Pictures of pets

Our house is still full of pets.  They've all adapted to having the house to themselves all day since I'm back at my office and the kids are in school. The dogs still love a trip to the field and the cats still try to sneak outside unless it's super cold.  Last month, Reina and I had to take both cats and one of the dogs to the vet for their annual appointment.  That trip was as chaotic as it sounds.  But they are all as cute as ever and we humans fight over who gets to sit next to the snuggly dog when it's cold in the evening.  

Reina would love to help me with chores but she's stuck on the sofa until Coco decides to change venues. 

Charlie loves to snuggle even if he's snuggling the back of my neck.  

Coco helping me with my latest sewing project.  So helpful!  

A tale of three pets at the vet. Pet 1 -  Coco preferred to sit on my shoulder facing the wall and (I can only assume) imagine herself in an alternative location.  

Pet 2 insisted on sitting in my lap in the waiting room and darting for the door anytime it looked like the appointment might be wrapping up.  

Pet 3 sat on the examining table and purred.  

Trigger helping me have a lazy Sunday.

 

Kids at Water World and pet pics

It's been a super weird week but I'm saving that story for another post.  In the meantime, a few weeks ago we took the little monsters, the big monsters, the grandparents, and some friends to Water World for our Official Last Fun Event of the summer.  Well not the Last Fun Event, but maybe the last fun event in Denver?  Anyway, we piled everyone into the car and headed south.  The little monster cousins hadn't been to WW before and none of us had been there since the summer of 2019 because of Covid so we had a great time!  

E talking to his juice box - or talking to me to say 'stop taking my picture'

Where did this grown up girl come from?  

E is not a huge fan of the water and the fact that he walked in up to his knees was very big news. 

Reina and the lazy river 

I didn't get any pictures of Will, or at least any pictures that I'm allowed to post but he was there too and he did a great job with his younger cousins.  He sat in the little wave pool with them and even convinced E to go on a giant inner tube on the "Journey to the Center of the Earth" complete with dinosaurs and lava.  E announced to everyone after the ride that Aunt Lucy had ruined his life by encouraging him to go.  Oh well, I had a nice run as Cool Aunt Lucy but all good things come to an end. 

We recently bought Will a new bed to match is taller physique and a new bed meant new bedding which resulted in a weeks-long search for the perfect comforter and sheet set.  One night while perusing TJ Maxx and sending 10 (TEN!!) pictures to Will of navy and white comforters in all shades and patterns, I stumbled across this welcome mat that had to come with me. I left without a comforter too but later that weekend, Glenn and Will went shopping and came back with the manliest of manly bedding in the form of black and dark gray and I'm just happy that he found one that he likes.  

Since I'm back at the office, the pets and I don't get to hang out like we used to.  We still find time to go to the F I E L D (can't say it out loud where they can hear you) on the weekends.  

A happy bunch post run at their favorite place.

I came upstairs on one particularly hot evening last week to find Coco sleeping in our sink.  While it was a nice cool place to nap, it was also convenient for reminding me that she'd like a refreshing drink 
directly from the tap.  

A rare sighting, a tuxedo cat and a tuxedo dog sharing the same bed.  Soxy still doesn't prefer the dogs be in her direct orbit but for some reason she tolerated it yesterday. 

 

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.  

A letter to the birthday boy

Dear Will:  Today you are TWELVE.  Officially a tween, not yet a teen and growing before our eyes.  You told me tonight that this was one of your best birthdays and that made me and your Dad really happy.  You woke us up around 6:15 this morning to open presents.  We surprised you with a fancy new controller for your X-box, some clothes and socks (!!!) and a cookbook just for teens.  Reina picked out a Fortnite pinata for you and when you were done opening everything, Dad gave you your first hunting rifle.  I think your Dad is just as excited to have you hunt with him as he's been for any of his solo hunts.  You and I had lunch at school together and then at the end of the day, I brought donuts to your class.  All 40+ kids in both sixth grade classes serenaded you with "Happy Birthday" and I believe it was the long 90 seconds of your year.  

Opening presents in the wee hours of the morning.  

