Memorial Day Weekend

We had a nice holiday weekend.  The kids had Friday off so I took the day off and Glenn took part of the day.  We attended a few graduation parties for friends' kids and I started a little bit of our garden.  Reina caught Will's cold so she was in bed most of the day but tested negative for Covid. Phew.  Saturday was gorgeous so we gardened and worked on cousin E's birthday cake.  I bought this fancy pan that can make all of the letters and numbers and I was itching to try it out.   

The first E didn't turn out as planned but the second version (of which I don't have a picture!) was yummy and more solid than this version.  

Sunday was a little cooler and brought much needed thunderstorms.  Luckily, we got to attend E's 6th birthday party at the roller rink.  I'm happy to announce that all of the adults emerged from the skating rink unscathed.  Considering Aunt V and I served cake and treats while on skates the entire time, that's a huge achievement.  

Along with a giant E cake, he also wanted a baseball one.  I was going to make the stripes with frosting but Kindergarten Cousin insisted on red sprinkles.  He and his sister laboriously picked through the jar of sprinkles to find enough red to make the baseball - the blue and white were used on the E cake, naturally. 

Monday was also cool and overcast.  Will and I took E to Murdoch's for his second annual 'pick out your birthday present' trip.  After much dithering, he chose a toy ATV/Camper combo, a small truck and trailer and a wooden knife (that was Will's idea).  The toy section at Murdoch's is getting smaller so if this continues to be an annual tradition, we are going to have to start buying tools and livestock equipment.  Stay tuned.  

Baseball season again

The temperature outside hasn't always felt like it, but apparently it's baseball season again.  Will is playing with a new team this year.  He's actually on two teams.  One team is for the regular season and just plays in town during the week.  The other team is made up of the best players from the regular season teams and travels to tournaments or plays out of town teams.  The regular season was supposed to start tonight but we had a rain out (which was actually great news because we are in a drought!).  The travel team has had some scrimmages but last weekend Will had games in Casper,  I went with Will for the quick overnight trip and had fun watching him play.  

Playing third base

At bat

 

Mother's Day

Today was my sixteenth mother's day and I'm not sure how that is possible.  Insert lamentation about time tick tocking by here.  I told everyone here that I didn't want a present because I bought myself a cakepan that can make numbers and letters last week (yes, it's unbelievably wild and crazy at our house) but that I would like a card.  Thanks to Glenn, they obliged.  

Sweet note from Will and he even used markers!  

Reina knows (and shares) my obsession with Wordle and made me this little gem.  So creative!  

 

So this is happening

Will got his driver's permit a few weeks ago.  Yes, it looks like a mugshot.  Yes, you might want to stay off the sidewalks for a little while until he gets the hang of it.  Honestly, he's doing great.  His favorite parent/driving teacher depends on the day.  I was too encouraging when I drove with him.  He did not need/appreciate all of my "good job buddies."  Glenn accidentally instructed him to go through the roundabout and 'wasn't explaining things very well.'   But so far, so good.  

Spring Break

We've been back from Spring Break for a few weeks but it feels a lot longer than that.  The kiddos and I zipped down to Cabo for a few days with my sister and family and my parents.  Glenn stayed home to hold down the fort and save up his vacation days with his new job.  We missed him and we'll make sure he goes with us next time!  We arrived in Mexico on a Monday and flew home Saturday but we packed in a lot during our time there.  

Reina left her mark on the wall of a restaurant where we celebrated (early) my parents' 50th wedding anniversary!  An amazing accomplishment!  And this is a weird way to acknowledge it but I'll make sure to dedicate a whole post around their actual anniversary.  

This cat showed up at our resort every night around dinnertime and sauntered through the outside dining area to see what was happening.  We may have shared a tiny bite of cheeseburger.  

Down at the marina, tourists pay these guys for the opportunity to feed a sea lion.  It's a pretty sweet deal for salesperson and sea lion if you ask me.  The pelicans don't seem to mind either.  I just observed even though I was tempted to fork over a few bucks.  That sea lion is definitely not starving.  

These four cousins.  Time feels like it's flying by when all of these kiddos just keep growing year after year.  They had a fun time swimming with each other 

A letter to the birthday boy

"Hey Will, let me take your picture with your cake." 

"Okay, but smile this time." 

Pretending to spit on the cake so that no one else will want to eat it.  

Look at that handsome smile.  

Dear Will:  Today you are 15. FIFTEEN! Don't ask me how that's possible.  (I can hear you answering this question with the perfect blend of sarcasm and science, "Well mom, that's how time works.") I just know it's moving all so fast.  You can read this blog whenever you want now so I won't go into embarrassing details about how cute you are when you are snuggling one of the pets or how your sense of humor is both delightful and exasperating, usually in the same thirty seconds.  You probably won't want me to mention that you were  on the honor roll for your first semester of high school.  You also don't love it that we think you are so handsome.  Daily, I'm reminded that you are taller than me by several inches now and I think your dad's next.  Your voice is so low that a few days ago I heard Glenn talking to someone in the kitchen and I thought that a neighbor had stopped by.  Nope, just my kid.  

Will, I hate that I can't find out about any breaking sports news before you do because your phone beats me to it and I only get a hard start when you are either still asleep or sitting in class without your phone handy.  The day the Broncos signed Russell Wilson.... well let's just say that I don't think a lot of studying was happening during your school day.  You are a knowledgeable sports fan and while you don't always have the "hope springs eternal" view of some of your favorite teams, you are always happy when they do well.  

You discovered Wordle a few weeks ago and you like to send me your screenshots of a successful game and you get mad if I give you too many hints.  You've been preparing for next Fall's football season since the last one ended and you have a new baseball season starting up soon.  Your love of all things sport and competition give your dad and I a lot of joy (and heartache sometimes but mostly joy).  We just love to watch you play.  

Happy fifteenth birthday big kid.  

The last month

Yikes it's been a while since I posted last. I had a few weeks of pain medicine induced fog after my surgery and then another few weeks of regular family busy-ness and all of the sudden it's March. What have we been up to? Glenn started a new job on February 14 with the federal government so that's been the biggest change. He's working from home so we've completed some cleaning and decluttering to create an office space for him that doesn't look like a messy guest room. The pets are delighted to have him home during the day and while I miss sending him IMs from work, it's nice having him home when I come home for lunch. This new job is a great opportunity for him and he's enjoying the new atmosphere. The kids are doing well. Will made the honor roll for his first semester and we are proud of him for working hard in high school. Reina made the honor roll for her first semester of junior high and we are very proud of her as well. Both kids have adjusted to the rigors of their new schools and their hard work is showing. I help with homework in the evenings but lately google hasn't been enough to help me help Will with his math but I guess it's been quite a while since I had to figure out f(x)=blahblahblah. I'm just about fully recovered from my "knee" surgery. I've been back at work for a few weeks. I'm pretty tired at night and not able to jog yet but other than that, things are back to normal. This is quickly becoming one of the more boring updates I've ever posted. Well Glenn's news was pretty exciting! We are all well and counting down the days until spring.