First Day of School

Kindergartner and second grader!

From the last day of preschool to the first day of school in a matter of days.  Reina's only a few days older in this picture than in the last but it sure feels like a lot more than that.  We had one last jampacked summer weekend (pictures from that later) and then Tuesday dawned bright and early.  Reina asked for "Elsa hair" (a braided crown that I've just barely mastered) and Will was incredibly excited to wear his new Nike shoes.  Outfits were picked the night before and backpacks packed so the morning was probably the easiest one we'll have all school year.  I cried when I took their picture on the front steps but those were the last tears that anybody shed for the rest of the morning. 

 

Drop off went smoothly and we met both teachers and got everybody settled into their classrooms.  Will didn't want/need much hovering but Reina let me stay in the class for a few minutes along with all of the teary-eyed moms (I was feeling a little smug at this point).  We are excited about the teachers that both kids have and I think it's going to be a great year.

 

For posterity purposes, I want to jot down the following:  Both kids have brought home pages for the parents to fill out to help acquaint the teachers with our little snowflakes.  We've had to describe our kiddos in three words. 

Will:  Thoughtful, kind-hearted and active

Reina:  Independent, smart and empathetic.

 

Now for the record, we should've put 'smart' in Will's 3-word description too but I think those other words very accurately describe him right now.  He's thoughtful in that he thinks of other people's feelings but he's also a ponderer and he'll pop up with a question pertaining to a conversation you had with him weeks ago or a comment about a tv show that we saw last spring.  There's a lot going on in that brain of his.  He's genuinely kind to other kids (and his sister most of the time) and he's always on the go. 

 

Reina heard us talking about the project and she suggested that we describe her as a snugglebunny too, which although it's a lovely trait to have, may not be the exact type of information that her teacher is looking for.  We also considered "devilish" but we're pretty sure she just saves that for the people closest to her at home.

We're off on the adventure of a new school year and I can't wait to see what's around the next corner.... which will probably be Halloween parties and two costumes and two parties to go to and a million cupcakes to make. 

Last day of preschool

Last Wednesday was Reina's very last day at Montessori and her last day of preschool.  I wasn't there (thankfully), I had a work trip that day so Glenn dropped her off and Pop-pop and Grandma picked her up.  I took this picture earlier in the week on my last day dropping her off.  I admit, there were a few tears shed (mine).  This place is special to us.  They've been a partner in getting Will and Reina to where they are today.  As a working outside of the house mom, I've had my share of mommy guilt.  There are days when I know they kiddos would rather stay home and be with us, and there are definitely days when I would to!  But they both had a lot of fun at Montessori and were taken care of by kind, patient people who taught them a lot.  I still remember the day I listened to a tiny Will walking down the stairs counting in Spanish. Reina still lectures us about the rainforest and the continents - Antarctica is a favorite.  My favorite Will Montessori memory was when he proudly told us about the leprechaun hunt for St Patrick's Day and the fact that they looked and looked for the leprechaun and didn't find it, but if they did, Will was going to shoot him.  He didn't always buy into the peaceful, non-violence philosophy that Montessori encourages. 

Toddler thru kindergarten - that was us! 

So it's on to new and exciting adventures for Reina.  Kindergarten starts tomorrow.  Watch out world! 

Road trip time

Last week, the monsters and I headed off to Minnesota for a visit with relatives and cats and cousins.  I started planning this trip at the beginning of the summer and there were days when I thought I was crazy to drive 14+ hours solo, with Thunderbolt and Lightning in the backseat.  But you know what?  We had a great time.  The kids were awesome.  Sure we had a few snappy moments and a ten minute (silently in my head) wailing of "how-can-we-be-300-miles-from-home-and-I-can't-take-another-minute-of-this" but it really worked out well.  The kids genuinely like to travel and look forward to what's around the bend. 

 

We left on a Wednesday and powered through Nebraska, stopping for a picnic lunch at a rest area.  Nebraska has really nice rest areas.  Reina somehow managed to fall down hard on the sidewalk and skin her knee at a very pretty rest area but luckily Worst Case Scenario Mom packed a giant first aid kit in the car.  This ain't my first rodeo.  We also stopped at the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney.  It's that giant thing that spans the interstate.  The admission fee was a little hefty but we went through it twice at the kids' insistence so it was worthwhile.  The exhibits are very interesting and the kids had a great time. 

Prior to going through the museum, I made the kids pose for a picture with a giant buffalo.  There's a not-appropriate-for-a-family blog story to go along with this picture so ask me about it sometime.  As we were walking away, Will commented that if Daddy shot a buffalo that big, we'd have a lot of meat in our freezer. 

Inside the museum at an 50's soda shoppe exhibit.  The kids were enthusiastic about the headphones. 

Pioneer Express Girl.

Whoa there Nelly! 

Act like you like each other for three minutes please. 

After spending the night in Omaha with the Pauley aunt and uncle, the kids and I headed northeast to Rochester to spend the afternoon with Aunt Mary.  Well, Aunt Mary and two other very important very important people...err kitties:  Lulu and Lizzie.  It's been well documented on this blog that Reina is obsessed with all of the kitties all of the time. Most of her current toy cats are named Lulu and Lizzie and she's been talking about them for months.  I warned her that Aunt Mary's kitties may not want to be snuggled by a strange (to them) 5-yr old and that they might be shy and she was surprisingly receptive to that information.  Fortunately the kitties were friendly and didn't seem too bothered by Reina's aggressive affection. 