Will, we are really proud of the young man you are becoming. I know that sounds like something super old to say, but it's really true.  You have a marvelous sense of humor, you are super sweet to your cousins, you and your sister have days when you really have fun together, you are a terrific teammate, you hustle on the field and the court, you are paying more attention to your schoolwork and take pride in your good grades and you love beating us in card game.  In case I'm making you sound too angelic, you love a good prank, you are crazy competitive in video games and many card games end in someone (you?) screaming and you grumble when you have to feed the dogs even though you love your Tootsie girl and she loves you too.  You are getting more interested in cooking and you'll see videos of people cooking on Youtube and you try it out at home.  The ramen dish topped off with american cheese was a big hit with you and Reina.  I thought it sounded a little bizarre but I applaud your creativity! 

A boy and his dogs and the sunlight streaming in.

Don't forget the cat.  I did tell her to smile for the camera. 

 You are gearing up for Junior High.  Every moment of sixth grade feels like "the last..." Today was the last day I'll bring you lunch at school for your birthday.  Well actually I'll probably bring it next year but I don't think I'll be invited to stay.  We've had your last elementary school basketball game and soon we'll have the last track meet, school program and sob sob sob. 

You picked Taco Johns for your meal and I only forgot the queso sauce.  We ate in the hallway because you said the cafeteria was full. I think the other sixth graders just aren't ready for my awesomeness.  

You thought the previous picture was too cheesy and you prefer this broody teen look.  You sure are cute.  

You asked to postpone your birthday dinner until the weekend so that Reina can join us - she had dance tonight.  You asked for homemade spaghetti tonight and we celebrated with a homemade chocolate cake with oreos in the frosting - that you had requested earlier in the week.  You actually wanted a giant oreo cake but I didn't have that creativity in me just yet.  Maybe next year? As we ate cake, we watched the videos that your dad took 12 years ago in the days leading up to your arrival and our time with you at the hospital.  In the video, you hollered when Dad and the nurses gave you a bath and when you are storming around the house now, I can see flickers of that squealing little almost 8-pounder from 2007. It brought tears to our eyes to see your cute little face and big blue eyes.  It's hard to believe that little guy is almost as tall as me and can almost beat me in a game of Horse.  Almost. 

Happy birthday big kid.  I hope 2019 is filled with winning sports teams, good books and some terrific adventures. 

Grown-up Cousin Visit!

Last weekend (how was it already a week ago!) we had a visit from our amazing Grown-up Cousin.  The baby and toddler cousins make many appearances on this page so it is with delight that we get to see Will and Reina's grown-up cousin Alena.  She graduated from college last spring and is headed to the Peace Corps in just a few weeks.  We were thrilled that she could squeeze in a trip to see her little cousins before she's heads off to awesome adventures.  And thanks to the government shutdown, Uncle Mark made the trip, too!  Yah for the government shutdown!  (Not really, the whole thing makes the Broncos Baby Mom angry but that's a story for another time.  Or a story for never because this is a FAMILY BLOG.)

What did we do with our Grown-up Cousin? What didn't we do?  We shopped, we jogged, we watched tv, we ate and ate and ate and ate.  She and Uncle Mark even helped babysit the little cousins so that we could celebrate Uncle Matt's birthday at a grown-up establishment.  Some of us showed Alena our prowess with video games.  Some of us choreographed complicated dance duets and had our hair braided.  Some of us thought about kidnapping her and keeping her in Wyoming - there's Peace Corps stuff to do here but didn't ultimately carry out a plan.  All of us had a great time and made some memories. 

We didn't take enough pictures and the visit was too short but everyone had to get back to work and school and international travel.  We are so glad that she came out to see us.  What a great start to 2019. 

Trying to get cousin pictures and the dogs couldn't stop getting in everybody's business. 

Will micro-managing the picture and hey that's Coco.  

Awwww... a little blurry but awwww.

Reina  and her fabulous braid and I snuck away to see The Sound of Music.  I bought the tickets months ago and almost forgot about it.  It was a great performance and all week Reina and I have been listening to different songs.  Her favorite?  Doe a Deer.  Mine?  Climb Every Mountain.  

