Reina's Track Meet

A few weeks ago, Reina participated in her last elementary school track meet.  It was the first one that I got to see because I missed 4th grade's event because I was traveling for work and last year it was canceled when school shut down.  But this year, the sun was shining and our girl was at a track meet!  Reina ran the hurdles, did the high jump and was part of the shuttle relay team.  Reina was pretty nervous the night before (she gets that from me!) but she was so much fun to watch.  

Getting ready to hurdle while wearing a mask!  

Post hurdle chit-chat and if you look closely you can see a smile.  

Deep breath before the high jump 

Planning the strategy for the relay.  Just run as fast as you can!  

Reina was disappointed that she missed out on the ribbons but we were so proud of her for getting out of her comfort zone and competing.  That kid is fast when she turns on the heat.  I'm still holding out hope that she'll become my running partner one of these days...even though she's probably too fast for me already.  

8th Grade Promotion

Yesterday was the last day of school (more pictures of that later!) which almost meant the last day of junior high/middle school for Will and the last day of elementary school for Reina.  Yikes!  More lamenting from me later but here are a bunch of pictures of Will dressed up for the 8th grade promotion. 

Handsome boy.  I ironed three different shirts yesterday afternoon until he landed on a combination that worked.  

Will rode to the dance in a giant limo with 13 other 8th grade boys.  I don't think we paid the limo driver enough to put up with this crew.  

Most of the parents met beforehand so that we could take some pictures of their big night.  They cooperated about as well as you can imagine. 

Let's climb the windmill!  No 8th graders were harmed in the taking of this photo.  Will is on the ground to the left. 

Will and Payson have been friends since kindergarten and it's fun to see them head off to high school together.  

 

Last elementary school event (gasp)

I started this post almost a week ago and haven't had the time to get back to it.  Since then, we've had another 'last elementary event' and a bunch of end of the school year activities.  But first things first.  Reina's 6th grade class concluded their study of world history by writing and starring in short plays highlighting different ancient times.  Reina's group were Athenians debating democracy and who should pay for the Parthenon.  True to form, Reina's character was passionate about citizens not having to pay for the Parthenon and a bunch of other stuff but I got distracted by watching the kids pretend to drink wine.... through their masks.  It was awesome.  

 Lots more of these "last of blah blah blah..." coming soon.  

Guess who got their shots?

Will and Reina were able to get their first vaccination today!  I'm so thankful!  I put their names on a list on Tuesday, got a call from the Children's Clinic yesterday and they got their first shot today.  Mr. Will didn't consent to a picture but he was there too.  Teens.  But hooray for science! 

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.  

Last Week of Working from Home

It seems like a good time for a Covid update, since not only is it officially my last week working from home, but Reina had her first Covid test last week and Will might be on the way to getting his second test this week.  It's been a weird few weeks.  Reina's test was negative, as was an influenza test and strep but she was pretty sick for several days and after some steroids and an antibiotic, she's better.  I wasn't too worried that she had covid because most of her symptoms weren't covid-related but she also knew of at least 3 other kids in her class who were sick so we got her tested to rule it out.  Will has similar symptoms as Reina this week but he's not as sick and the desire to not miss more baseball practice might get him back to school tomorrow.  He does have a baseball teammate who has covid right now, so we are keeping an eye on him.  While most of the adults we know have been vaccinated, we are still waiting on an opportunity for the kids.  I hope we can all make it through this without anyone getting sick.  I'm pretty sure I must have typed something like this a year ago and yet here we are.  Almost out of the woods but not quite yet.  

I'll be back in the office full-time next week. I have mixed feelings.  It will be nice to see my co-workers in person but I'll miss my comfy clothes and the quiet of working from home.  And I'll miss the pets.  I traveled for work last week (right as Reina was getting sick which is how that timing always seems to work) and I enjoyed it.  It was a quick overnight trip and the weather cooperated, which always helps.  Being fully vaccinated also helped me feel more comfortable about staying in a hotel.  I conducted an all-day meeting and everyone wore masks the entire time.  It really felt normal after a while.  

Glenn just returned from a turkey hunting trip in Kansas and proudly brought back a giant bird. He didn't go turkey hunting last year because of travel concerns so he was pretty happy to be able to head out.  I stayed here and watched Will play baseball on Saturday and in typical Lucy fashion - I didn't think I needed a jacket and instead had to wrap myself up in three blankets I had stuffed in the trunk of my car.  So fashionable. 

We've had rain most of the day today and it's been a welcome sight.  I'm very thankful for the moisture and also thankful that I didn't have to watch any sporting events in it. Here's hoping that Will wakes up feeling 100% and everybody stays healthy.   

The rest of April so far

Baseball practice, baseball scrimmages, volleyball practice, volleyball games, dance lessons, piano, work, talking about the weather and repeat.  That's our April.  In between all of those events, I got my second Covid vaccine last week.  I started to feel pretty tired in the few hours after my shot and when I woke up the next morning, after sleeping through Glenn getting both of the kids up and out of the house, I texted my boss something like "bad headache, super fatigue, no work" and went back to sleep.  Just like most everybody else I've talked to, by the next day I was back on my feet and feeling normal two days after that.  I'm glad I'm all vaccinated up!  I hope we can get the kids their vaccines too.  I'll breathe a sigh of relief when that is done.   

My view post-vaccination.  I had giant hot water bottle dogs to keep my company.  

Easter Sunday didn't quite look like Easters of past years but we had some fun.  Church on zoom still for me (Glenn and Reina braved in-person).  Then we had a spur of the moment Easter egg hunt with the little cousins because I had too many eggs for just a tween and a teen.  It was short-lived but very, very sweet.  

Not sure who had more fun here - the uncle or the nephew

Finally, a random picture of the cat.  She has staked out the chicken coop as her domain to hunt for mice.  The chickens don't seem to mind and so far the body count is just one mouse.  But that won't stop her from keeping watch.  

More snow is expected this week. Not measured in feet like the last storm and as always, we will welcome the moisture.  Springtime in Wyoming.