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. 

 

Mother's Day and Last Weekend and some stuff in between

As I type this, we are under another winter storm advisory.  Depending on how it all sketches out, we could get as much as 4-8 inches of snow tomorrow.  So that's fun. We need the moisture yes yes yes but man, I'm ready for springtime.  This time last weekend I was in Arizona with Vicky and some friends!  I got an airplane!  I got to see my folks and their cute house in Sun City!  I didn't have to make meals for anyone!  It was a delight.  We were supposed to go on the trip last May but Covid happened so we were luckily able to postpone our reservation for this year.  We stayed at the Civana resort outside of Phoenix and we hiked and took yoga classes and other classes that shoved Lucy way outside of her comfort zone.  We also ate beet hummus and cashew cheese (not Lucy) and just had a great time.  

The natural area inside of our resort.  Lots of cacti and cute little quail and bunny rabbits.  

With Vicky on our first hike.  It was warm but there was a surprising amount of shade.  Plus our hike leader took a leisurely pace and we were able to keep up.  Hike #2 had slightly cooler weather but the leader set what Vicky and I called "race pace."  Great workout however.   

It's a picture of the Bronco Baby Mom!  

While I was gone, Glenn held down the fort.  Will ended up getting tested for Covid right before I left but he tested negative also.  So far, for the four of us, we have been tested 5 times.  Will reports that this test was worse than his test back in September.  So Will recovered but the baseball games were rained out.  Rain!  Reina testified before the school board (over Zoom) in support of kids wearing masks until the end of the school year.  She is passionate about that topic - until kids can get vaccinated.  She did a great job, she sounded very organized and confident and I was able to listen in from Az.  

Today is Mother's Day.  We bought a new faucet for the kitchen sink a few weeks ago and it's so cool that I said it should be my present.  How middle-aged is that last sentence?  Anyway, Reina wrote me a nice note, Will said he has a nice note coming and Glenn made me take a nap.  As I stood between my two kiddos at church today (we went to in-person church!) and listened to them recite the Lord's Prayer, I thought that I have everything I need for Mother's Day.  

I was back in the office this week. It wasn't too bad. I missed my sweats but I'll adjust just like a did a year ago.  

Day 66

It's late for an update, so this will be a list instead of beautiful writing.

Highlights for Day 66:

1.  Glenn and Will racing each other in the 40 yd dash in the street outside our house. I was pulled away from my work to judge the second race because they couldn't agree on a winner.  (Glenn will want it noted in the official record that he swears he won.)   Will won (by just a foot) the next two races that I oversaw but I know Glenn has big plans for a rematch on Thursday.  The race drew some spectators and most of them were cheering for Glenn because most of them are older than Glenn and therefore wanted him to beat the fast teenager.  Who knew that sprinting would be part of our quarantine entertainment.    But yahoo for no one needing a trip to the ER. 

2.  Reina babysitting the cousins this afternoon.   While we've been really careful with keeping our contact to a minimum with the little cousins and Aunt Vicky, we've reached the point where lending a helping hand and getting Reina out of the house is important too.  Plus everybody is feeling good so we were all comfortable with it.  Reina played the role of mother's helper/ older cousin playdate and she came home tired so all was a success. 

3.  Will practicing baseball on an actual baseball field.  Another big milestone for Spring 2020.  Will's team had their first practice all together since I don't know... early March?  The boys had to use a lot of hand sanitizer and the coaches tried to keep everyone spread out.  Will told us when we came home that he liked being back with his teammates, so that's good for his mental health too.  While he practiced, Glenn and I walked Charlie around the park and then Glenn went home to get dinner started and Charlie and I kept walking.  The park wasn't super busy because there was a constant threat of rain but it felt like the beginnings of summer and that was good for my mental health too.

4.  The temp hitting 80 degrees.  We know it won't last but it was a nice preview of coming attractions.

5.  Coco managing to catch a bird while still inside her cat tent.  We didn't witness it so I don't know if she bounced the tent across the yard or the poor bird just happened to get too close.  Either way, she's been extremely proud of herself tonight and also a little tired.  She was fast asleep until the moths started to make an appearance as we turned off more lights and now she and Soxy will probably spend the evening stalking the nightlights in the bathroom and knocking stuff off the counters.  So helpful. 

Merry Christmas 2019

Another Christmas is winding down and we had a really nice day.  The kids mostly respected our 6 a.m. wake-up time, Reina came in at 5:56 a.m., close enough.  We opened our family presents and then the rest of the Hansen/Fry clan came over for breakfast and more presents.  After everyone left, the kids played with their new electronics and Glenn and I jogged and then napped.  It was a delightful day.  

