Pauley Farm

I have very little time for blogging lately because of all of the craziness going on in our lives.  Will just finished soccer but he had his first baseball game on Saturday and has shooting sports once a week.  Reina's tap recital was Saturday and is on a break from piano lessons until later in June.  She still has swimming lessons twice a week.  I ran a race last weekend that had taken up some time training.  Glenn and I are embarking on a painting/remodeling project for our den and Glenn's also been busy building a chicken coop.  More on that later.  I'm between trips out of town for work and did I mention the last day of school is in 4 1/2 days? It's a wee bit CRAAAAZY around here.  But honestly, most of my evening free time is taken up with this:  

Who can resist that face?  

Coco loves to play hide and seek and when I see her face peeking out from around the corner, I must drop whatever chore I'm doing and play.  So I hide, she sneaks up on me, I jump out at her, she runs away, and the game starts all over again.  Sorry blog, I'm busy playing with the cat.

I tried taking pictures of her sneaking down the stairs while I hid around the corner but I was giggling too much to hold the camera steady.  Look at those eyes - those are some serious I'm-sneaking-up-on-you-eyes.  

A few weeks ago, I had a short trip up to Jackson for work.  One of my 'jobs' was to take a bunch of out-of-staters on an early morning drive to look for wildlife.  We saw these big boys chilling in the early morning sun.  

The Tetons, not a bad view.

So the big news in the Pauley household is that we bought four little, fluffy, cheeping baby chicks home last weekend.

Meet (Kylo) Ren 

and Rey 

Say hi to Dolly 

And Lolly 

When we were talking about getting chickens, Glenn announced that we were naming them Dolly, Holly, Polly and Molly.  So Dolly Pauley.  Cute, right?  And also a little, "Oh Glenn."  When we actually picked up the chicks, the kids prevailed in naming two of them after Star Wars characters and Glenn got his two "olly" names.  So far they live in the hunting and fishing room in a customized pen that Glenn has spent many hours on.  In a few weeks when they are older and it's warmer, they'll move outside.  Coco and Trigger and Tootsie are super interested in their every move but so far, we've kept their interactions on the nonviolent side.  I'm amazed at how much personality the little chicks seem to have.  We picked breeds that were hardy enough for our cold winters but also sociable since they will be more than just barnyard animals.  So far, I think we've chosen well.  Lolly is an Australorp and she's very relaxed.  Dolly is a few weeks older than the rest of the group and she was initially a little more scared of us.  She's an Orpington Buff.  Rey is a Rhode Island Red and Ren is a Barred Rock.  Ren, although she's named after a bad GUY, is the bravest and might be the boss of the group.  She runs up to the side of the cage to see if you have anything interesting and she even stuck her head through the wire to get a closer look at Coco.  Braaaave chicken.

Last month, I helped my sister in getting our city council to pass an ordinance allowing backyard chickens.  It was a great learning experience, I hadn't participated in local government like that before.  After attending five meetings, listening to debates and testifying a few times, we were delighted when the ordinance passed. If all goes according to plan, we'll have fresh eggs in the fall.  Until then, we have some cute new roommates.

Mother's Day

I woke up before 7 (and a good hour before I hoped to wake up) to Reina informing me that Coco had either barfed or pooped (luckily just a hairball that cleaned up easily) on the rug.  A few minutes later, Coco jumped on my chest to communicate her desire to eat breakfast already and my day started.

I realized at church that this is my tenth Mother's Day.  Wow.  Mathematically slightly less than 1/4 of my life has been spent mothering someone.  In some ways, it feels much less than that. I keep waiting for some adult to walk in and take charge of everything.  Other days, it's hard to remember a time when I wasn't doing loads of other people's laundry and worrying about coughs.  But it's all been a dream come true.

Once the cat barf and animal feeding had taken place, I opened my presents.  Reina drew me a picture featuring a cat (naturally) and gave me a jar of homemade bath salts that her teacher helped them put together at school.  Will wrote me the following letter:

Dear Mom:  I am very thankful for you although I've seen you eating cookies behind my back.  But it's okay.  I'm also thankful for you because you feed the dogs when I'm gone and sometimes clean my room which I really like.  So happy Mother's day.  I hope it is the best.  Sincerely, your very awesome son, Will.  

Glenn gave me a lovely card that Reina also signed "Let's party now.  Love, Reina."  Glenn bought me an awesome bird feeder for the backyard that Coco and Trigger will also enjoy.  Especially when she escapes into the backyard.... here birdie, birdie, birdie.

