A letter to the birthday boy

Dear Will:  Today you are six.  Six!  How is that possible?  I took cookies to your class at school and one of your friends told me that you've been telling everyone you are seventeen.  Let's take one year at a time, okay? 

Your birthday this year is a whirlwind of Angry Birds, Star Wars and a little bit of Ninjago/Lego Chima thrown in for good measure.  You still love your Lego's.  When you are not busy putting together a new set, you are combining a bunch of your old Lego sets into something imaginative and a little crazy.  You have pirate ships that fire lasers, police cars driven by Jedi's and something with a mermaid.  You have an awesome imagination and when you come home from school, you head straight for your room, bypassing cartoons and snacks so that you can work on your latest project.

You also love everything Star Wars.  Every book you bring home from the library is about Star Wars.  You fall asleep listening to the soundtrack from all six movies.  One of the only things you actually asked for on your birthday was a "robe" which I luckily figured out wasn't a bathrobe but an official Jedi cape.  You told me today that you still need a belt for your lightsaber.  I'm working on that one buddy. 

Will, you are a delightful kid.  You have learned so much in kindergarten and I can see almost see the wheels in your brain turning as you ponder and figure things out.  You and your dad are both ponderers.  You are officially a reader and one of my favorite parts of the day is to sit down with you and work our way through a book.  You are a very good big brother.  You and Reina know how to push each other's buttons, but I think you are her favorite person on the planet.  You are turning into your dad's hunting buddy and my little sports fan.  You came home from school one day last winter and told me that someone in your class wasn't a Broncos fan.  You were astonished that someone would NOT be a Broncos fan.  How dare they, right?  You also have a very sweet side and I see it more and more each day.  You worry about hurting people's feelings and you still get a little alarmed when I tell you that someone doesn't feel well.  You remember your dad being sick last year and that made a big impression on you. 

One last thing.  You have a terrific sense of humor. I think the Hansen DNA runs fiercely through your viens in that area.  While sitting at the dinner table tonight for your birthday feast, you turned to me and told me that you had to tell me a secret.  As I leaned in close to you, you burped in my ear.  Happy birthday big kid.  I say this every year, but I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Birthday cookies and catching up on a few photos

 

Will's birthday is on Tuesday so that means it's time for more bizarre baking projects.  Much to everyone's relief, I ordered an Angry Birds cake at the grocery store but he needs cookies to take to school and when I asked him what kind he wanted, his immediate reply was "angry birds."  Naturally. I thought, "how hard can it be?" and turned to the internet for an easy answer.  Well the answer is actually, "pretty dang hard and you'll also stump the art teacher/grandma in attendance."  She searched for ideas and we found one that didn't look too difficult. I can't even post the link to the original recipe because... well... our's are different.  We'll leave it at that. The good news is that they taste great and they have the kindergartner's stamp of approval.  I hope someone emails me this picture this time next year and says "just buy some cookies at the store!"   

 I think Will's posing in this picture and I snapped it too late to get his lightsaber form or whatever it was he was doing at that moment. But I included the picture because this is also his "Really Mom? Really?" look that he gives me whenever he's (a) not happy with my answer, (b) irritated by my lack of knowledge about Jedi's, Star Wars, weapons, wrestling, etc. and/or (c) slowly coming to the realization that I'm not the smartest person on the planet.  Dangit. I had a good run there but apparently my time as an expert in the house is quickly coming to an end. 

This is the first but I'm sure not the last picture of siblings and rabbit ears.  Reina's overly ready for sunny weather. She wanted lots of pictures of her sunglasses and flower combination.  Girl knows how to accessorize. 

Will isn't actually pushing Reina to the ground, it just looks like it.  When fashion shows and warfare demonstrations intersect. 

Wacky Wednesday

Reina's preschool celebrated "Wacky Wednesday" this week.  It used to be Will's favorite day because they learn about the letter "W."  They also dress wacky.  Reina's multi-layered stripes and three ponytails accurately captures the wackiness, I think.  She still is pretty cute though, even with a toothbrush. 

Tootsie and the Big Vet Bill, but she's totally worth it

The patient and her loyal attendants. 

I had a completely different post planned for today but the events of last few hours have sent me in a different direction tonight.  There's a big empty field a few minutes from our house and we take the dogs there every weekend for a good long run or two.  Today, the weather warmed up and Glenn and Will took both dogs out there late in the afternoon.  I was making dinner when they came home.  Glenn rushed into the house and yelled that he needed my help, that there was an emergency.  Lately, "emergency" has meant that both dogs have jumped out of the back of the truck (after it's stopped) and are racing down the road, full of glee.  But today as Glenn came into view, I could see that his hands were covered in blood and he told me that Tootsie had a bad cut and we needed to get her to the vet.  After a few minutes of frantic running around, calling the vet, calling other people in mid-level hysteria, wrapping Tootsie in towels, we threw everybody in the truck (except a confused Trigger) and took off for our vet's office.  I sat in the back with Tootsie because I was worried she was in shock and frankly, I wasn't sure if she'd make it to the vet's office.  There was a lot of blood.  Although Glenn proved himself a first-rate dog medic by using his never-been-opened first aid kit that he keeps in the truck and threw a pretty tourniquet around the wound. 

 

Glenn drove like a madman (for once) and we got to the vet's office in record time.  It's been a long time since I rode in the back of a truck.  I didn't remember it being so bouncy but maybe that's because my bones are a lot older.  The vet checked her out and luckily she wasn't in any danger.  He sedated her and we sat with her for a while until he could look at the cut.  It was a whopper and I immediately was no longer hungry for dinner.  It was about 3 1/2 inches long and let's just say that you could see other leg parts inside there.  And to think, I once wanted to be vet.  The kids were so brave - they both looked at the cut and they patted her head.  Will raised his hand to ask the vet when Tootsie could come home (later tonight).  Nobody cried or was unnecessarily dramatic - not even me.  We left so that the vet could get to work and 18 stitches and one healthy vet bill later, everyone is home safe and sound and all's well that ends well. 

This is Tootsie on drugs. Humble dog. 

Springtime in Wyoming

I don't know that we'll move from Wyoming, but if we do someday, and I'm sitting on a warm sunny deck in March, watching flowers grow and trees bloom and whatever else happens in early spring in other parts of the country (or world?) I want to remember this.  That spring in Wyoming often looks like a big, wet, white blanket in the morning and then turns into a sunny but windy (50 mph gusts) and stinking cold and all that pretty white stuff blows around like a hurricane.  Not that I'm complaining, 2012 was really dry and we'll take whatever moisture we can get, but it's just about this time of year that I start looking forward to sunny days.  For the record, Glenn was ready about a month and a half ago.