A tally of the summer

(Will posing with our award-winning dill pickles, sweet pickles and salsa. Aunt Vicky and I came home with a blue, red and white ribbon and there were no outbreaks of food-borne illness - yeah! Everybody wins! )

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner and summer is officially winding down. It has been a busy one. From camping trips to wedding extravaganzas, the Pauley's have been on the go. I feel like Summer 2011 gave us a quick preview of what future summers with two kids will be like. This year, we were able to go on a few adventures and really have some fun, without having to drag along all of the detritus that comes with babies (giant diaper bags, pack-n-plays, etc.) Naptime still plays a big part in trying to schedule our day but we can push the fun out until about 3:30 p.m. before it really starts to get scary (i.e., tantrums, screeching and general attention-drawing behavior). However, when 2-yr olds crash, they do crash hard. (Reina in our pop-up camper this weekend following 45 minutes of "I'm not tired!" "I don't want to take a nap!" "I'm NOT SLEEPY!" Really?)

So here's Summer 2011 by the numbers:
Camping trips: 3

Camping trips where one or both of the Pauley children had a fever: 2
Icepacks: Too many to count, see also "Goose Eggs" (I was actually just talking to another mom of a 4-yr old boy about this very phenomenon. Will always has a bump, scratch, bruise or a how-do-you-get-that?-lump on his beautiful forehead. What's going on? Am I raising a bighorn sheep? Is he using his forehead as a battering ram?) Trips to the ER/Urgent Care: 2 (See also, Goose Eggs and Potential Concussions)
Doctor's visits: Not as many as last summer
Tantrums: today?
Birthday parties: 3
Fake tattoos applied at birthday parties: 1 Pauley parents who hope this is the only Mickey Mouse tattoo that adorns his body now and in the future: 2

Trips to Water World: 1
Pauley kids who would prefer to permanently reside at Water World: 2
Races that Bronco Baby Mom ran: 2
Races that Bronco Baby Mom didn't finish last: 2 (yeah! Progress!)

Hours spent training Trigger to be a bird dog: 1 million (okay, probably not that many but it felt like it when both kids were whinnnnnnnnnning and Bronco Baby Mom was home by herself)
Hours Trigger spent acting calm and quiet: approximately 13 immediately following his trip to the vet to get "tutored." It was an awesome 13 hours.

Minutes Reina spent at Aunt Vicky's reception before spilling something on her pretty white dress (Reina's - not Vicky's - phew!): approximately 2 1/2.
Minutes Will spent interacting with the rest of the party at the reception before becoming engrossed in Lego Fireboat building: approximately 2 1/2.

Relatives who spoiled Will and Reina with lots of toys and undivided attention: all of them
When Will wants relatives ("relatins") to come back and visit: immediately. And bring more Lego's.

Books that Reina has identified with and incorporated into her daily mantra that include the words "mad at mama, I was so mad, and me too" in the title: all of them (I've actually had to hide the "Llama llama mad at mama" book because it gives her too much ammunition to be mad at me for various real and projected injustices. She chooses to ignore the happy moral of the story that everyone can get along and have a good time when the work together. She just likes to be mad at the mama. So, the book is currently lost.)

Antelope who live right outside our backdoor: numerous, including our good friend Banjo. Banjo is a buck who we have seen every Summer since we moved in three years ago. He was right behind our fence one night and I was trying to get him to look up so I kept shouting "Banjo!" Reina chimed in with the "Banjote! Banjote!" She likes to add extra letters on to existing words (antelopes, popcorns). Now I can't call him anything except Banjote.
So there it is in a nutshell. A summer filled with a lot of special memories, a few tough days and two smiling Bronco Babies. I can't wait to see what the Fall brings.

This is summer

This is summer in the Pauley backyard. Turning the picnic table into a fort with a giant sheet. Playing pirate ship and 'man soldiers (?!)' in the backyard and letting the little sister tag along even though she is carrying around an armful of baby dolls and bunny rabbits. Wearing swimming suits all day long even though the water in the plastic pool is cold and the Wyoming wind is already blowing. Making Trigger play the role of the monster/bear/dragon that has to be chased across the yard with lots of shrieking and HI-YA's that will surely wake up little sister from her nap. Trying to squeeze every last minute out of the summer before the wind starts to blow in earnest and the picnic table will just become another piece of unused (but still oversized - have I ever posted a picture of the picnic table? It is seriously huge. One time we had 8 adults and 6 kids sitting there. If there is ever a big flood, we'll just flip it over and float to safety.) deck furniture.

The Wedding

Last weekend, the Bronco Babies' aunt Vicky married Matt in Colorado. It was a lovely weekend. The weather obliged, the location was beautiful and there were lots of new "relatins" (Will's world = relatives) for the kids to meet and charm. Well, sort of charm. They definitely had their moments but I'll get into that soon enough.

Reina was a bit skeptical of the whole meet-large-groups-of-new-people thing. The kids and I headed down to Fort Collins on Friday to greet family who had arrived in town and shop at stores with lots of little things to grab and have big long chatty lunches... you know all things that 4-yr olds and 2-yr olds are really capable of handling gracefully. We arrive at lunch, Reina takes a look at the all of the aunts and cousins and second cousins and announces loudly, "I want to go home."

