of fun, flats, and fires

i don't exactly know how much fun was involved, but it was certainly interesting...

actually, there WAS fun! Rhys drew PEOPLE and FAMILIES today!!! it's one of those big things - he drew almost all day long. it started when coco told him she was drawing a picture for rhys, so rhys said he'd draw a picture for her. i took pictures of it b/c it needed to be sent RIGHT WHEN HE FINISHED. heh heh. so, like i said, i took pictures. i need to get them off the camera and i'll post them. what's funny is that i know know know that i shouldn't compare/contrast my kids. but irene was drawing people with eyes, mouth, nose, arms, legs and hair when she was 2 1/2. when i was teaching toddlers/preschoolers and parents would come to me with stuff like this, i'd tell them something to the effect of "your son/daughter is well within the range of normal, children learn things at different times. all children are different and just because susie was doing xyz at 18 months, doesn't mean that joey will be doing that same xyz at that same time." this is all stuff i KNOW...and yet, i worry. so to have rhys, finally realllllly enjoying painting, drawing, etc is a total THRILL for me. :)

so that was definitely fun!!

flats...when i backed out of my driveway and started driving along our street, i apparently ran over a piece of debris from the flippin' houses being built across the street (the workers have not been so great about keeping the site clean). as i was driving w/the windows open, i could hear an odd sound, but it got windy and i couldn't hear it with the windows up. i got to school to get irene with thoughts of grabbing her and then heading to the Books Are Fun sale very close to my house, then heading to black rock for dinner w/mom and the kids.

while waiting for irene, the wind got stronger and we watched what looked like a tornado - WAY WAY bigger and taller than any dust devil i've ever seen, though it definitely looked like dirt/dust/debris. it went across the hills far beyond irene's school - still scary to watch though b/c it did get bigger and taller before it evaporated. anyway, irene got to the car, i started to back out to go to the Books Are Fun sale and it was really hard to get my car moving. finally, someone let me know that i have a WAY WAY flat tire. grand. so, b/c i didn't WANT to change a flat in the rain, i called AAA. "no problem, someone should be there w/in 1/2 hour." excellent! i can still hit books are fun before heading to black rock. after 1/2 hour, i called AAA again...turns out it will be at least 1/2 hour more before they are to me. so i started to do it on my own. i got the spare off the back (happily, the spare is a full sized tire). i got the jack out, i started to attempt to loosen the lug nuts on the flat...there was just no way i was going to move them. i tried for quite a while and there was NO MOVEMENT! there was a guy parked next to me. he'd been watching me for most of this. he didn't once open his window or anything else. not even to just say "bummer, huh?" lame. but, after THAT guy left, another man came over to see if i needed any help. i let him know that AAA was supposed to be coming, but i'd noticed a big fire and didn't know how long it would take them, so yeah, maybe you can get these lug nuts loosened? turns out, the guy had broken his leg and had JUST gotten his cast off and was wearing a big boot. so i told him it was okay, i didn't want him to hurt his foot or leg, but he said it was okay. he had to use his foot as leverage to get the lug nuts loosened (i gotta say, that made me feel better b/c i was feeling like a weaking before that!). and THEN, his daughter and her friend offered to jack the car up and change the tire for me!!!!!! i just thought that was fantastic and awesome! did any boys come to help? nope, these lovely young ladies (6th graders, i found out). and they got the car jacked up as much as they could, but it wasn't high enough. we needed a 2x4 to put the jack onto in order to get the car high enough. so the janitor of the school went looking for some wood. i praised and thanked the girls many times and quite profusely and told the dad how proud he must be of them :D

he and the girls stayed there as we waited for the janitor to come. the AAA guy got there before the janitor, so the girls went to let the janitor know not to worry about it. the girls stayed a bit longer and helped me out when rhys needed to go to bathroom, they went with irene and rhys (irene could have done it on her own b/c he only needed to pee, but it was very nice to have some 12 year olds going w/them as well).

the AAA guy started to jack up the car w/his big giant jack....but it wasn't working!! so he asked if he could use mine and we explained that it didn't get the car jacked quite high enough, so he got a big BIG piece of wood to put under it. while all this was happening, we were watching the smoke from the fire on los altos (about 7 or 8 miles from the school -- about 3 miles from our house). i heard some teachers talking and saying that vista (major way in and out of our development) was closed due to the fire. then Ken called to say he wasn't going to make it to Black Rock b/c he couldn't get out of wingfield springs - vista being closed and the whole world trying to get out the back way. so, once AAA guy was done and had left and the very nice guy and his girls had left, we were on our way.

the fire was looking like the firefighters were getting it under control as we passed by on pyramid highway. we didn't have much traffic getting down to Black Rock, but the opposite direction was stop and go. so, we got to Black Rock, had a yummy dinner and some yummy dessert and then headed home. it took us nearly 1 hour to get home. rhys fell asleep on the way home, rob was playing softball. as we turned off of one of the main roads, we could see the flames -- the fire had gotten worse! ugh. it appears that the fire is not near completed houses, but rather where there is some construction happening. i don't know if the fire started b/c of the lightening or from a truck hitting the front end loader onto a rock and causing a spark. according to the RGJ (reno gazette journal), vista blvd might be open now. hope so b/c gymnastics starts soon.

so that was most of our day. i'm hoping i can get to the Books Are Fun sale after gymnastics.

but, now that it's 6/2 and not 6/1 anymore.....to two of my nephews:

Happy 1st Birthday, Simon!!!!

and

Happy 20th Birthday, Ben!!!!

we're sorry we can't be with either of you on your special day, but know that we're thinking of you and love you both bunches!!!