Merry Christmas to All

As Christmas Day winds down, I had to take a minute to memorialize it.  Will came into our room at 5:00 a.m and we managed to get him to doze until 6:00, at which point Little Sister woke up, I started breakfast, Grandma and Pop-pop came upstairs and Christmas morning officially began.  Uncle Matt and Aunt Vicky and Ainsley came over a little later with delicious brunch fixings and we had a fun morning unwrapping presents.  Ainsley even joined UncGenn and Bobo in a Nerf Gun battle.  I should've taken pictures of that. Instead, here's a few highlights from the day.  

Christmas Eve, actually.  The sibling affection was probably for Santa's benefit.  

Coco doesn't care what Santa thinks.  She just wants to smack ornaments off of the tree.  

Christmas morning!  Reina wanted a skateboard for Christmas but I thought she should practice her skills on a scooter first. Luckily, she was pretty excited about it.  Who knew a scooter was such a great inside toy?  At least we have lots of hardwood floors.  

Coco says thanks for all of the toys everybody, but I prefer this cardboard box.  

It's Broncos Boy!  

Reina's eclectic crowd of Barbies got a new beach house.  That is also being overrun by Shopkins.  Don't ask. 

Christmas tradition!  Glenn putting toys together.  Not Legos this year (yet), but Star Wars Micromachines. 

This is a short and woefully incomplete summary of our really nice day but it's snowing outside, the stove is pumping out some heat and there's a new Broncos blanket downstairs with my name on it.  Merry Christmas!

Winter wonderland and Coco's trip to the vet

It's 8 days before Christmas and we have about 6 inches of snow on the ground.  My to-do list is filled with things like Christmas cards, cookies and last minute gifts.  It's beginning to look a lot like Dec. 25

 

I got my upper body workout in this morning shoveling through the drift that blankets our front walk.  Might need to rethink some of the trees we have planted that help Mother Nature deposit snow right where the UPS guy needs to walk to our front door.  Trigger wasn't very helpful.  

A cat-in-the-car selfie.  A calfie?  For the record, I obeyed all relevant traffic laws.  She and I arrived at the vet's office a bit early - it was my defensive move to avoid having to explain to Coco why she wasn't being fed first thing in the morning.  While we waited for the doors to open, we took pictures.  Some of us looked at the camera.   

Coco had a little procedure yesterday that will ensure we don't have any little Coco's running around the house, in case she gets out and gets a boyfriend.  She came through the surgery just fine, a detail that most people could probably care less about but as a bonafide catperson now, I feel obligated to record it.  I had to pick her up early because the vet's office was closing early due to the snow.  She was still a little woozy and drugged up as a result and we had a meow-filled ride home.  Right now she's getting back to normal but I'll be honest, we are all probably enjoying a night of a less-than-usually-wild Coco.  While it lasts.

Two weeks until Christmas, what?

So blogging is taking a backseat to all of the other wonderful holiday stuff that's going on right now and I say that with only a touch of sarcasm and stress.  I'm trying to hard to slow down and enjoy this crazy month but we've had an event or sports practice practically every night since December 1 and Bronco Baby Mom is just trying to keep her sanity together.  So here's a few highlights from the past week.  

Cousins sharing a little snack and some cartoon time. 

Reina's program was earlier this week. I was sitting in a spot that was far enough back that I couldn't get very many pictures and I also tried to just enjoy her performance without trying to record all of it. To give a short recap, Reina was delightful. She loves events like this one. She knows all the words to the songs, remembers all the choreography and expresses herself with glee. It's one of my favorite parts of this time of year.

She was a hip hop elf in this song.  Naturally.

 Have I mentioned how much Coco likes the Christmas tree?  I'm too tired to go open up a new window and read previous posts but suffice it to say that kitty cat loves the Christmas tree.  If she's not lying on Will's backpack or underfoot in the kitchen, chances are she's under the tree.  Along with most of the ornaments from the lower branches but hey cats get to have Christmas fun, too.

