing them and perhaps a fun trip to the beach or the steam trains in Tilden.
