Snowy football

This crazy month is coming to an end and I'm trying to get all of the pictures off of my camera and on to the computer.  A few weeks ago, Will had his last football game on a snowy, wet Saturday morning.  The temperature wasn't too bad but the field was really wet.  Reina didn't mind. She cheered on Will's team in the company of her previously shunned Cabbage Patch doll.  This is the doll that she took one look at on Christmas morning and informed me that I could have it - after I said "Oh wow!  I had one of those when I was a little girl."  Poor Cabbage Patch had been exiled to the high shelf in her room and Reina tried to get me to sell it at this summer's garage sale.  For some reason (probably because 4-yr olds are weird), the Cabbage Patch is back in her good graces and is now played with and shoeless and in a happy pile of 'stuff' in the middle of Reina's room. 

Not many people are this happy to be up early-ish on a Saturday morning and sitting in the snow. 

The wet field.  Will's shoes were soaked after the game and while I had snacks and a blanket and chairs, I didn't bring dry socks or shoes.  Lesson learned. 

Will had a great football season.  He seems to genuinely like football and learned a lot this year.  He scored several touchdowns, pulled a few flags, tried hard and smiled a lot.  We are really proud of him. 

Will and his coach and his football medal. 

After the football game, we drove a few miles south and met the Pauley grandparents at a pumpkin patch.  The only picture I managed to get was one of the kids and the little playground on the farm.  No pictures of pumpkin searching and hay bale climbing or chicken feeding or sitting with grandparents, just a little teeter-totter and a happy brother and sister. 

One of the reasons for my blog absence this week

My first handshake with baby cousin.  Look at those long fingers - basketball here we come!

Baby Cousin is here!  She made her arrival on Sunday and we couldn't be anymore excited.  That morning I woke up to find a text from Vicky saying that her water broke in the middle of the night.  Excitedly I told the kids, only to have to spend the better part of the day explaining to Will what "her water broke" means and probably failing miserably at it.  (Attn fellow First Grade Parents - I'm really sorry.)  Ainsley was born Sunday evening and she couldn't be any cuter.  She has lots of curly dark hair and the prettiest little face.  I've had to travel for work and Glenn was hunting most of the week, so the kids met her on Thursday.  It was really neat to see their respective reactions.  Will was quiet but stood and watched her for a long time.  Reina climbed up next to Uncle Matt and immediately began patting Baby Cousin's head (I barked from across the room, "Be GENTLE Reina, super super GENTLE!") and talking to her.  Reina was eventually distracted by the cat but Will stayed by the sofa and watched his newest family member.  Today both kids have sniffles and Will sounds like his throat is a little swollen (insert ominous music here.... who needs to be at the office, right?) so visit #2 will have to wait for a few more days.  Welcome to the world Baby Cousin.  We've been waiting for you for a long time. 

Scenes from October and an example of why I'm not a world famous wildlife photographer

This is a great-horned owl who has been spotted on our neighbor's roof a few times this summer.  I have a few other pictures of him (her?) but my camera isn't cooperating tonight.  My kingdom for a zoom lens.  Anyway, he's pretty neat and we all go racing out of the house when there's a sighting of him.  Reina's enthusiasm for Mr. Owl was slightly tempered when she asked what he ate and Glenn replied, "cats."   I'm curious to know where he spends the winter or even the daytime because our only sightings of him have been at dusk but sadly I don't speak owl and he's not interested in even making eye contact at this point. 

 

Lego Boy strikes again.  Some of my aunts came to Vicky's baby shower last weekend as a surprise. I couldn't even tell the kids until the night before their arrival because I couldn't guarantee that Reina wouldn't blurt it out, but when I did tell them, they were both excited and Will said "maybe I'll get some new Legos!"  The aunts know the quickest way to his heart. 

The night of the owl sighting, Glenn and the kids were outside trying to enjoy the last few weeks of friendly weather.  The night after I took these pictures, Will and I were at football practice and the wind was howling and the temperature was about 20 degrees lower that it was in this picture.  Brrrrrr.

Glenn and I take turns reading to the kids at night and when I came in to put laundry away, I found this scene.  I thought to myself, "this is my whole life's happiness wrapped up in one spot."  I'm pretty sure I'm borrowing that phrase from a movie (but I can't remember which one), but it's true. 

Today, Reina and I took the dogs to a field near our house for a bit of exercise for everyone involved.  I'm not sure who needed it more.  Reina was bummed that Tootsie was faster than her, but it wasn't for lack of trying. 

 Little girl on the prairie.  With a bucket full of Halloween crafts.  True story. 

And a homemade 'laser gun' that she insisted on toting but I carried after the first 30 seconds there.  She's getting so big.  I took her to a Halloween craft class this morning under the guise of having a few minutes to myself to buy her Halloween costume supplies.  The nice older lady leading the group of kids asked me what grade Reina was in.  When I said she was only 4, the lady replied, "Well my!  She's very precocious."  I laughed and told her she had no idea. 

Speaking of precocious, check out this very serious Statue of Liberty. 

 Here's the forced-smile-but-I'd-rather-be-serious Statue of Liberty.  Reina's class has been studied all things America in the last few weeks and she proudly points out all of the American flags we see while we are driving around town and 'that one with the buffalo.' She told me today that she knows the Legends of Legions and it took me a few minutes to figure out The Pledge of Allegiance.  Future DAR girl, right here. 

The 400th post

According to Blogger, this appears to be my 400th post.  So for 400 times, I've logged on, uploaded a grainy picture, written something hopefully funny/charming/sweet/bittersweet/sad (only a few times) and hit 'publish.'  Crazy.

What's also crazy is that the last few weeks have been so crazy that I haven't been able to sit down and write about all of the craziness. 

And I still don't have time.  I'm really busy at work, both Glenn and I have travel this month, we are right smack dab in the middle of hunting season and all the hectic-ness that entails, football for Will is still going strong (when we aren't snowed out), there are a million things to do at home and there's also football to (yell at) and watch on tv.  There's also first grade homework to complete, dogs to exercise and Halloween costumes to figure out (in the last three weeks, Reina has decided she's going to be a cowgirl, a fairy princess with wings, a princess, a cheerleader, a ninja girl, and today, an angel.)  I'm giving her until next week to decide.  Will's idea today was to be 'spinach.'  So basically, blogging has taken a back seat while I keep my head above water.  But everyone is staying healthy and the sun came out today and it's a new week so here we go! 

However, since this is the 400th post, and I have permission, it's time to add another little chapter to this story.  Our very own Aunt Vicky and Uncle Matt are expecting a baby girl and she should be born sometime this month. We are all beyond excited and can't wait to meet this new little person.  Reina woke up this morning and told me that she'd had a dream about her baby cousin.   Baby Cousin was sleeping in Reina's bed and was walking around already.  Reina talks a lot about Baby Cousin and all of the things she wants to show the baby.  She also picks out toys and books that she's too big for (her words) and makes a pile for Baby Cousin.  She even found a dusty old chupee under the sofa (again) and wants to save it for Baby Cousin.  Lucky Baby Cousin huh?  While Will was hoping for a BOY baby cousin, he's on board now and pretty excited and finds a thousand things in Target that we should buy. 

So bring it on October.  We're ready when you are, Baby Cousin!