Need to work on my focus but there she is.  

Camouflaged cat who wishes she was a bobcat.  

 One more highlight from the week.  We've been listening to Christmas songs on the radio as we run errands and after hearing "Santa Baby," Will pointed out that that song is probably Mrs. Claus' least favorite Christmas song because the singer is too flirty with Santa.  Point well taken. 

A week in just a few pictures

Well the last week blew my post-once-a-day right out of the water.  It's officially the Christmas season and between decorating and cleaning and swim practices and basketball and volleyball and shopping and blahblahblah, I'm swamped.  But the first week of December has been a good one and there are a few people at this house who are very excited for the coming weeks.  The Advent Calendar gets Reina out of bed every morning better than any alarm clock and Coco's new favorite hangout spot in the house is right under the Christmas tree.  I thinks she's part bobcat.  

The weather was warmer this week but when I took this picture last Saturday, it was a chilly night, about 7 degrees or something close.  Cold enough to justify snuggling up to the back of a bird dog and cold enough for the bird dog not to mind.  

On Sunday night, Will and I went to Denver for the Broncos game against New England.  I think the temperature was 19 at kick-off and it dropped a few more degrees while we were there.  We were bundled up pretty good but we still got chilly.  Will was a trooper and we had a great time.  Full disclosure, we left in the middle of the third quarter so we missed the big Broncos comeback and win (!!!) but it was still a fun night.  

Obligatory blurry Broncos selfie.  He's my good luck charm.  

 So here's Coco's new favorite toy.  We accidentally bought a smaller tree this year.  I say 'accidentally' because I really thought it would look bigger when we brought it inside, but I should've been tipped off when I noticed Glenn could carry it into the house with one hand.  But it's a pretty little tree and smells very Christmas-y and Coco looooooooves it.  Right after we set it up, she started racing around the base and jumping up and down and then she curled up underneath. Since we added the ornaments, she thinks its great fun to see how far she can smack an ornament off of the branches.  I'll have more pictures of the decorated tree later but let's just say that this year's tree is mostly devoid of those pretty glass balls and all of the other delicate ornaments are situated up at the top (she hasn't tried to climb it.  Yet.)

Tootsie policing the cat.  

Let the holidays begin!

Happy Thanksgiving

It's a balmy 9.2 degrees as I type this.  Well, it's not 9.1 degrees inside the house but the cold air is seeping through anyway.  We had a nice, if not chilly, Thanksgiving.  We had an awesome feast with family and spent the rest of the day watching football, movies, playing Sorry and eating pecan pie.  I got a wild hair last night around 7 and decided to add pecan pie to our menu.  It was delicious if I do say so myself.  Pictures in reverse order.  

Will and I on what felt like a long walk but was actually just a brisk 20 minutes.  My legs are still cold.  

Two members of the family who didn't mind the cold?  These two could've kept going and going and going.  

This is what happens these days when I say, "smile for the camera."  

You too, sister?  

Reina has declared that she dislikes pumpkin pie but she decided to try my version again this year.  You'll have to wait for the verdict.  

Baby Cousin was a big fan of the Star Wars jello jigglers that I made in lieu of jello salad.  

Those eyes, that hair!  

Thumbs up for the pumpkin pie!  Although as we were cleaning up the plates a little later, I discovered that she just ate the whipped cream off of the top and maybe skimmed a minute layer of pumpkin off with it.  More for me!  

Well look at this!  Baby Cousin and Uncle Glenn sitting side-by-side.  It's a Thanksgiving miracle!  

Reina's Thanksgiving Speech

Reina had to prepare a poster and give a speech yesterday on her family's Thanksgiving traditions.  It was funny to see the day from her perspective. 

The final product.  The stickers anchoring the pictures were her idea.  Well the whole thing was her idea because any suggestion I made was quickly shot down.  

 Reina's traditions include having dinner with the family, eating turkey and cranberry sauce, playing with Pop-pop, making crafts with Mom and this:  

Mom forgetting the sugar in the pumpkin pie.  I made pies today and made a point to REMEMBER the sugar.  

