Big 'ol Mess

We have started working on the house and Tess tells us it is a "Big 'ol Mess."

Here she is modeling her new snow boots, she loves shoes. She has now learned about the camera and wants me to take her picture all the time. Hopefully I can now have more pictures. Before, 2 out of 3 were blurrs.

Tess had the opportunity to gather with her Prosser cousins this week. Pictured are Brock, Darci, Cami Ann, Evan, Austin and Tess. One had to be fast with the camera, as most of my pictures had blurs where the little ones were suppose to be.
Unfortunately, the gathering was for the funeral of Tess's great grandfather Dean, which was a sad event, but he accomplished many things in his life which we will remember for many years to come.
Below is Clay, who is now 5 months old. Nowadays they include photos on AQHA registation papers, so I have photos of him from every angle.
Tess started with a new babysitter this week, as her former babysitter is due to have another baby of her own in a month or so and thought four would be too much. She is adapting well, as when I went to pick her up she said she didn't want to go home because she "have to finish playing Lego's first, mama."

Watermelon crop

Tess loves watermelon, so we planted some in our garden this summer and here are the results. She had to settle for "pink watermelon" but that was good enough. Watermelon growers in Wyoming can't be choosey. This one at least tasted a bit sweet, the first looked and tasted like cucumber on the inside.

Don't try this at home

The Supervisor

I left out the pictures of Eric 12 foot up in the bucket operating a chain saw.

Almost there

"Good-ole-red-cow-who-got-struck-by-lightening" was the finishing touch

Bumps and Bruises

We started out last week with Eric getting up at four-thirty to take two horses to the ranch horse competition at the state fair. There must have been a full moon as the three year old decided he had never seen a gate in his life. To make things better, loading and unloading from a trailer was part of the competition and his mare fell out of the trailer, put a big gash in her hock and took skin off plenty of other places. Dr. Foland happened to be in the audience and helped get her stitched and wrapped up. This was the start of the horse infirmary.

The next day another mare turned up bit on the nose by a rattlesnake. So with her nose almost swollen shut, she took a bed in the infirmary. They both seem to be recovering and now just gimp to get attention. I was beginning to think I was bad luck when our neighbors dog, who we were watching while they were out of town showed up with porcupine quills, but we got those handled too and now all creatures of the four-legged variety are happy and healthy.

But I had forgotten those of the two-legged variety when Saturday Tess forgot to explain to Sugar the difference between her finger and horse cake. Just when we had forgotten those tears and we were trying to take control of the garden Tess bailed head first from a swing and now has a giant red and black and blue scrape and scab from her hair line to her lips. But we still made it to the fair again to check out the carnival and had a nice picnic at a friends.

The garden is still out of control by the way, so if anyone out there has a hunkering for zucchini, carrots, beans, beets, lettuce I can set you up, especially if you are interested in zucchini the size of a walrus.

Tess also went to a Casper Rockies baseball game and had a blast! If only I were smart enough to transfer photos from my phone to the computer....

Tess watched the feedlot sort at the county fair last night and thought " I can do that," so today she tried out her saddle on Banjo.

More two year old pictures. Tess is big into swimming now, so we spend a lot of time talking about "swimmin at the beach." Normally, we have been going to the little swim beach near the marina, but last weekend we brave the crowds and went to Sandy Beach to watch the Hobie Cat regatta. It was fun and beautiful.

Pops refurbished my old trike so Tess has been practicing on a shiny "new" trike that looks pretty sharp. She still will ride for about 30 seconds, then tell me its "your turn" so I've been hitting my lips with my knees and peddling around on a trike.

In other news, I was appointed to be a part-time magistrate, so if you commit a crime or have a small claim, you'd better hope the "real" judges aren't sick, on vacation or somewhere else in the district.

Eric's colt named Clay is going to have to change his name to brown. Eric's been teaching him manners. He had been spending all his free time working on the corrals by the house and they look great. He was in a ranch rodeo recently and an Extreme cowboy race in Glendo and had fun.

My Mom's a slacker

and is just now posting photos from my second birthday party. The party was actually a week or two after my real birthday - but a party is a party and I had fun - especially singing.

Two weekends ago I went to UTAH with mom, and grandma and pops for the Curtis Family Reunion. I got to sleep in a sheepwagon restored by my GREAT uncle Don which was great fun. I also saw LOTS of my cousins of all shapes and sizes and generations. I called them all "guy" or "kid" and played at 100 miles an hour when I wasn't crying, nothing in between. Mom made a quilt with her cousins, and there were all sorts of wild toys and great dutch oven meals that Curtis's are famous for. I even discovered punch bags and spud nuts which are Utah treats. Riding 700 or so miles in the car wasn't as bad as my mom had expected, she drove fast. You may not know it but 2 year old can see lots of elephants and alligators out the window between here and Utah. I was fascinated with the stuffed penguin at Little America and thought we all needed to sit on the floor and stare at it for awhile.