The rest of the day included church, jogging, delicious lunch with the in-laws, shopping, a quick visit with my parents, baseball, laundry, America's Funniest Home Videos and now a short blog post.  What a nice Mother's Day.

The rest of April

It is the first of May and Spring is just around the corner?  We are drying out after another Wyoming snowstorm and the sun is supposed to be shining for the rest of the week.  To say we are all a little cabin feverish is an understatement.  Both soccer and baseball were canceled this weekend and at this rate, we'll be playing makeup games until the Fourth of July.  But we've had some nice family hangout time and the house is clean-ish so we'll look on the bright side.  Plus, the grass is going to be so green when the sun finally comes back.  

During the snowstorm on Friday, we had a herd (pack?) of jackrabbits in the field behind our house. 

Friday night, we babysit Baby Cousin.  She's not a baby anymore so I really should start calling her Toddler Cousin or Preschooler Cousin!  She makes herself at home and really plays with Reina now.

Two cousins and a car, or perhaps a rocket ship?  Another game involved Reina walking onto the pillows and falling down which Toddler Cousin found HYSTERICAL.  Time and time again.  

 Glenn was turkey hunting in Kansas last week and came home with a big bird, which we were all impressed by but Coco was most intrigued (see next picture).  We were all pretty happy to see him walk in the door last Sunday.

Welcome home Dad!  

 Glenn and Will went turkey hunting earlier in the month and came back on late on Saturday with a turkey.  Glenn had saved a bunch of the feathers while he was butchering the tom.  The next morning we woke up to a delighted Coco and a giant mess of turkey feathers all over the living room.  She had found the stash of feathers and delighted in rolling around in them and I'm assuming, pretending she was a magnificent hunter.  We picked up all of the feathers that morning and went off to church.  When we came back a few hours later, the living room was again decorated in what we'll call 'turkey chic.'  We learned our lesson and picked up the flowers and secured them in a more catproof location.

Thank you Glenn for bringing me such a delightful trophy.  I'm very impressed by your hunting prowess.  

 Will received the Millennium Falcon for his birthday and he and Glenn spent many hours putting it together.  I'm happy to report that it's still mostly intact, even though this picture was taken a few weeks ago.

Han and Chewie would be proud.  

The rest of the month was a blur of soccer games, piano lessons for Reina, tap dance classes, work stuff and backyard chickens.  More on that last one later.

The second half of our Spring Break trip

Another busy week has come and gone and now it's time to officially wrap-up our great Spring Break trip. 

After a fun afternoon at Mt. Vernon, we ate a quick dinner with my aunt and uncle and then we dressed up and headed to the White House.  Yes, the White House!  They have a friend who works there and he graciously offered to give us a private tour.  It was a fantastic experience. I don't know that the kiddos appreciate how cool it was to have our own private tour of the West Wing and Situation Room (!!) but I sure do. 

On our walk to the White House and we had to stop and take a picture of William Frederick and the Frederick William memorial.  

Kiddos and the Wedding Cake building, also knows as the Executive Office bldg. right next to the White House.  

We had to wait outside of the White House for a while and I gave Will my camera to help pass the time.  Here's another one of his portraits of his sister.  

Will and Aunt Vicki behind bars (of the White House security office.)

Nighttime and the Washington Monument.  

I couldn't use my camera inside the White House so we had to wait until we were outside.  We did get to see the Oval Office, some waiting rooms, the Roosevelt (?) conference room, and then the Situation Room.  That was amazing!  

We did get to take pictures in the Press Room.  It's much smaller in person than it appears on tv.  

After our tour, it was close to 10:00 p.m. but I really wanted Will to see the World War 2 Memorial. Reina was already starting to doze in the backseat so my uncle dropped us off and we took a quick tour of the Memorial.  I think Will was as impressed by it as I was when I first visited last year.  It's a powerful place.

I have about 20 more of these pictures, Will wanted a photo in front of every plaque.  

Saturday, was our last day in DC.  We went to an Easter Egg hunt sponsored by my aunt and uncle's church.  Unlike the Easter Egg hunts in Cheyenne that were canceled that day due to SNOW, our's had perfect weather.  

Reina and Uncle Pete figuring out egg strategy.  

Get that egg Will!  

Dueling sibling camera shots.  

We ended the day with a bbq with cousins and counsin's kids.  We played a few rounds of knock-out and a lot of card games.  Will was still the only (little) boy but he put aside his shyness to play two-on-two with some cousins from Va.