Reina and Pop-Pop playing.  Is Pop-pop wearing shortsleeves in November?  

Reina's favorite Thanksgiving dish is cranberry sauce although she was calling it raspberries for a while.
That wasn't at all confusing.  

Off to make some crafts and put sugar in stuff.  Until tomorrow.

Dinner out ... on a Tuesday

When Glenn came home from his hunting trip yesterday, I told him that we were going out to dinner tonight.  Between all of the cooking this past weekend and all of the holiday cooking coming up, I'm plum out of ideas and frankly a little tired of the kitchen. So after work, we picked up the kids and headed to a local steakhouse.  Reina was delighted to be out on the town.  Will was tired and would've rather had a sandwich on the couch but he got on board.  We had a nice time together and a good meal and it's a heck of a way to kick off the holiday weekend.

Reina treated the steakhouse like it was The Ritz.  She was delighted with the door knobs, the scent of the soap in the bathroom, the kid's appetizer that was apple slices and yogurt dip, the fact that you could write on the table with crayons, her sprite, etc. etc. etc.  

Will's meal.  He ate almost the whole thing.  This kid is going through a growth spurt.  

The Weekend

Well this weekend flew by in a flash!  The wind was howling yesterday and we had a few inches of snow on the ground but that didn't stop us from getting out and about and doing some pre-Thanksgiving shopping.  I had a grand plan to get everything I needed for my portion of our Thanksgiving feast but let's be honest, that didn't happen and it really was never even close to happening.  I left my grocery list in the car and it was all downhill from there.  

The kids and I also did some shopping and I had them point out some things they'd like on their Christmas list.  For Reina, that was basically the entire toy section of Target with special emphasis on animals, Barbies with animals and dolls that are basically Barbies but are instead either animals or monsters who go to a very glamorous high school.  Will's list was a little smaller but did include the Lego aisle, plus a bunch of Lego's that Target doesn't sell and Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars.   Glenn's already ordered his Christmas present and as for the Broncos Baby Mom, I think I'd enjoy a Broncos win that doesn't feel like it takes years off of my life and the opportunity to sleep in longer than 7:30 without the check in from certain small people every five minutes to see if I'm getting up yet.  

Thanks in advance, Santa.  

Coco.com

It's been a while since I posted pictures of Coco, and by 'a while' I mean a little over a week.  But look at this face. How can you not want to feature it on the blog every single day?  Insert all sorts of obnoxious kissing noises here that Coco doesn't even like or appreciate.  I'm a cat Lucy, not your third baby.  

Coco certainly has her own view on life, as cats are wont to do.  Yesterday morning as we were getting ready for school and work, I realized that I hadn't seen or heard Coco in a few minutes.  Just like with toddlers, quiet is usually a bad sign.  I looked around and found her in Reina's room right next to the fish tank.  Rest assured, Goldie was swimming around in her tank safe and sound but the fish food was knocked over into Reina's sock drawer and also making a nice little pile on the carpet. Did I mention it was a full jar of fish food?  And that Coco was eating it?  Kitten brains, as my aunt says.  

Last night, I was cleaning up the kitchen and noticed Coco snoozing on Will's backpack that was lying in the middle of the floor, because of course it was and why wouldn't it be a nice to place to nap?  

Say cheese, Coco! 

 Tootsie wandered over and well, let's just let the pictures do the talking.

These two are good friends.  Lots of wrestling and chasing and Coco even gets up the nerve to eat out of Tootsie's food dish while Tootsie is eating, although I usually remove her from that situation just for her safety.  Tootsie also thinks it's important to bathe the cat from time to time.  

Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss, although Coco now appears to be over this little interruption. 

Time to clean off all of the dog germs.  

