On Birthdays and Bowling

Here are a few pictures of my birthday, it started with a trip to the bowling alley with our church for our annual bowling party. It was a great day and all the girls had fun, Annette even had a tiny pair of bowling shoes to wear, Lila bowling was a constant source of laughter as her ball would meander down the lane taking, I kid you not, a full minute to go down the lane. It even stopped once and came back at us for a lack of any real momentum. It was a great time spent with friends that feel more like family. And to wrap it up with a trip to McDonald's with pastor Andy and his wife 'miss' Nancy. It was then time for naps to party hard at Mamma Teri and Pappa Mark's house for a birthday party. Mom made a yummy whip cream cake with cherries and it was gobbled up with glee by her granddaughters and all the rest. Birthdays are great especially when you have people you love to spend it with.

Fred the Cat: Post Script

Another cat story,  I promise the last one for awhile, its really about some of the people in my life but without the cat there would be no story.

After church on Sunday we came home to beautiful weather and after putting the two youngest girls to bed for naps, Anya and Paul decided to go on a bike ride.  Great, thought I this is my moment for a little quiet time and proceeded to enjoy my day.   Little did I know the drama to come my way.  

There I was sitting quietly on the sofa when in comes Anya agitated and distraught and Paul was close behind feeling about the same way.  Well it turns out that while on the bike ride they were enjoying they saw a sign looking for a lost cat. Anya and Paul told me it has a stripey tail and it looks just like Fred.  I  thought that sounded great we could help Fred find his home.  But they were both upset and didn't really want to lose the cat, but agree calling the owner was the right thing to do.  Then it was time to get everyone ready for evening church and I didn't give it another thought in the hubbub of herding our family.  Paul however was still thinking about losing Fred and on the way to church took a detour and brought me to the sign in a neighboring street

  So while my family sat waiting for me to give the verdict, was it Fred , I went to look at the sign.  When I returned to the car I found them all (OK Annette had no idea what was going on) holding their collective breaths:  I announced OK folks its not Fred unless Fred was covered in stripes from head to tail and I missed something that was definitely not him.

   I haven't seen Paul that relieved in a long time, he still had his cat. 

Fred the Cat

We have a cat, or really there is a cat that has us.  We were chosen.  This December during the big freeze of 2008 a cat appeared at our door looking sad and pitiful without a collar in the 19 degree weather.  You try ignoring a cat when it is freezing outside, I am not a cat person I really like dogs better on the whole, but even I was taken by this little furball.  I mean it was COLD outside and there Fred was, yes I named it Fred, looking up at us shivering.  Well OK not shivering more purring like crazy and waiting for us to do something, and we did!  A bed was found, cream was poured and the cat pronounced ours by the little girls.  We explained to the gals that the cat was most likely lost or just visiting, and that we were just helping take care of one of God's little creatures.  Fred stayed with us on the front porch for several days, until the neighbor girl came for her cat.  Yeah!  We now knew that Fred had a family and we didn't have to worry. 

     And then Fred came back looking for company and food.  Everyday when the family next door goes off to their jobs and school Fred comes over and stares at us through the glass keeping up with what the family is up to, and begging for food. ( he now has his own dish and still has the bed we set up for him on that first cold day.)  And sometime at night he goes home to his real family.  Still no collar but we're pretty sure we know he belongs over there.  

Its great the girls have a cat to pet and talk to, and he goes home at night.  He even hunts and that is great for us ( see post Mouse: Friend or Foe?) the best kind of pet for us right now.

Hello New Year!

I'll start by saying Happy New Year, and no I have not made any resolutions. Not that I am not striving everyday to improve myself, because most days I am trying, but that just keeping up with my kids really keeps me busy enough and being a mother of young active children is really like being in a refiners fire on most days. And I love every minute, even the hard ones.
One thing I am doing as a continuation of last year is to work on frugality and becoming more aware of what we use and how it affects our live health and budget. Really we are just trying to go back to the way things used to be done, things that were good for us, healthy and productive. With Paul's business we have become more environmentally friendly with the products he uses and that has happened for the past few years into our home use as well. I have come to think that one of the best things in the world is baking soda, is there anything it can't clean? Probably, but I haven't found it yet! (If any of you have any great "green" and cost saving cleaning tips let me know I'm always looking for more. And if you are interested in what I am doing and have tried let me know.) I have once again embraced baking into my life and enjoying making bread and all sorts of different things from scratch. (Any great bean recipes out there??)
No resolutions this year but plenty of goals old and new to fulfill, children to chase after, and dreams to follow.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  I hope this finds you well and happy, as we are this holiday. 

 Our Christmas started with a bang of the door and Anya running in to announce that Christmas had arrived and Santa had come!  She was so excited, and quickly her sisters followed behind to wake up the house and rip open their gifts.  The gals were also happy that my brother Paul spent the night to experience the Christmas spirit with the girls,  it was a pretty busy, fun morning for all.  After all that we still were to head over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers house for 2nd Christmas.  We had and will have four Christmases total when Paul's folks returned home from their Arizona Christmas, and when my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Greg come to their Washington beach home for the holiday and to bring tamale Christmas, the girls like all these parties and they think this should happen every day.  So the Christmas party goes on and the spirit remains, but I think it might be time for a nap.   

Happy Birthday Annette

Happy Birthday little one whose favorite color is: yellow. Hard to believe two years have gone by , you've grown teeth and wings, through the house and up those stairs you can fly, and you're talking all the time. What a busy girl God has blessed us with and we thank him everyday. We love you very much Annette June!

Disneyland Pictures at Last!

Here it is December and snowing and I am just posting our vacation pictures now, however keep in mind that I live in a ZOO. Our trip was fun and warm! We left our home on a cold morning and arrived in California's 80 degree sunshine just in time for my baby brothers wedding rehearsal. We had a great time the girls were very fine "Wedding Girls" and the bride was beautiful, it was quite a party! After partying their little hearts out at Uncle Tristan and Aunt Brittney's nuptials the girls were ready for: DISNEYLAND.

DISNEYLAND!!!! is really how the words appeared in my mind as we drove up to the Disneyland hotel, entered the park and even now as I sit in 26 degree weather watching the snow coming down. It's my favorite place to go and I know the girls, and my Aunt Patty agree: It's fun fun fun. Lila loves rides that are fast and wet is even better, she even went up to meet the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow after he followed her around! Anya preferred the more mellow rides this year although splash mountain and the Grizzly river ride were favorites for both. Annette of course loved Winnie the Pooh and the Carousel. The girls went to the Princess lunch and brought along Mamma and Papa and their parents. It was a highlight for them to visit with all the Princesses and wear their princess dresses. In the end it was hard to leave, as Anya told us crying in the bath the night before departure, and plans are already in the works for the next trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth".