Yeehaw!

It's Frontier Days around these parts which means rodeos and concerts, parades and pancake breakfasts and daily at least one driver headed the wrong way down the one-way street outside of my office. This year it also means a trip to the carnival for Will (on Wednesday) and lots of horses for Reina to see.

On Saturday, the kids and I ventured to Frontier Park with Grandpa Hansen (aka Pop-pop) to see the sights. Since we're saving the carnival adventures for Wednesday, we just toured the Old (fake) West shops and the Indian Village. Will was briefly thrown in jail for being a 3-year old. Here's hoping this is his only actual time behind bars. Reina loved the Indian Village. She bopped her head and danced along to the songs. This kid really loves music! She was even singing along at one point. I realized that perhaps this whole time she's actually been speaking Navajo and that's why we can't understand her.

Back at home, Will wore his new cowboy hat around the house and looked at treasure maps (actually the directions to his electric toothbrush - yup, he is definitely Glenn's kid). He's been very interested in cowboys lately. We talk a lot about what cowboys like to eat (oatmeal, beef and lots of broccoli!) and talk about what they wear (cowboy shirts, cowboy boots, etc.). He walks around reciting Woody from Toy Story - "Reach for the skkkkkkyyyyy!" "You're my favorite deputy!" It's fun to see how Will's interests change from week to week. This stoop is the official "popsicle station." Whenever Will gets a popsicle after dinner, he heads out the front door and plops down. Why does he do that? Because about 2 months ago, he and I sat here to share an ice cream sandwich, and for the Person Age 3, that in itself establishes a tradition. Reina usually follows along and here she's wearing the medal that Will won for playing t-ball. They don't always get along but sometimes he can be really sweet to her. Wish us luck at the carnival! Will + 90 degree weather + bumpy rides + short nap time = ????

T-ball!

Be forewarned: There are 11 pictures of Will playing t-ball on this post. One of the dads from the t-ball team gave us each a disc of photos at last night's game and I had a hard time deciding which were cutest so I'm posting them all! The pictures are a bit decieving. Glenn and I aren't convinced that Will had very much fun playing t-ball this year but the pictures paint a different story. The photographer also failed to take pictures the night that Will insisted on wearing a backpack while running the bases or the other night when Will carried a Dr. Suess address book with him on and off the field. He would hand it to the coach while he batted but then quickly take it back before running to first base. I just have to say it. 3-year olds are strange humans.

"Will, drop the BAT! Drop the bat, Will! Will, just drop it and then run to first. No run that way! Drop the bat!" "Okay, run whichever way you want. I don't care." "Okay, Will, it's your turn to hit the ball. No, don't hit the tee, hit the ball. Hit the ball, sweetie. It's our turn to hit the ball!"

Oh forget it. Who cares if you hit the ball or catch the ball as long as you look good doing it. Look at that face!

We might need to work on his throwing arm a little bit.... Go team! Who's ready for a snack? Meeeee!
Who's glad that t-ball is over with? Meeee!!

Hot firefighters

Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I meant a different kind of hot firefighter? This is a PG-rated blog people!

Will was invited to a birthday party on Saturday and little sister got to tag along. I'm not sure if it was the official hottest day of the summer but it sure felt like it and their rosy cheeks attest to the fact that it was HOT! I don't know if they've inherited my inability to handle the heat but let's just say that lots of juice boxes and capri suns were inhaled at the party. Will had a good time playing with a few friends from Montessori . The party place has a carousel, bouncy castle and giant play structure guaranteed to keep a bunch of 3- and 4-year-old's happy. Will's favorite activity was definitely the plastic firetruck. Reina had a good time following behind the big kids and checking out the activity after they were done with them. She didn't necessarily want to be involved in their shenanigans but she wanted to explore things after they had moved on to the next activity. The best part of the day? Everyone came home and took a looooong nap.

How to get the most out of your sprinkler

Start by watching your brother modestly and discretely dip his toes in the water. Watch your brother adventure further into the vortex of the sprinkler and decide that, hmmm maybe I am a little thirsty, too. Don't get too close to the water, you don't want to get your watermelon rind wet. Okay fine, lean in a little closer and maybe you can catch a few drops with your tongue. Finally, imitate your brother, get soaking wet and provide your mother with her favorite picture of the summer.

Weekend fun

Another summer weekend in the books! I took the kids to Fort Collins on Saturday while Glenn worked. Have I mentioned how hard he's working this summer? His big plan is due in early August so he's been going to work early during the week and then spending a big chunk of the weekend at the office. I'm proud of him but we're going to have a bbq extravaganza at the end of the summer to celebrate the plan being done.