Mom and Dad have been busy with work, which means I get a new pair of shoes! I love shoes!

Here are Cole and Tess at the branding last month, I'm a little slow in posting the pictures. Cole and Tess are a week apart and had great fun, at least while Tess wasn't napping!

Its my Birthday!

Tess got to "ride on the CHOO!" for her birthday. We got up early and went over to the Guernsey depot and joined our friends and neighbors Roy, Karen and Zac Bennett for a train ride from Guernsey to Glendo, which was provided by BNSF for only their best employee's. Roy was kind enough to share some of his tickets with us and we got to enjoy the trip through Wendover Canyon and see our place from a different perspective! The train was a refurbished passenger train and it was great fun, and the best birthday present.

Busy Baby

It really doesn't seem like it has been that long since I posted. But here's the short low-down on what Tess has been up to.

Mother's day Tess and I took Grandma Curtis on our sporatically annual trip to Meadowacres Greenhouse, followed by lunch at the Paisley Shawl in Glenrock. We had a nice time and Tess didn't even pull too many flowers at the greenhouse, she did love the water fountain and the resident puppy. That weekend Eric helped out at a team penning clinic up the road from El Rancho. He has done that several times now and always enjoys the practice. Herb and Dennis branded that weekend and I took some cookies and Eric was sorry to miss out.

But, we branded the next weekend and it went well. Tess, Grandma Curtis and I made 32 pounds of bbq beef, I also made scalloped corn, baked beans (although not as good as my grammy's) and apple crisp and cookies. Tess's buddy Cole came from Laramie and we enjoyed getting to see Cole and Tori and Dan, and Cole even wrestled a calf or two. But Tess was REALLY the most impressed with his Thomas the train roundhouse.

Last Monday, Eric got his foot stepped on by one of the horses. He broke his big toe and had 6 or 7 stitches, they are still watching another part of his foot to make sure it is not broken, but we think it is ok. He really only hobbled around on crutches for one day and it didn't take long for him to fire me as his chauffeur. This weekend he was busy digging post holes and back to normal, except he is still wearing sandals.

Tess got to go to the zoo this weekend too. The past couple of weeks she has loved to talk about elephants - "phants," so we went to the zoo and saw the phants and got to see them do phant tricks. Tess also loved the Nordstrom shoe department, because she loves shoes. She ate cuban food and rode in a bicycle taxi - fun time in the city! She didn't so much like the hotel room though.

We finished planting our garden and this morning Tess and I helped decorate veteran and American Legion graves with flags and poppies for the holiday.

First Piggytail

or is it ponytail? I could never remember which is which. It didn't last long as the first thing Tess wanted to do was pull the rubberband out. But it was cute while it lasted.

We actually got some RAIN! and Tess has discovered mud puddles which she calls "bath" . . . we have changed clothes three times today.

Eric had a last minute telephone conference call with the judge today while he was horseback moving bulls. Luckily both the judge and the bulls were patient.

Latest Arrival

"Clay" was born on April 5. Like his mother, he enjoys pinning his ears back and giving attitude. The top two photos are yesterday at about 3 weeks and the bottom picture is his birthday.

Tess thinks the "bebe horse" is pretty cool. She is learning new words and words combinations faster than I can keep up with and is finally getting some hair.

Wintery Spring

Howdy all! We welcomed (sort-a) 18 inches of snow last week. I tried to get some pictures of E and Tess in the snow, but Tess didn't like all the bright sun reflections. You can kinda see the big drift in the background. But this is our yard on March 29. While I got several new child abuse cases as a result of cabin fever (think The Shining) we were plowed out early Friday morning.

Tess is becoming quite the horse helper and she really wants to be in charge of the lead rope and is certain she can do a much better job than dad, and Bobby probably agrees.

Most of the snow is gone now and Tess is looking forward to the egg hunt this weekend and I'm looking forward to my neighbor bringing over his rototiller.

Spring has Sprung!

...and we're in trouble because Tess absolutely loves to be outside. Today we went and saw two new baby calves and stopped to see Crackers the cow. Sorry you can't see anyone's faces, but a good time was had by all, especially Crackers, whose nose is getting a little big for the bucket! Somehow we have lost all of Tess's hats (I think they are at Jessica's!) so she had to borrow one of mine which was a little big.
She sure looks like a big kid with jeans on.
If you look close you can see some sprigs of green grass peeking out.

I suppose a person ought to say something intelligent and thought provoking in a blog... so Tess proposes that a person think about all the joy that can be found in a large cardboard box with a "window" cut in the side. Apparently if a person is in the right frame of mind, such a thing can provide hours of entertainment, although Tess found that it only provided about 15 minutes each of entertainment for the adults in her life.