A few weeks ago

I've had these photos sitting in my draft folder for a few weeks now and I have a bunch of new football photos to upload so the October theme of the blog is FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL and also Reina's Halloween costume. 

Will's last regular season game was a few Wednesday's ago, on one of the high school fields under the lights.  It was a lot of fun.  Will had a good game and the team won.  It was also cold enough to be an adventure but not so cold that it was painful. 

Will's out there somewhere. 

Post-game dancing.  

Listening to the last post-game speech from the coach.  Look how old that kid looks!  

Slow down time, just slow down a little bit.  

That weekend we also had our first snow of the season and it wasn't just a skiff.  It felt strange dusting off the snow shovels when I still had blooming flower pots but that's Wyoming for you.  

It was cold enough for all three pets to sorta snuggle up on the same bed for an extended period of time.  

So that was an earlier October weekend.  Since then, we've had a little bit more football, some hunting for Glenn, lots of work on Reina's Halloween project (to be unveiled soon) and a bunch of other stuff.  Party, party, party!

The Great Chicken Mystery of 2017-2018

I don't write about them much but the Pauley chicken girls are still racing around the backyard and providing us with a lot of company when we are out there.  They are pretty friendly and super food oriented so if you go out the backdoor and yell "come here my little chicken girls!" they come running.

Egg production hasn't been what we expected but we've chalked that up to a lot of different factors.  Over the summer two of the girls went broody - which is cute for a day or two until they stop laying and don't leave the next box and insist on laying on everyone else's eggs.  Luckily neither one was aggressive - I've read that some chickens will peck or attack anyone trying to make them leave the next.  My girls would complain and head back to the hen house as soon as they could, but no biting.

After they stopped being broody, egg production picked up a little bit until molting time.  The number of feathers floating around the backyard would briefly give me pause everyday until three live chickens came racing around the corner of the deck to see if I had brought any snacks home with me.  All three molted at different times but we stopped getting as many eggs each day and then the days got shorter as winter set in.  We don't have any artificial light for the chickens so egg production naturally drops off as winter sets in.

The last few months, as the days have been longer and the chicken girls are all healthy, we've gone weeks before we'll find a few eggs in the coop.  We blamed the cold, we gave the chickens pep talks, sometimes I resorted to strongly worded lectures (listen you slacker chicken girls!) and egg production has slightly increased over the last few weeks.  But we definitely haven't been getting eggs every day.  Sometimes there will be three eggs in there and then we'll go a few days with nothing.

Which brings us to today.  Glenn called me as on my way home and said something like "I might have figured out what's happening with the eggs but don't jump to any conclusions."  Today was cold and snowy but the snow wasn't sticking and the yard was a big muddy mess.  The chickens don't mind but we kept the dogs inside to cut down on the mess.  When Glenn got home, he let the dogs out, went to check for eggs and as he opened up the back of the coop, he was greeted by Trigger standing inside the hen house.

Huh.

"Don't jump to any conclusions?"  Yes, we should probably conclude that Trigger has been eating the eggs. 

Mystery solved?  Probably.  We tested it when I got home and with hardly any encouragement, Trigger can squeeze himself through the chicken sized door into the hen house.  Tootsie took a lot more convincing so I think she's off the hook.  Unless she's smart enough to not incriminate herself.  Looking back, every once in a while, I'd find a few tiny bits of egg shell in the nesting boxes and I'd worry that maybe the chickens were eating their own eggs (eww) but the few times that had happened before, it was a bigger mess and they wouldn't eat the whole thing.  I wondered if something small was getting into the hen house and stealing eggs but there aren't many animals out here that wouldn't just try to get the chickens. 

Furthermore, Trigger will eat just about anything.  In the past, we've caught him snacking on raw potatoes, onions and a banana that he pulled off the counter.  He can hear the sound of a chip dropping on to the kitchen floor from rooms away and he also tries to steal the scraps I bring out for the chickens.  Once he gorged on the cat food bag that he found in the garage and then barfed it up all over our bed.  That was a fun day.  AND, his coat has never looked more luxurious.  Or maybe that's only if he's been bathing in eggs, I don't know.

