That time Vicky and I took two cats to the vet

How was your Monday?  Did you take two cats (who aren't best friends yet) to the vet?  No?  Well then your day wasn't nearly as entertaining as mine.  Coco was due for her annual check-up and Soxy hadn't been to our vet yet so it made sense to schedule them at the same time.  Once I realized the logistics were going to be tough, my amazing sis volunteered to come along and help wrangle cats.  

We dropped R off at school and we headed out.  Vicky took a great video of two cats howling in the backseat and we had that as our musical accompaniment as we drove across town.  I kept Soxy in the cardboard carrier we had leftover from Coco's previous visits and let Coco sit on laps or seats as she saw fit.  Soxy kept peering through the wholes in the cardboard with her eye and it was a little freaky - like a pirate cat or something.  

Okay.  Yes I do recognize that this is one whole post devoted to a visit to the vet but really, it's one of the more entertaining moments we've had and it was really fun to go with Vicky who is still fighting her battle with breast cancer but is feeling good enough to accompany cats that she is not legally responsible for to the doctor.  What's more fun than that?!  

So thrilled.  So very very thrilled. 

Once inside the exam room, I let both cats out while we waited to see the vet.  Soxy was brave and explored the room. 

Love this picture - she looks like she's getting ready to read her file on the computer.  

I didn't know she could stand on her hind legs to check out the shelf.  

 Meanwhile, Coco was not in the mood for exploring. 

Still not thrilled.

Both cats got up to date on their shots and both had a clean bill of health.  I took both dogs to the vet last week and they need a supplement for their joints and one of them (Tootsie cough cough) needs a little diet.  But not the kitties.  They are fluffy and healthy and I'm hoping that their shared traumatic experience will help them be better friends.  Or at least to stop fighting in the middle of the night. 

Football and Student Council

A few Saturdays ago, Will got to travel on the bus for his first out-of-town junior high football game.  He had to be dropped off at the bus at 6 a.m. and the rest of us followed in the car an hour later.  We drove to Scottsbluff for a sunny and hot morning game. 

I took this picture to capture how big the Scottsbluff players were.  Will is the in the black helmet across the line from the giant kid second from the right.  He held his own!  

#54 getting ready for the kick-off 

The whole team getting ready for the start of the game

The offensive line taking the field.  

This is how Will's team does the offensive huddle.  Will's kneeling on the front line. 

Look who agreed to take a picture with his mom!

and his dad!  

The game had a crazy finish.  The score was tied 6-6 when McCormick got the ball back with about 45 seconds left.  They had decent field position but nobody kicks field goals at this level so they'd need a touchdown to win.  None of us parents knew if there was overtime or not.  Will's team moved the ball down to about the 20 with 6 seconds left.  Then the quarterback snapped the ball, Will blocked a pass rusher and the qb threw to the end zone where the receiver caught the ball for a game-winning touchdown.  It should be noted that the receiver caught the ball because his mom (sitting behind me) yelled for him to catch it.  All of us parents were screaming like they'd just won the Super Bowl, it was a lot of fun.

In non-football news, Reina got elected to Student Council!  We are so proud of her!  A few weeks ago, she decided that she wanted to run.  She had to write a three minute speech which she practiced several times at home.  Last Thursday, she got up in front of all of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders and gave her speech along with 15 other fifth and sixth grade candidates.  I snuck in and watched her speech and she did an awesome job. She spoke clearly, told a few jokes that made everyone laugh and vowed to bring back the maze to the Halloween carnival.  She found out that she was one of the four fifth-graders voted in on Friday.

Football and public service at the Pauley household right now. 

September and some sideways pictures

Everyone is in bed, except the author of this blog and several pets.  Tuesday nights are usually hectic but we kept everything organized tonight.  The Rockies won a game and I find myself with a few minutes to write about this crazy family.  September is moving a long.  We are in the full swing of dance and piano lessons. I'm taking piano lessons too so Reina and I practice together when we can.  She helps me read bass clef and I help her stay on track or at least not get up and check how much time she has left every five minutes.  Will has football practice after school every day and they had their first game last week.  He has two more games this week and he's playing offensive line and special teams.  Last week, he recovered an onside kick and I was thrilled he touched the ball.  Glenn is in pre-hunting mode (but really when is he not?) with a bunch of big hunts coming up this fall.  I'm busy at work and trying to finish up the gardening season before it snows. 

We are all plugging along.  School is going pretty well for both monsters.  Reina provides me with endless details about 5th grade and Will is typically circumspect about 7th grade.  If I can just be patient for two more years, Reina will tell me all I need to know.  Will is happy to share details about his day but he waits until 9:00 p.m. so that's fun.  Bedtime around here is like it was in the toddler years again, bursts of energy, requests for snacks, trips up and down the stairs 900 times with the added excitement of "You have to sign this permission slip" and "I don't have any clean socks for tomorrow."  

We are getting into a routine and in a few weeks, this will all be normal.  Until then, he are a few highlights of the new school year.  

Will is taking a tech ed class (home ec for us Gen X'ers) and the first segment is all about childcare.  Will had to fill out a questionnaire about his childhood and it made me giggle.  

We've had a rather warm September although the weather might finally be changing.  We thought Labor Day was a good time for outdoor dog baths.  Trigger didn't appreciate our multi-tasking.