They perked up after the naps, although Will's mood improved immensely after a trip to Target where he talked my Aunt Mary into cleaning out the current Logo inventory. How will I ever thank her? (Answer: loud, battery-operated cat toys in her Christmas box.)

Saturday, Reina and I attended the Bridesmaid's luncheon, a neat little tradition in our family. All of the women family members and the bridesmaids, flower girls, etc., gather for a lunch the day before the wedding. We usually eat a lot chocolate, tell stories about the bride when she was a little girl, and have a good time. Aunt Vicky gave Reina the Bridal Barbie which Reina actually still likes and plays with a week later (that's a record!) and read a story about a Bigfoot Cinderella. It was a nice lunch.

That evening, the whole clan gathered for a rehearsal dinner/party at another great Fort Collins location. Reina's surliness continued because we wouldn't let her spend the entire party wading in the fountain outside of the restaurant. We are so uncool. Will looks like he's bored out of his gourd in this picture but he actually had a handful of new logos in his pocket and the ninja/knight/army battle that was going on was epic. Then the wedding day dawned bright and beautiful. The kids rode with the Bride and Pop-pop in a carriage to the ceremony site. The rest of us were lined up in our spots and the music was swelling and I was really trying not to weep. As the carriage rounded the corner, my dad told Will to wave and Will had the biggest grin on his face as he enthusiastically waved to the crowd assembled. His wave was more regal (rodeo queen-ish?) than his normal wave and it brought the house down. Everyone was laughing and it really helped me to stem the tide of tears. Following the ceremony, Reina danced with her daddy and .... threw herself on the floor at periodic moments. That pretty white dress was red and brown and grey within about five minutes. We didn't see Will very much during the (4+ hour) ceremony. See, his present for being the ring bearer/wedding bear was the Lego Fireboat. Luckily, there was a 10-yr old cousin present who happens to be an expert Lego assembler and Will sat their patiently as the fireboat was constructed. Ta-da! Awww, the happy couple!

Oh wait, this is the awww picture.
It was a beautiful day and such a happy occasion. I'm so glad to have Matt join our family. They make each other so happy and that makes all of us happy. We were all so honored to take place in the ceremony and it was one of those days that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Congratulations to the bride and groom!

What's growing out of our compost bin? 2011 Edition.

It's time for that annual game of "what's growing out of Lucy's compost bin?" This year's contestant is not as big as the squash/pumpkin/gourd thing that we grew last year. So I'm thinking potato? I know I've seen these leaves before. Maybe canteloupe? Whatever it is, it probably doesn't stand a chance of seeing fruit or veggie bearing age. This morning was already crisp and cool and I'm actually a little chilly tonight. Is this me complaining about the weather again?! Gardening friends and family, tell me what this is!!

Frontier Days 2011

I'm getting further and further behind in my attempt to blog recent events. Frontier Days actually ended on July 30th but I'm just now getting around to recording it. At this rate, I'll be writing about Thanksgiving on Valentine's Day, celebrating New Year's on March 15, etc. So, in a vain attempt to catch up, he's a quick overview of Frontier Days 2011. Yeehaw!!


We started off the festivities at a petting zoo in the corner of the grocery store parking lot. This year, Reina seemed to get the biggest kick out of the petting zoo. Reina loved all of the animals and would usually bends down to look them square in the face. Luckily for our sake, these were very tame, calm and patient animals. She loved the baby goats and the chickens but I think her favorite were the "bunnywabbits." Her least favorite was the grown-up goat who tried to eat the ribbon on her dress.

After a few minutes petting all of the animals available, Reina took a pony ride. She sure looks at home in that saddle, don't you think? As we watched her ride, Glenn came to the startling realization that this girl is going to want her own horse someday. I think he's right - she's a natural! While sister was busy practicing her equestrian prowess, Brother was enthusiastically petting any animal he could get his hands on. Baby pigs! Goats! Chickens! He also took a turn on horseback. Yep, the Horse Fund starts tomorrow.


We took a few days off from the festivities so that Glenn and I could actually, you know, go to work and the kids went to preschool and then we had Wednesday afternoon off for Carnival! Cotton Candy! Giant Lemonade that costs $5.00!! The sky was threatening rain but it didn't dampen our fun. First up was the motorcycle ride. Glenn and I were laughing at how much fun the two kids were having and then it hit us, "WHY ARE WE ENCOURAGING REINA TO RIDE ON THE BACK OF A MOTORCYCLE?" Stop the ride right now! From the look on her face, we are in big BIG trouble.

We splurged on tickets for the whole family and rode the Ferris Wheel. It was much less enjoyable for the younger set than I thought it would be. I thought they would like to see everything from up high but it took so long to get it started that they got bored. And whiny. My enthusiasm started to fade about the time that started Will peered over the side to point out how far down everything was. I think we'll wait a few years before we try that one again.