Will and Leah.  

Reina got all of the little girls together and they quickly built a house for a fairy, wrote a song and developed a play for which they charged the adults 75 cents (and announced 'no change given!') to attend.  

So there's Spring Break 2016, with Summer 2016 just around the corner.  I enjoy traveling with the kiddos.  They are curious and adventurous and I learn something new just keeping up with all of their questions.  We are in the final countdown for the school year and we are starting to plan our summer adventures.  But the memories from Spring Break will stick around for a while and I hope we can go back to VA and see all of those relatives before anybody gets too much taller.  Plus, we can go back to Mt Vernon and learn more about everybody who "passed."

The first half of our Spring Break trip

Pictures!  Finally!  It's a cold, snowy day and I thought it might brighten my mood to look back on sunny pictures from a few weeks ago.  

Cold beach day but that doesn't stop a couple of kids from Wyoming from digging in the sand.  

Awkward sibling pose #1. This post is full of forced sibling contact.  But I love it.  

My favorite type of beach photo.  From the chin up.  Will took this picture.  He took a lot of pictures on the trip and I think he has a good eye, even if the framing needs a little work.  

Awkward sibling picture #2 on the boardwalk at Rehobeth..  Reina might have been cuddling up for warmth.  

Will and a cool silver tree in the sculpture garden outside of the Smithsonian.  

Two kids being eaten by something with a giant jaw.  Possibly prehistoric.  Will would know but he's downstairs watching the Hobbit. 

I said, "Hey, match the pose in that famous picture from WW2!"  This is as close as Will was willing to get.  

Less awkward sibling contact.  All joking aside, since this trip they have been treating each other a little more nicely.  I guess we just have to go on vacation more!  

This might have been my favorite part of the trip - Mount Vernon!  

More Mount Vernon! 

Sings of Spring at Mount Vernon!  

Fake smiles and little lambs at Mount Vernon!  Will actually really liked this part but I guess I'd been taking too many pictures at this point.  I have 20 more baby lamb pictures if anyone is interested.  

Our hostess, my Aunt Vicky. Notice anything different with the Reina-iac?  A lovely new haircut courtesy of Aunt Vicky.  The kicky new style matches Reina's bouncy personality.  

Reina and the Washingtons. 

Will had the camera and captured a great pic of his pensive sis.  

Will's self portrait. 

When you take an introvert to an autograph signing

My football fan

Last Saturday, Glenn and Reina went fishing after Will's soccer game, but Will opted to stay in town with me and we went to UW's spring football practice in Cheyenne.  The weather was decent (it wasn't snowing) and we had fun sitting in the sun, eating barbecue and watching the team practice.  Will was hoping for more of a scrimmage and he was frustrated that no one was officially keeping score.  My boy is all about the analytics right now.   We stayed for quite a while and decided to head back home to watch baseball.  As we were walking out to the car, we noticed the practice was over and the players were getting ready to sign autographs.  I asked Will if he wanted to go back and get autographs and he quickly said "no."  I told him that I had three big sports regrets.  1) I didn't drive to Rawlins to watch the Broncos win the 1997/98 Super Bowl with my dad.  2) I didn't take the day off of work to go see the parade after the Broncos won that first Super Bowl.  3) A few years ago we were at a UW football game and Larry Nance Jr (now playing in the NBA - at the time a UW basketball player) was standing about 5 feet from us and I didn't ask him to take a picture with Will. UW football has a great running back who very well may play in the NFL someday and I told Will that I didn't want him to have any sports regrets like I did.  We turned around and headed back to the field.  

Will sought out the quarterbacks first and this young man was super nice.  Good luck this season Josh!  

Brian Hill, Wyoming's star RB.  He chatted with Will about running backs and Will's favorite sports.  All of them.  

Don't forget about the defense!  Will and one of the linebackers.  

Will collected many more autographs and we had a nice Saturday.  We still have an entire baseball season waiting for us and a soccer season to finish up, but we are already for football around here!  

Spring Break

I feel like I've become a lazy blogger, relying on pictures to highlight our recent adventures so I'm going to try to write about our week before I post the plethora of pictures that I took last week.