Anyway, back to our weekend. The kids and I and Aunt Vicky spent a few hours at Lee Martinez Farm looking at all of the animals and having some fun. Here's Will and Reina exploring the silo. Reina was walking around but chose this moment to sit on her bottom. Glenn wanted me to point out that she officially started walking on July 4. That's right, Miss Independent chose Independence Day as the day to be upwardly mobile. Riding the bucking broncos in the play area...

Pumping water... (big hit!)

Running in and out a little stream... (another big hit!) If there's water, splashing and a chance to get wet, that's where you'll find Will.

They both really love the farm animals and it's a great place to get up close and personal with sheep, goats, pigs, cows and a pony or two.

On Sunday, we dressed up for church. In trying to take a picture of Reina's outfit, I caught a facial expression that I can only categorize as "model-like." As in high fashion model or blue steel. She's got some attitude!

We ended the weekend by watching Toy Story 2 and a moment of heartwarming sibling togetherness. Awww... It lasted until Reina tried to grab Will's cowboy and Will jumped off the recliner. At least I got my photo.

Things you need to know about Reina

1. She has blonde, curly hair and is not a fan of getting it brushed so she often goes to school looking like she went to bed with wet hair. Which she did.

2. Over the weekend, she officially figured out the whole walking thing and it is now her primary form of transportation. She's a little unsteady and her gait is reminiscent of ET but she's upright!

3. Last week, we took her in for a developmental screening to check on the (lack of) walking and talking. Turns out, she's just a little behind the curve but not enough to warrant any therapy or services provided by Stride. We know that she has a lot to say, it's just not English. I tell everyone that she speaks Reinish.

4. But her vocab is increasing. Along with mama, up, KITTY, and hi, tonight, Glenn coaxed out a 'please' by offering Reina her chupee (pacifier). "Reina, say please. Please! Please! Say please! Please! Reina say please!" "Peeez?!"

5. She's crazy about her chupee. Yeah, I know. Which probably explains the lack of talking. But I console myself that once upon a time, Will carried around 5 chupes and now we can't get him to shut up. Errr... I mean be quiet.

6. She looks a little like my mom. I ran across this picture back in May when I was in Minnesota. Granted, it was late at night and I was very tired but I saw it in the photo album and thought "who took that picture of Reina?" There's something about the eyebrows and the mouth and the serious expression that made me think of my girl.
I wonder if my mom threw giant screaming fits when nobody would lift her up to look at the antelope outside the back window?

Events that (could) precede a trip to the ER

I was going to title this post "Would someone just buy this kid a swingset already!" but I don't want anyone to so I won't. Last night, Glenn and I were cooking dinner and Will was outside in the backyard playing quietly. A little too quietly as it turned out. I peeked my head around the corner to see him perched on top of our compost bin with a big smile on his face. I asked him how he was going to get down and he thought about it for a minute and then yelled, "Daddy! I need help getting down!" We didn't know whether to scold him or praise his ingenuity so did neither and asked him to show us how he got up there. He found these wooden slats somewhere in the recesses of our backyard, propped them up against the compost bin and then shimmied up there like a little monkey. Keep in the mind, the slats were flimsy and wobbly, the ground is coated with pea gravel and let's face it, he's Will. He's been known to fall out of bed while awake and reading a book. He has equal parts ingenuity, creativity and foolhardiness. If we make it to his 5th birthday without a broken bone, well, I'll buy everyone a swing set. Tonight after dinner, we took a walk around the neighbor and brought this blue-eyed blonde along for the ride. She needs another haircut already! Instead of taking the double stroller, we brought Will's tricycle up from the basement and he rode along as we walked. We tied a rope to his bike so that we could help him when his legs tired out. For a while he pretended he was riding a horse and would shout out a hardy "yeehaw" at varying intervals. Then he decided that we were all part of the Toy Story gang. He was Woody, I was Buzz, Reina was Slinky the Dog, Canyon was Rex and Glenn was Jessie. The Cowgirl. Yeehaw.

We made it back to the house and Glenn decided that he needed to demonstrate which side of the family Will's foolhardiness comes from. Exhibit A: Zooming around our driveway (that slants downhill) at speeds too fast for toddler or 40-something riding a small metal tricycle. Let's switch drivers! That looks like a good idea! Exhibit B: Not dangerous enough for ya? Let's throw in a 16-month old and have her ride on her brother's shoulders! Why am I still taking pictures?!Insert circus music here. Alright, adrenaline rush over. Time for a nice, mellow bike ride. As soon as her feet can reach the pedals.

Will's Review of "The Little Mermaid"

Will: "We saw a movie and it had an octupus in it."

Will: "And a shark."

Me: "Did it have a girl who swam under water?"

Will: "Yes"

Me: "Was her name Ariel?"

Will: "No"

Me: (singing) "Under the sea, under the sea .... that's why its hotter, under the water, under the sea!!"

Will: (gives me a weird look)

Will: "And it had a good guy and a bad guy."

Will: "And it was scary."