AND we keep finding little bits of wood shavings from the coop inside the house.  This has been happening for a while.  We'd just say man that stuff gets everywhere ha ha ha and never wonder why are the wood shavings from inside the coop INSIDE THE HOUSE and stuck in Trigger's coat?  Huh. 

Bottom line, it's a good thing that Glenn and I don't run a detective shop.  We can solve mysteries but it takes a while and it's helpful if the evidence just sort of presents itself, by standing in the hen house waiting for you to feed it an egg.   To borrow a line from one of my favorite episodes of Law & Order (where clearly I learned NOTHING about detecting, evidence, putting two and two together, etc.) "Girl you are as dumb as a sack of hair."

Kids, if you are reading this, Dad and I are going to brush up on our detective skills by the time you are teenagers.  We'd better get cracking. 

Who me?  It's not dog shaming if said dog as no conscience.  

President's Weekend and Flu-like Symptoms

Good grief.  How many times have I blogged about this family and illnesses on a three-day weekend?  Too many to count and regardless, it happened again.  The kids had Friday off and had a fun day, feeling healthy, shooting baskets outside, playing video games inside, etc. Glenn and I were going to go on a date Friday night but decided to postpone for one night because he had to work a little late.  (Spoiler alert, we still haven't had that date.)  On Saturday morning, Reina woke us up a little early because her stomach hurt.  She was feeling puny so I took her temperature and she had a mild fever.  She complained that her legs hurt a little bit and I started to see the rest of our weekend mapped out in influenza-land.  As Saturday went on, her fever got higher and she was basically glued to the couch.  I called her doctor's office to see if we needed to get her tested for the flu and they recommended that we just keep her at home with pain medicine and lots of cool drinks.  Cool as in cold, not as in trendy or stylish.  I'm not sure why I need to make that point. 

So that's what we've been doing since Saturday.  We did catch Will's last basketball game and went to church in stages.  Will had acolyte training which was very exciting (for me anyway!) and he'll be on the list to acolyte soon.  Today was cold and snowy and luckily we all had the day off so no one is missing school or work, yet. 

Reina seems to be over the worst of it today and I'm hoping one more day of rest will get her back on her feet.  In the meantime, I'm playing that fun game of "how do I feel?"  I think I feel fine?  My nose is little runny but I'm mostly fine.  I'm fine, right?  Oh Reina just sneezed in my face?  I'm fine!  Glenn's fine.  Will's fine?  Will's stomach hurts?  Oh I'm sure it's something completely unrelated.  He's fine.  Everyone's fine! 

We are also disinfecting everything in sight and Glenn commented that he's been washing his hands so much they almost hurt.  But everyone is fine! 

Saturday.  Reina and her cat nurse who is concerned about her symptoms and only slightly cold and wanting to snuggle something overly warm.  

Will suggested I B&W this photo for a better effect.  We were wanting to document the number of people and pets on one couch.  2 + 2.  Look at that handsome kid!  

Coco sitting on my work laptop.  She doesn't approve of working on a state/federal holiday.  She's also hungry.  

New Year and how we spent our winter break

Our Christmas break has officially come to an end.  The backpacks are sitting by the front door, kids were in bed at a relatively normal time and it's back to the grind in the morning.  We didn't take a trip or have many big adventures, truthfully there were a few days when we barely left the house, but I think I can say that we had a really nice break.  

What did we do?  We watched some movies, played "The Oregon Trail" card game and laughed and laughed, spent time with cousins and other relatives, read books, had a few playdates, cooked and cleaned, shopped, played with new toys and just hung out together.  

Coco spent most of her break in my new Broncos-themed bag from Vicky.  If it zipped on top, I could use it to carry Coco around town.  Luckily for her, it doesn't.  

We shopped and some of us found other ways to entertain ourselves while shopping.  

The temperatures were bitterly cold the past few weeks.  Luckily, the dogs sleep inside.  On fleece blankets and a couch a few feet from the pellet stove.  Trigger has a rough life.  

Will and all three pets.  The chickens were snug in their coop or I'm sure they would've found room on the couch too.  

So that about wraps it up.  Oh, we also watched a lot of football and cheered on the Wyo Cowboys in their bowl win (yah!!) and survived the end of the Broncos season.  It'll be a little tough to get back to reality tomorrow but we can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for this crazy household! 