Here's my annual interview with everyone to memorialize the highlights of their day.  

Will:  His favorite present was Madden 20 and he and his friends have big plans to form a franchise. I know what each of those things means in the real world but the details are a little fuzzy in regards to the Xbox.  But he's having a great time.  

Glenn's favorite part of the day was the church service last night.  He says he also really loved brunch and the tripod that he picked out himself.  He's also really excited about his new GPS and a shirt that I bought him.  I think he added that last part because of the increasingly negative look on my face as I type this.  

Reina's favorite present was an Echo Spot that Glenn picked out for her.  Reina has been talking to Alexa all day and frankly the rest of us are a little thrilled that she has another "person" to ask questions - "Alexa how old is the oldest person in the world...." 

Lucy is considering this the Christmas of Footwear.  I unwrapped slippers, cowboy boots and some super comfy flats today.  Now I have to decide which ones to wear to work tomorrow. I guess the slippers are out.  

We had a great time watching the little cousins unwrap presents and jump off the stairs.  We ate delicious mostly prepared by Uncle Matt and everyone was stuffed by the time the morning was over.  The pets were also spoiled this year.  Coco got a head start on the festivities by opening some cat presents in the middle of the night.  Soxy was equally delighted with all of the wrapping paper and cardboard boxes and we realized that this might be her first Christmas in a house.  She made the most of it. 

Cat toy Christmas

Yep, it's still dark out.  This was taken right before the unwrapping frenzy began.  

Reina and her new Sven-from-Frozen2 jammies

Will surrounded by Christmas excess 

Will and Glenn picked out some new running tights for me.  And a big bag of chocolate.  

Reina surrounded by Christmas excess 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

It's beginning to look a lot like something

How many times have I used that phrase as a blog title in December?  More than once I'm sure.  With less than a week left until the holiday, it's definitely looking like Christmas.  The tree is up and while Coco rearranges some of the ornaments daily, it's decorated.  Most of the presents are bought, none of them are wrapped but that's what the weekend is for.  I've started sending out Christmas cards and the big packages have all been mailed.  Tomorrow is the last day of school for the kids for two whole weeks and Glenn and I are winding down our work days for the rest of the year. We are all ready for a break. 

The day we bring the tree home is Coco's favorite day of the year.  She and Tootsie carefully inspected this one.  

At the beginning of the month, Vicky and I volunteered at Christmas House.  This was our first year volunteering together and it was a lot of fun.  We worked in the tea room in the morning and then served in the house in the afternoon.

Vicky and a sample of some of the tea room wares.  We didn't bake most of those goodies but we had fun serving them up.  

That weekend, our Aunt Mary from Minnesota came out for a quick visit and we packed a lot of shopping, eating delicious food and hanging out.  It was a great way to start the holiday season.  On Saturday morning, we dropped the girls off at the church program practice and Will was at baseball practice so the girls and Everett went shopping downtown.  We walked into our favorite local kitchen store, Everett took a look around and announced that he was all down shopping at this place.  Oh buddy.

Just two cousins hanging out at the mall 

I bought an indoor snowball fight kit on Black Friday and couldn't wait for 12/25 to open it up.  Much hilarity has ensued but I think the cats are having the most fun.  

Pictures from last month's holiday

I was looking for some pictures for the Christmas card tonight and found pictures from Thanksgiving that I never posted. (I actually just typed 'Halloween' and now I need to see if I ever posted those pics.  Sigh.)  Anyway, we had a lovely Thanksgiving this year.  We drove to Aunt Vicky and Uncle Matt's house with a pie, rolls and some cranberry sauce and feasted on all of the trimmings.  It was delicious as always and we had a fun time hanging out.  The weather was unseasonably cold so when we came home, we curled up next to the pellet stove and watched movies and football and started Christmas lists.  It was a nice start to the holiday season. 

Each Thanksgiving with all four cousins, I've tried to snap some good pics for the grandparents.  This year, I gave up without much of a fight.  It was not the day for picture taking.  Maybe we can recreate these in a decade or so.   

Reina, the cat, Everett in an almost chokehold, Will trying hard and Ainsley.  

Okay everybody - just look at the camera for one second!  The cat cooperated this time.  

I love watching baby/preschool cousin eat with a giant spoon.  Don't bother asking if he wants a smaller one.  He's a big kid!  

I can't wait to do it all again in 10 days.  Ten! 