Lulu the shyer of the two cats even hung out on the cookie table. Yes, there's a cookie table at Aunt Mary's house. 

On Friday, we were up in the Twin Cities to visit more family.  We rendezvoused with Aunt Vicky, Baby Cousin and Grandma and shopped and visited family and picnicked and had a great time. 

 

Not asleep, just pretending.  For a while, Will was the only male at the mini-family reunion under let's see 45?  Then my sole Minnesota male cousin showed up and gallantly played baseball with Will and kept him entertained for the rest of the visit. 

Definitely not napping, but probably trying to give me an order or command while resting on the lounge chair.  Reina sang "The Rainbow Connection" to her Great Uncle Bobby and just about brought the house down with her sweet little voice.  She's visited him three times now and sang him a song each time.  This year  it took a little prodding but she did it. 

Will and Baby Cousin who's going through a I-don't-want-anybody-but-my-mommy phase and as soon as the pictures was snapped, so did she. 

Flat Stanley made the trip with us.  This guy has had one heck of a summer with the Pauleys. 

This picture was clearly taken at the beginning of the trip because my car was never this clean again.  A week later, it still isn't.

One hot afternoon, I gave a cranky Reina my phone and let her take some pictures to pass the time while we are waiting for the next super fun activity (shopping, eating, playing with cats and neighbor kids, more shopping).  She snapped this sweet picture of Baby Cousin checking out one of Reina's new acquisitions.  Reina doesn't let just anyone have a turn with her Current Favorite Piece of Plastic.  Baby Cousin has a special place in Reina's heart. 

After a few days in Minnesota, we had a trunk full of new school clothes, a bunch of new toys, some very nice memories and a few extra pounds (okay, that's probably just pertinent to me).  The kids and I headed back on the road. 

On our way out of town, we stopped to get some road trip snacks at the local Trader Joe's.  As much as I like this store, I'm a little bit glad that we don't have one in Cheyenne.  The kids loved those little shopping carts and while no blood was shed, there might be a few bruised calves.

On the way back, we stopped for another night in Omaha.  On our way there, we found a little pioneer museum in Iowa. 

Just a tiny bit stir crazy from all of the driving.

This was a two room homesteading cabin and both kids were obsessed with the idea that 10 (TEN) people slept in here at one point.  After sharing a hotel room with just two half-size people in recent days, well... I'm just impressed. 

Sleep little blonde girl!  Reina's going through a phase (is ALL SUMMER a phase?) where she fights going to sleep, won't nap and then has a hard time getting up in the morning. I know she needs more sleep and we're working on it since school is just around the corner.  When she does fall asleep, it's lovely for everyone involved. 

Mom selfie.  Not road weary at all. 

With just a few hours left in the trip, we resorted to some unusual ways to keep ourselves entertained. 

Summer 2014 is coming to a close.  School starts one week from today.  Will already has football practice and Reina's ballet class starts next week.  Glenn's been hunting once already and I watched the Broncos pre-season game on Sunday and started feeling that nervous/slightly nauseous/excited feeling that means football is just around the corner too.  Our road trip to Minnesota was the perfect way to wrap up the summer and we are ready to tackle it again in 2015. 

Camping with the Daddy

Instead of recapping the Fourth of July weekend which is now officially a month ago, I'm going to consolidate posts in the hopes of actually getting something written!  Glenn decided at the beginning of the summer to take each kid camping on a solo trip with him for a weekend.  Reina's turn was last month (more pictures coming up) and Will's turn was last weekend.  Glenn and Will headed up to Brooklyn Lake in the Snowies.  We all camped there last year with our pop-up and had a great time.  Last weekend, Glenn and Will (and Tootsie) backpacked up the trail and camped for the night. 

 

Outdoor boys - and one of my new favorite pictures.

They fished and hiked and battled villains with swords.   

Look at this big kid!  He's grown so much over the summer.  He reaches my armpits, which might be a weird way to describe his height but there you go. 

Will is very ready for hunting season. 

 Reina and Glenn hiked and camped over the Fourth of July weekend.  They headed to the Sierra Madres. 

Glenn has the backpack with the essentials... and so does Reina.  If by "essentials" you mean little plastic cats, hair bows and assorted detritus. 

The ethereal glow is from a smudge on Glenn's camera lens.  But here are the two girls resting after a long hike. 

 Reina loves to fish.  She woke up this morning asking if we could fish today and when she has a pole in hand, she takes it very seriously. 

The campsite. 

 I love this picture so much.  When I first glanced at it, I was worried that Glenn had accidentally taken a picture of Reina... well... answering the call of Nature out in the middle of Nature but on second glance, she's just sitting in the grass in shorts.   I love Tootsie's expression too.  Worried?  Curious? Probably hungry.  And is that a fire?  Lots going on here. 

We love living in Wyoming for many reasons and these pictures represent one of the biggest reasons.  We can drive a few hours and be in a place where you can backpack all day and just see one person.  We can get our kids outside, catching fish in the afternoon and frying them up for dinner that night.  We come home so full of dirt and mud and bug bites that the bathwater that night is an unusual shade of gray.   "God bless Wyoming and keep it wild."