Happy Halloween!

The Halloween spirit rolled into the Pauley household as soon as the calendar flipped to October.  Reina loves to decorate as soon as possible and we had nice weather for most of the month that helped us get into the late Autumn spirit.  Reina waffled between her final costume choice and a witch for a few weeks before deciding on her pick (you'll see it in a few pictures).  

We added to our Halloween decorations with this black cat.  Reina and I were shopping and saw it and we knew she (of course) had to come home.  Glenn put the kibosh on a giant metal chicken at the beginning of the summer but I didn't wait for his veto this time around.  

Trigger says "why?"  

 A few weeks before Halloween, Reina and I went to an autumn festival with Aunt Vicky and the baby cousins and some friends.  I didn't take my camera but I managed a few phone snaps of one cute little witch. 

And one cute little pumpkin.  Baby Boy Cousin wasn't interested in the arts and crafts or kids' games, instead I spent my time chasing him around the pumpkin patch.  That kid can move.

Catch me if you can Aunt Lucy!  

A week before Halloween, Grandma H came over to our house and helped me get Reina's costume done.  Okay, let's be clear.  She made the costume with materials that I purchased, that was the extent of my creative participation  Reina helped us and when we were done, we had a few extra pieces of felt.  What does one do with extra felt?  Turn a cat into Wonder Woman of course!  

Coco's face says it all, doesn't it?  

Here's the official unveiling. Reina decided to be a piece of pizza!  

She helped design the costume with Grandma and those are hand-colored pieces of pepperoni are original works of art from the pizza girl herself.  

So we move on to Halloween itself, finally.  The night was a little chilly but we bundled everybody up and headed out.  We had great friends come over and trick-or-treat with us and take turns manning the door.  

After the friends left, the kiddos and I took a few more walks around the block to fill up the candy bags.  

Will's dressed as Nolan Arenado and he started off the night trick-or-treating with our friend Jenna, one cute kitty cat.  

Only two pumpkins this year.  A football and a cat.  Naturally.  

After we all got cold enough, we came home and manned the door until bedtime.  This is probably Tootsie's favorite part of Halloween because sometimes candy falls on the floor and little kids think she's cute.  

What we're up to, pets edition

Enough about the Broncos Babies, let's talk about the pets!  I started this post to talk about Coco watching videos especially designed for cats but then I saw a chicken picture on my phone and then I felt guilty about the dogs and included them too.  So here's the rundown on the Pauley Pets. 

Our chicken girls are doing pretty well.  Today was their first taste of winter and they were a little unsure about the snow.  I don't think they like getting their feet wet so they stuck to the parts of the yard that have already melted.  All three girls are pretty friendly now, especially if you come outside with a snack or the treat bag.  A few weeks ago, I stepped outside with a Pringle in one hand to ask Glenn a question, Dolly (the blonde one) came running over to me and jumped up and grabbed my Pringle.  Snack food preferences aside, all three are laying eggs and we are getting between 0 and 3 eggs a day.  It's still pretty exciting. 

Lolly, Ren and Dolly.  Also known as my little chicken girls.

 Earlier today, I read an article that mentioned youtube videos designed especially for cats.  Last week, Coco watched part of a PBS show about cats (naturally) so of course I had to find the youtube videos.  She watched this one for almost twenty minutes and only stopped when she jumped on the keyboard and stopped the video. 

Here birdie, birdie, birdie

Let's not forget the dynamic duo of T&T. Tootsie and Trigger aren't slowing down much.  They still like to jog every day, sometimes twice a day if Glenn and I are on different schedules.  They love sleeping on the new couches which is a fight that I decided wasn't worth having. Luckily we have a good vacuum. They've both adjusted to the chickens.  In fact most days, the chickens are the queens of the backyard.  Both dogs have been pecked and usually keep a wide berth around the little chicken girls, unless they are eating something that Trigger finds interesting. 

Don't bother getting up guys.

Reina keeps making noises about wanting another fish for Christmas.  Coco is a big fan of that idea but the Bronco Babies Mom is feeling like the pet situation is pretty full up right now.  We are good.