Back on solid ground, Will and Glenn disappeared for a few minutes and came back with this giant inflatable sword. Because that's what our house needs, more weapons. Sadly but not surprisingly, the giant inflatable sword did not last long once it came back to our house. It was the first time I actually rewarded Trigger for chewing something, but shhhhhh, don't tell Will.

We continued the fun with a merry-go-round ride with a very patient Dad because Mom gets queasy just watching everybody go round and round and round and urp..... let's move on to the next picture.The kids fell asleep before we even made it back to the car but it was a fun afternoon. The carnival gets more fun each year, for all of us. I do want to note that Reina was just barely tall enough for most of the rides that Will rode on. At the motorcycle ride, the carnival attendant pointed out that maybe Reina wasn't big enough (she'd briefly taken off her ball cap which gave her an extra inch) and he didn't think she could get on. I convinced him that she was close enough and besides none of us wanted to deal with the unleashing of Temper Tantrum 2000 if she was kept off the road. Luckily he bought it and we were all spared, for that afternoon anyway.

Thursday was parade day and everyone came to work with me to watch the parade go by my office. I'm always a little more excited about the parade than either kid, and this year was no exception.

"Why aren't there any swords? Seriously, why?" "I want my mommy." Sorry, Pop-pop. By the end of Frontier Days, we all felt like doing this. Can't wait until next year!
In non-CFD related news, Trigger is having a fantastic summer. He treats the couch as if it's his thrown. He's learning how to hunt birds and also rabbits, ceramic rabbits in the neighbor's yard and the occasional piece of trash blowing down the street. (To his credit, it was an awfully suspicious looking piece of trash.) The extra money we paid to have our name and phone number engraved on his collar has already paid for itself when he raced out the open gate and spent a few joyful minutes playing with our neighbor across the street.... while we were at work. I give him a hard time but Trigger loves the kids and is even ever so slightly starting to mellow out. Okay, that's not really accurate. He's not as exasperatingly, frantically energetic as he was a few months ago. Especially on days like this:

A big thunderstorm came through town while we were at work. Trigger ignored the warm, dry shelter he has in our shed but which requires a doggy door to enter and instead braved it out on the back deck. The wet dog smell still lingers in the house.
Finally, Will dressed himself as a super hero. Still not sure what the sheet of white paper signified but he knows. I'm saving this one for post-graduation slideshow.

He's a goofball, but a really cute little goofball.

Next post: Aunt Wicky's wedding!!!

Grandma H

My Grandma Hansen passed away in Virginia on Friday. She would have been 86 in September. I hadn't seen her since May 2008 when Will, Pop-pop and I traveled to Virginia for my cousin's wedding. She'd had some memory issues for the last few years that kept her from really understanding what was going on out here in Wyoming but I would send her pictures of the kids and I think she would see tidbits from the blog now and then. The end came suddenly for us and while I'm so thankful that she is at peace and not in pain anymore, I've had a hard time these last few days wrapping my mind around the fact that she's not just a plane ride away.


I have very fond memories of my grandmother. She lived in Washington, D.C., (actually the beautiful suburb of Alexandria, VA) for most of my life and we would visit her there during summer vacation. She would take us shopping at Lord & Taylor and I remember thinking that store was the most glamorous place on the planet. In junior high, she'd send Christmas boxes full of the kind of clothes that mom and dad weren't buying us and I would make that Esprit sweatshirt last me until the next Christmas. At a time when the right clothing brand was social currency, Grandma Hansen made sure that we were properly equipped.


Grandma was one of those women who looked properly put together at all times. Sadly, that trait has not passed on to this generation... at least in me. Although a Hansen through marriage, she had that wicked sense of humor that has most certainly been passed down. She drove a big Cadillac with a white interior and liked fluffy white dogs. She was smart and sharp and on top of current events, although she did love her People magazine. She could solve the Wheel of Fortune puzzle long before the contestants did and she was one of the first people I knew to have their own computer in their house (!!!).


She took me to New York City when I was sixteen and we had tickets to the Phil Donahue show. She thought the topic for the show was ridiculous (something about people who thought they were too good-looking, it was kind of ridiculous) but she shook Phil's hand and introduced me as her granddaughter as we left the show that afternoon. I was too mute with awe to introduce myself or even mutter a "hi."

The summer I was fourteen, Vicky and I spent a few weeks in Virginia with Grandma and all of our relatives. One memory that sticks with me from that trip was swimming at someones pool one hot afternoon and Grandma told me I looked like Liesl from the "Sound of Music." At a time in my life when I felt much more like a "Kurt" than a "Liesl," that compliment gave my self-esteem a boost and I think of Grandma every time I see that movie on tv. (I've also since subconsciously memorized all the lyrics to "Sixteen going on Seventeen" but that's a topic for another day.)

I think in a sense, my grandmother was a woman before her time. She raised children and then had a career in real estate. She wasn't the kind of grandmother who knitted sweaters and made sugar cookies. She took you shopping and then lunch at a fashionable restaurant. Grandma Hansen was strong-willed and liked things the ways she liked them. And you know what? I don't have to look too far around this house to see that trait carried on in another generation of young women. I just hope Reina likes Esprit.