Halloween with a bunch of side photos because that's who I am now

Halloween was a few weeks ago and it was a fun one this year.  Sometime in the next few weeks I will edit this post and fix the photos but that time is not tonight.  This was the first year that Will didn't dress up or trick-or-treat.  After I finished sobbing, I accepted the situation.  The kids didn't have school on Nov 1 so he and Glenn went hunting.  It made sense and it was nice to not have two giant bags of candy in the house for weeks but still.  My little skunk-costumed baby is now a don't-need-trick-or-treat tween.  At least Reina shows no sign of being done with Halloween.  Yet.  

The weekend before Halloween, Glenn and I went to a really fun Halloween/birthday party for some friends who know how to throw an awesome shindig.  Costumes were a must so we spent a few weeks brainstorming and decided to go as Bugs Bunny (Glenn) and Elmer Fudd (me).  I think we nailed it.  Glenn was way more into his costume than I anticipated, he even made felt feet.  He also made me wear his hunting boots because they were more authentic.  It was a lot of fun to dress up and hang out with fun grown-ups.  

What's up Doc?

A few days before Halloween, Reina and I took the little cousins to the Halloween carnival at Reina's school.  Reina dashed off with friends so I got to take A & E around to all of the events in the classrooms.  They were both pretty into it and not scared like previous years.  Toddler Cousin wasn't a fan of the inflatable costumes - there was one T-Rex in particular that he did not appreciate.  But it helped me enjoy the holiday through littler kid eyes plus they got to go home to their parents at the end of the night and I didn't have to bathe anyone.  Yah!! 

Reina took this picture while we were driving to the carnival.  Apparently Batman is never off duty, even when he's strapped into his carseat. 

Reina's costume was self-designed this year.  She decided to a ghost/zombie tween.  She even had a skeleton cat to carry around.  Her makeup was all her own and I think she nailed the look.  Remember when she was a cute little garden gnome?  Or a sunflower?  Sigh. 

Getting ready for trick-or-treating.  She did wear shoes.  

Dance Dance Dance

Last weekend was Reina's dance recital.  This year, she took three classes - ballet 4, Jazz 2 and Hip Hop 1.  She's a dancing girl.  She had three programs last weekend, one on Friday and two on Saturday.  Throw in a 5k race that she and I did on Saturday morning and a brother's baseball game and it was one busy weekend.  

Reina's hip hop class danced to music from Back to the Future.  The recital's theme was music and movies from 1989.  I jammed out.  

Reina had a 'speaking' part in the dance.  

On Saturday, Almost-Kindergarten Cousin's class danced too and it ADORABLE.  They danced to "Don't Worry, Be Happy."  Vicky and I got the giggles every time the pre-dancers came on stage because someone would freeze in the lights, someone would forgot the dance and wave to family members and anytime they formed a circle, the poor kid at the end would get whipped because of physics. 

Getting ready to make a circle

Finding the right mark on the floor 

Reina's jazz class danced to a Debbie Gibson song from 1989.  Months ago, Reina was telling me about the dance and when I asked what the song was, she confidently told me "Electrocute."  I thought about that for a few weeks and couldn't remember any song like that from 1989.  When I asked her to sing it, we figured out that it was "Electric Youth."  Frankly, the song is much more enjoyable if you sign it as 'electrocute'.....

My jazzy girl 

Reina's ballet class danced to an Enya song and it was so pretty.  Reina and I both thought this outfit was the prettiest.  I just love watching her dance. 

The first week of summer break is almost complete.  Both kids had sports camps this week, basketball for Will over at UW and Reina did a volleyball camp at the community college.  They are diving into this summer with a lot of enthusiasm and happiness to have a break from school.  There's also a significant reluctance to pick up after themselves or learn cursive (one of my projects for them for the summer) but we'll tackle that one next week. 

What happened to April?

One little blog post in April?  Lucy, what is your problem?  Well, in my defense it's been a hectic but fun month.  We've had lots of weekend activities and practices at night.  Aunt Vicky has been pushing through her last month of chemo and needed some extra help with the little cousins now and then.  Glenn's been super busy at work and I've had a few out of town trips to add to the fun. We packed a lot into April and I'll do my best to adequately recap it. 

The weekend before his actual birthday, we celebrated Glenn's 50th with a party.  It was a fun chance to bring friends together, celebrate the greatest guy I know and have a lot of fun.  We kept the menu simple and invited a lot of people.  We had kids of all ages and friends from all corners of our lives and it was a really special evening.  Glenn was touched by all of the attention and I think it was a great way to kick off his next decade. 