I know I have said this before, but it seems like she learns a new word or concept everyday. She now says "shhhh" and puts her finger by her mouth. She likes to have her toys (and grandpa) go "night-night" and once she gets them covered up with a blankie, she "shhhhh's" everyone else. Animal noises are also high on the list - when she spoke with Grandma Ann on the phone, all she would say is "woof, woof, woof"

It is finally beginning to look like spring around here and we have seen hints of green grass on our walks and some wild strawberry vines peeking up in the wildflower bed. Tess is looking forward to the arrival of "be-be" calves and even a "be-be" horse this year.

I will dust off the camera again, as I owe everyone some photos.

Time flies, I can't believe it is more than 1/2 way through Feburary already. I have been lazy with the camera recently so I don't have any new pictures, and at this point, a person needs to take a picture of Tess almost everyday she changes so much.
So, what have we been up to? Tess likes to talk on the phone now, but only if no one is actually on the other end. But, she likes to push the buttons, so if you get a call and no one is there, its probably Tess playing with speed dial. Since it has been a tad bit warmer, she can go outside again and she is getting braver and braver about going for walks and exploring the outside. But, she is also beginning to believe that she can just walk right under horses and such.
Eric and I both had sentencings for federal cases on Valentines day, not very romantic, and always hard. We went to a wine tasting this weekend and that was fun. The more wine I drink, the more I discover I know absolutely nothing about it. Eric was out riding horses today and my dad delivered a new one, so if the weather holds, Eric will be busy. I used the holiday to catch up on my mystery quilt group project.

Ride 'em cowgirl

A common activity in our household... If she is not riding her rocking horse "woody", she is riding dad's saddle, or her saddle, or grandpa's saddle or looking out the window at the horses, or helping dad feed the horse, or thinking about horses.
Tess got to go visit her friend Cole in Laramie this weekend and go to the 4-H carnival. Cole walked right up to her to say hi and Tess just started crying real tears. I guess dad had always told her to watch out for boys. But, by the evening her and Cole were sharing Thomas the train toys and she decided that he wasn't so bad after all.

Look at these extravagant prizes! Fabulous merchandise just waiting to be won today on "Wheeeeeellll of Fortune". A white coral & diamond pendant! A holiday in Mallorca, Spain! A barbecue! Total retail value: over $44,000!.

The whole fam-damily

As promised, finally, here is the picture of the gang. It is hard to get us all to smile at once.

We had a very nice Christmas. We had stew and presents at the Curtis house on Christmas eve and Tess got tons of presents. Grandma and Grandpa Palen got snowed and iced in but braved the roads Christmas morning and made it in time for lunch at Herb and Phyllis's with family and neighbors. Tess really got into ripping wrapping paper, so it was a fun Christmas, and we were lucky to get to spend it with family and friends.

Tess is learning new words and actions. She surprises us every day. She now knows one-two-three, Up-Down, and loves to open and shut doors. We spent ALOT of time closing the door, knocking on it, coming in and saying hi, then saying bye and going out and shutting the door. OVER and OVER. She also loves to feed the dogs and tell them to "dit" or "down." I think Spike thinks life has hit a new low when he has to get bossed by a 1.5 year old to get a treat.

Happy new year!

Bronco's excitement

For sale: One slightly used Bronco cheerleader type jumper size 18 mo. Also used as sleeper since sleeping is more exciting and less aggravating than actually watching the game.

Survivor

Tess and Grandma and Grandpa Curtis have survived four days together and I haven't seen any bruises. Everyone has memorized 13 minutes of Thomas the Train and had their fill of imaginary tea. In the mornings Grandpa and Tess checked the cows and the perimeter of the ranch, and no one got voted off the island. Eric and I went to Vegas where they still have enough money to keep the neon lights on and now can probably afford to build some more.

Tess is growing faster and faster. She is learning new words and things all the time. Currently she is working on her "EEZ" suc as Cheese, Please, and Peas. She is also learing more animal sounds like Moo and Woof. Also I am running out of body parts to teach her, she knows knees and elbows and chin along with all her face parts. She loves her shoes and taking baths -- although baths are a great drama at either of her Grandma's houses.

I have found some of my Christmas decorations from the move, and the fed ex man brought me some cards today. Tess had her picture taken at Thanksgiving and a have a new scanner so next post I will try to put in some of her Christmas pictures.

Dyn-O-Mite

Tess had a very nice Thanksgiving in Saratoga, although she didn't eat anything but grapes and tried her best to keep her mom from enjoying any turkey either. But she found lots of horses and puppies at her grandparents house in Saratoga, as well as deer out the windows.