Thanksgiving Feast at school

Today, Glenn and I had lunch with the kids at school for their annual Thanksgiving feast.  Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, applesauce, rolls, salad and a pumpkin pie thing that I raved about last year.  Reina carefully opened up her bowl of turkey and mashed potatoes and in a quiet voice asked me, "is this cat food?"  Coco would've answered with a resounding "YES!" but I told Reina it was turkey and she ended up taking several bites.  Reina also discovered that she likes pumpkin pie, even though she didn't think she liked it last year.  She's also a big fan of the cranberries.  Will inhaled everything on his tray - which didn't include pumpkin dessert because he staunchly dislikes pumpkin pie, actually any pie really.  Switched at birth?  Possibly.  Glenn was a good boy and cleaned his plate too.  

Great facial expressions guys, really.  Glenn looks like he's being held hostage.  Will's just hungry and distinctly aware of how much time he has left to eat as to not miss even a minute of recess.  

Thanksgiving feast selfie.  Reina would prefer that we hang out there all afternoon.  

As lunch was winding down, recess was announced with the caveat that kids should stay off of the top of the monkey bars because the wind is howling so hard today that they might be blown off.  Oh Wyoming.

Reina's Thanksgiving Speech - a Preview

Sitting at the Thanksgiving table (from left to right):  Pop-pop, Grandma, Will, me, Reina, Daddy, Aunt Vicky with Baby Cousin in the carseat and Uncle Matt.  I love our strapless formal Thanksgiving Day dresses and Reina's long blonde hair.  And Will's shirtless or wearing a white shirt?  Will is rarely shirtless, especially for such an important and cold celebration.  And where are all of the cats?!

Halloween's not quite over with yet

Sure, Christmas lights are popping up all over the neighborhood and Vicky and I are emailing Thanksgiving recipes back and forth, but on this blog it's still Halloween. I was entertaining Baby Cousin with pictures on my phone and realized that I didn't post the rest of the pictures from the kids' Halloween party at school.  So Happy Halloween!  Again!  

Reina and the donut game.  Will is at the end of the line next to another stormtrooper.  I discovered at this festival that Reina isn't a big fan of games that involve a competition and you can see the reluctance in her face.  I'm thinking, 'hey you get a donut!'  She liked the individual games much more and that's where we spent the rest of the carnival.  Will hung out in the Haunted House which was a classroom converted into a giant cardboard maze.  I say, 'more donuts!' 

The art room was transformed into a pumpkin carving center but instead of carving knives, the kids brandished sharpies.  Reina's pumpkin was transformed into a kitty.  Naturally.  

Little Ms. I-don't-like-competition joined in for the cake walk and won this giant platter of marshmallow treats made with some cereal that wasn't rice krispies.  Fruity pebbles? Whatever they were was delicious!  

Will won a liter of grape soda in the ring toss.  

While I was helping with their Halloween parties later that month, I found Will's self portrait on the wall outside of his classroom. I  think he nailed it.  

Sunday Sunday

Except for not-so-great sports, we had a pretty great weekend.  I've fallen behind in my blog every day goal but this time it's not laziness, but rather too much fun going on.  Everybody is healthy (no jinxing!) and the weather for mid-November was gorgeous.  Yesterday we met Grandma and Pop-pop in Fort Collins for a long lunch and some shopping.  When we came back to town, we had dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday and our anniversary.  Today, we mostly did chores but the kids and I got to go to another friend's birthday rollerskating party.  Broncos Baby Mom even strapped on some skates and look, there's photographic evidence!  

Reina takes her rollerskating very seriously.  

I tried to get a few pictures of Will but they all turned out to be fluorescent orange blurs racing by on rollerblades.  Reina was a trooper, she's not very comfortable on rollerskates but she tried hard and was skating on her own by the end of the party.  She and I had an epic crash during a particularly grueling game of "red light, green light" and I have a wicked bruise on my wrist to illustrate why perhaps 42-yr old's shouldn't strap on rollerskates.  But Reina was unscathed and I think I earned some street cred for getting back up.  Bring on Monday!