Little cousins super interested in the birthday pie... more on this to come.  

Singing happy birthday.  As part of the decorations - well really the only decorations, I hung up pictures of Glenn from his teens, twenties and thirties.  Many of our friends have only known him in the last decade so it was fun to see college aged Glenn ... he was into body-building.  Hubba hubba.

The whole family getting ready to sing and a photobomb from a cutie.  

 So we all sang happy birthday, Glenn blushed, leaned down to blow out the candles on his blueberry birthday pie and saw that somebody blonde and little had beaten him to it.  Toddler Cousin politely waited until "Happy Birthday" was finished and blew out the candles for Uncle Glenn.  I giggled for the rest of the weekend thinking about it. 

The little helper and big sister.  

 The next weekend was Easter and the weather mostly cooperated.  We got up early to help with the breakfast at church and came home for an Easter Egg hunt after lunch. 

Glenn barking egg hunt orders or something like that.  

Reina being engulfed by a pine tree.  

The kid who at first said he didn't need an egg hunt this year and then luckily changed his mind.  Tweens, am I right? 

Just casually eating candy, looking for eggs, looking cool.  

Someone in the family still takes her egg hunting very seriously.  

She didn't get to participate in the hunt but she was a very interested observer.  We've had crazy weather - 70 one day and 7 inches of snow the next.  Coco likes her time in the cat tent.  

Summer is right around the corner.

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.  

Stuff that we are thankful for

It's Thanksgiving evening and I'm stuffed with turkey and pecan pie.  Reina is upstairs watching a video, Will is playing a video game and Glenn is tidying the kitchen. I'm feeling guilty but also content to sit here on the couch with my feet up and tackling this blog for the first time in weeks.  We have a lot to be thankful for but first I have to address my lengthy absence. 

I've sat down to write about Halloween and the rest of football season and all of the little delights that occurred in November a few times lately. But our family has been dealing with a lot this month and I can't write about all of our foibles without talking about some tough news.  Our delightful Aunt Vicky, frequent contributor of funny stories and birthday pictures on this very blog, has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.  We've all been blindsided by this news but she has good doctors who have already embarked on an aggressive treatment plan.  She has a huge network of friends and supporters who are keeping her and Matt inundated with meals and visits and support.  She has all of us who do our best to keep her spirits up and help wherever we can.  She has a hard road ahead but we are keeping her in our prayers and holding her close to our hearts and we are hopeful that she'll come out strong on the other side. 

So it's Thanksgiving.  We had a fun day with extended family and old friends and some new ones, too.  I asked the kids earlier what they were thankful for and here you go:

Reina;  Family and her friends, one friend in particular. 

Will:  His family

Awwww, what's going on with these kids?  Good behavior because they know I'm Christmas shopping tomorrow?

Glenn:  His family, his family's health and being able to live in Wyoming.

Lucy:  Today, I'm most thankful for my sister's radiologist who saw something suspicious and didn't dismiss it. 

This space will soon be filled with funny pictures and mildly inappropriate kid anecdotes soon enough.  Tonight, hug your family and keep ours in your thoughts. 

A bunch of pictures of Will playing football at UW

Last weekend, Will had the chance to play on the city's all-star tackle football team.  The team was comprised of a few players from each regular season team, there were about 20 kids all together. They practiced for two weeks and then played a few teams from across the state/region last weekend in Laramie.  Will's team's first game was on Friday night and they played under the lights on UW's field.  What a cool opportunity! Glenn and I both took a bunch of pictures and it was hard to whittle them down to a reasonable number to put on the blog but here we go.  

Will is #23 and getting ready for the kick-off.  

On defense. 

Lined up and getting ready for a tackle.  Will helped make a goal line stand.  

Will is the second player from the right with black socks.  

Getting the defensive play from the coach.  

He obliged me with a post-game picture on the field.  

On Sunday, the temperatures warmed up and Will's team played in the sun against a team from Billings. 

Will played on the defensive line during this game.  Here he's lining up to play nose guard.  

Getting ready for another kickoff - Will is at the front of the line.  

Looking serious at halftime. 

Post-game team picture at mid-field.  

#23 with his biggest fan

No wait, this is his biggest fan.  

Will and his teammates from his regular season team.  

Will and his Grandpa Pauley who traveled up from Colorado with Grandma Pauley to watch him play.  

Elementary football season is officially done.  Now we turn our focus to homework (Will are you reading this?) and get ready for basketball.