Eric and I have been very busy these past few weeks, as it seems everyone is trying to get things done before the end of the year. Eric went to Charlottesville with the guard for a week earlier this month. I went to a quilt retreat down the road for a day and a half. WE've both been traveling for federal cases. As Kermit de frog would say---Times fun when you're having flys.

Boo!

Tess was either a ghost, a nun, or a KKK knight for Halloween. We prefer ghost.

Tess would like to remind all her friends to vote early and often for the canidates of your choice. Your vote counts, after all, the mayoral election in Glendo this spring was decided by one vote.

Proof

Eric has been spreading a rumor around Cheyenne that Tess does not have a Halloween costume. This of course is not true and the following is proof that Halloween preparations are happening at our house.



Pumpkin carving.....

You will note the oraange envelope in the hands. This is in fact one of two Halloween cards Tess has received from both sets of her loving Grandparents. She is delighted!

And yes, she has a costume, a home made costume, but it is a costume. She will be trick-or-treating for Unicef and has her box ready to go. Pictures will surely follow.

What's for Dinner?

Examining the Silver Palate Desserts cookbook after dinner, although hot dogs are always her favorite food.
She is learning, or at least mimicing new words every day. But the latest additional word that she know is NO. It usually follows the question "Shall we put your Jammie's on?" or "I think its time for night-o night-o." Those statements will for sure generate a "No." I would prefer the addition, of "Yes please, mother dear" to her vocabulary, but I guess I will have to wait awhile for that.
She loves to put on her shoes and socks and loves the outdoors. It was a beautiful fall day yesterday so we were able to spend some time playing on her slide (Thanks Gena!), in the sandbox (Thanks Uncle Herb) and with the horses and dogs. She is walking along with us on our dog walks rather than ride in her stroller a little more each evening.
I read somewhere that blogs were as excruciating as a year-long Christmas letter, but I guess you can always click somewhere else.

Only 16 months later, I've finished one of the baby quilts I started working on before Tess was born. I have added some pictures for my quilting buddies. It has embroidery in the center of each block with animals, blocks, rattles etc. in the border it has her name and birthday. It was fun to work on, the color is prettier than it seems in the photos.

Tess went to her developmental screening last week. She passed with flying colors, although just as soon as she was showing them her perfection of one skill they wanted to move on to the next. She wished they could have spent more time on the eating cheerios skill check. She had her hearing tested and pictures taken of her eyes. She is learning more words each day and loves to go outside. Her favorite toy now is a ball and her dad brought her two balls from the National Guard last weekend.

Baby's Best Friend

Spike is just to busy to stop and get his picture taken, and he is smart enough to get out of Tess's way. Cooper on the other hand, is delighted to have someone with as many toys as he does. Although he looks a little suspicious in this photo.
Tess got to spend the first of this week with her grandparents Curtis while mom and dad went to Estes Park for a CLE class and a little R&R. We saw plenty of elk in Estes and the crowds weren't so bad this time of year. Eric had just been in Evanston all of last week for the public defender seminar, and is off to national guard drill this weekend, all this on top of his "normal" travel to Wheatland and Douglas will make him happy to stay in one place for a while I imagine.

Child emerges from cabinet after 10 seconds in captivity...

Please don't call DFS, she actually LIKES getting in the cabinet.

No pictures, just words this week. Fitting because Tess spent last weekend at the Mountains and Plains booksellers trade show in Denver, helping (?) Grandma Curtis. While in Denver, she pretty much perfected use of a spoon or fork, although she used the utensil to carefully remove from her plate what she didn't want (hamburger) and her fingers to eat what she did want (watermelon.) She also was the highlight of the party when she kicked it up on the dance floor to the honky tonk music of Ethyl and the Regulars. She picked out a tonka truck and other toys while she was in the big city. Her and dad like to play ball and all else is well .

Busy as a Bee

Tess has been busy! Over Labor Day weekend, she went to the Denver Zoo with mom and Grammy Curtis. She enjoyed looking at all the wild critters and the wilder people. She understood to find the animals, but almost every animal is a "cow" in her book. She also got to ride on the "choo" train and the carousel. She rode the hyena, and was impressed.

This weekend she was able to attend the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame induction and honor her Great Grandfather Doc Palen who not only was a lifelong supporter of Frontier Days, but was also the resident vet and vital to the acquisition of many of the carriages and other items within the Old West Musuem. Afterwards she shared some blueberry pie and apple brown betty with her Grumpa and Grandma Palen.

While in Cheyenne, she visited Dr. Yost who confirmed she is the perfect 15 month old, weighing in at 23 pounds and 31 inches, she is in the 50% percentile. Her head circumference, however, is the 90th percentile, which surely means she has lots of brains.