This year's Spring Break for the kiddos was structured differently from previous school years.  Instead of a whole week, they went to class on Monday, Tuesday was a half-day and then they had the rest of the week off. Glenn and I talked about a few ideas but we decided that I would take the kiddos to Washington, D.C. and he'd stay home with work and pets.  I have an aunt and uncle and lots of cousins in the D.C. area so we had a great place to stay, tour guides and so much to see.  Both kids are at a good age to travel and they like history and "old stuff" as Reina puts it.  So off we went.

We had an easy trip out to DC and we got out of town just in time.  The next day a big snowstorm shut down the airport in Denver and gave Glenn a snow day from work.  Coco and the dogs were happy about that.  But we landed in DC to lovely springtime temperatures and cherry blossoms in bloom.

The first full day of our vacation we went to the beach with my aunt and cousin.  I hadn't been to Rehobeth since I was a teen and it was as fun as I'd remembered.  There was a brisk wind coming in from the ocean that kept everyone out of the water but it didn't stop us from sitting in the sand.  Will even organized a family football game - two hand touch, naturally.  We spent the whole afternoon on the beach and boardwalk, hit the outlet shops for a few hours and then back to the beach for the best pizza I've had in a long time.

The next day, we got to read the Metro and headed to the Smithsonian, along with lots of other school kids on vacation.  We went to the Natural History Museum first and looked at all of the animals and the Hope Diamond.  One area had a big collection of animals from the Arctic and Reina asked if all of the animals had been alive once.  When we said "yes," she noticed a mannequin dressed as an Eskimo in a canoe and timidly asked if that guy had been alive too.

After that serious set of questions, we headed to the American History building and wandered around that great place for a while.  Reina especially liked the First Ladies display (Will did not) and we looked at all of the dresses and shoes.  I think it was this point in the trip when Reina started asking if the people were still alive or had passed.  She was always very polite about it but her interest in this topic only increased as the week went on.  The rest of the First Ladies display went something like this:  "No, No, No, No, I don't think so, Yes, Yes, Yes you've seen her on tv, Yes she's now running for President, No she was alive in the 1800's."

On Friday, we had a leisurely morning.  Well the kids did - I got to experience the joy that is IKEA with my cousin.  I'd never been and it definitely lived up to my hype.  It was also a good thing that I had a weight limit on my luggage because it helped keep my spending down.  I'm taking Glenn to the IKEA in Denver soon so that we can look at couches and bookshelves and cute pillows and maybe a new chair....

After the IKEA adventure, we all headed over to Mt Vernon.  I have some cute pictures to share but first I have to write about it.  Reina was pretty interested in going and Will was a little lukewarm until we were inside the house and I said "Can you believe you are standing in George Washington's house" about 15 times and it finally sunk in.  I really love Mt Vernon and I could've easily spent all day there but time and two elementary-aged children wait for no mom.  After touring the house, we looked at some of the outbuildings and took lots of pictures of baby lambs and pretended to get water out of the well and then wandered down to the museum.  This ended up being Will's favorite part of the day.  The museum featured Washington's military career so what else do I need to say?  I had to drag Will away from one of those displays with all of the little miniature soldiers and cannons (a diorama?) after at least twenty minutes and that was just because the interactive movie was starting.  We watched a short movie about Washington's role in the Revolution but the movie theater had fog and realistic cannon booming and was much enjoyed by all members of our group.

Friday night we headed back into DC for a tour of the West Wing of the White House!  My aunt and uncle have a friend who works in the White House and he generously offered to give us a tour.  What a treat! The kids might not have appreciated the significance of seeing the Oval Office up close but I sure did.  I have more great pictures of all of us outside (no cameras inside understandably but also dangit) and Will was especially impressed by the photos of President Obama shooting hoops with Steph Curry inside but it was a tour to remember.

On the way back to my aunt's house, we stopped by the WWII memorial so that Will and I could run through it.  It was pretty late at this point but I was amazed at the number of people still there.  Will and I stopped to find the Wyoming pillar and took a few more pictures of different states (more on that later when you see the actual pictures.)  I visited the memorial for the first time last year and found it just as powerful this time around.  What a nice tribute.

Our last day of the vacation featured lots of fun family time with cousins and second cousins (my cousins kids?) and some friendly basketball games and delicious food.  Oh and a little more shopping, naturally.  The Hansen side of the family loves a little competition so there were several games of Knock-out and some dice games that almost devolved into violence, in a good way.

Our travel home was easy-peasy, besides the 4:30 a.m. alarm clock ringing.  We made it home in time for an Easter egg hunt with the Daddy and I even got most of the laundry done. It was a great trip an I'm so glad that we did it.