10th Anniversary

Ten years ago today, Glenn and I were married on a cold, windy Saturday.  Ten years!  In many ways, it feels like one year, maybe two.  But then I look back and think of all of the adventures we've had in the last decade, the house full of kids' clutter, pictures and little knick-knacks that we bought on trips (chicken salt and pepper shakers, I'm thinking of you). We've accumulated more furniture and yard equipment and a camper and a canoe.  When we first started out, it was just Glenn and me and Canyon in his bachelor pad.  Weekends were spent going to dinner and a movie or hiking in nice weather.  Now we have two kids, two dogs, a cat, a fish, endless chores, Disney movies, soccer games and dinners that have to be on the table in twenty minutes or crankiness abounds.  We don't have enough time in the day to get everything done and sometimes we go too long between date nights.    But we're still here, we're happy and thankful for each other.  Ten years.  Ten happy years that have flown by.  I can't wait to see what the next decade brings.

Stay home day

Who's most excited about a stay home day?  These three!  

I took this picture yesterday morning after we came back from getting Reina a throat culture.  I found out that the school offers strep tests and get the results back to you within a few hours.  What a great way to save a trip to the doctor's office!  Reina's test came back positive so she's home again today, but feeling much better after a dose of antibiotics.  She should be able to go back to school tomorrow, which is good because we are running out of ways to keep her entertained.  Yesterday, I jotted down some of the questions she asked me:  do Egyptians still have cats?  do I think the zombie apocalypse is going to happen, for reals?  What's the zombie apocalypse anyway?  Does everybody have the same moon?  Today she's perkier and has asked to make a video about how to take care of a cat and remember that one time we made a water park for my barbies with all of those buckets, can we do that again?  Bronco Baby Mom needs a nap.

Sunday

So Sunday.  Reina went to bed with a low fever and woke up with a bigger one.  She crawled into bed with us in the wee hours of the morning and I could feel the heat radiating off of her before I even touched her forehead.  So she's back under the weather and it's been about three weeks since the last bug made her miss a Monday of school.  She and I are probably going to the doctor tomorrow but we'll see how she is in the morning.  So my Sunday plans of errands and yard work and other excitement were put on hold for Reina snuggling, housework and inside chores.

Glenn shot an elk yesterday.  He came home last night with half of the elk and took a friend back today to get the rest of it and bring it home.   I told him when he came back that he had to take a kid and a dog with him on the second trip.  The hike to the elk was pretty tough for any of the kid members of the family but he did take Tootsie. (Special message for Trigger - if you'd stop being such a blankety-blank off of the leash, you might get to go on elk pack-outs too.)   According to Glenn, Tootsie had a great time, never ran off and chased a few rabbits. She's been a snoring, semi-comatose canine since they arrived home.

Trigger says, "So I'm stuck here with you people and the cat?  Great."
Coco says, "whooo-hooo!" 

In between what felt like a mountain of chores to get through today, we made Star Wars jello jigglers because of course we did!  It actually turned out pretty fortuitous because jello was one of the things Reina was most interested in eating, along with 'not feeling good' staples like chicken noodle soup, apple juice and .... Halloween candy.  Funny how that works.

My career as a professional food photographer is still in the infant stages.  

50th day of school

One of us opted out of the 50's celebration because it would involve wearing jeans to school.  

Yesterday was the 50th day of school, and as a celebration, the kids were encouraged to wear clothes from the 1950's.  Reina and I bought the material and a pre-made poodle for the skirt several weeks ago but with Halloween, work stuff and other priorities, (okay, football.  Watching a Broncos game with a mouth full of pins or even a needle in one hand is a dangerous combination) the project was put on the back burner until the night before.  Parenting plus -  I'm teaching the kids about the danger of procrastination.  When it was all done, we had one slightly uneven pink felt poodle skirt and a happy 50's girl.  Reina pulled the ensemble together with a white polo shirt and a high ponytail and ribbons. She wanted saddle shoes but apparently those are hard to find the night before (in your own house). As part of the school celebration, they had a sock hop and several of us are still doing the twist whenever the urge strikes.  I'm hoping there isn't a 60's celebration next week.