Rest in Peace, Sweet Kitty

Christmas 1998

We had to say goodbye to our kitty today. Her breathing the last day and a half seemed a little labored, so Tom took her to the vet today. They did an x-ray and saw lots of fluid. They took that out, but said that there were no signs of infection or anything else they could treat. Just an old heart. Tom stayed with her (I was at home with the kids), which is just as good, because I would have had a hard time being there. Even Tom shed some tears in her last moments. She was a cat who only got better with age. Seventeen and a half years isn't too bad for a cat. I'm sure she's meowing up a storm in kitty heaven. We'll miss you, Iniki!

Aa-choo

Charlotte and I had a girls morning running errands today. As we were browsing through a new store, a gentleman near us sneezed a few times. Charlotte looked up at me and said "He has the bless-you's!"

(Almost) Famous

Charlotte's made the big time! A few weeks ago, the district photographer came to her Parent-Toddler class, and this week she and a few of her friends are in the district newsletter. They're starting to really push building a new Early Childhood Center. I think she makes a great advertisement!

Here is the link to the full newsletter in case you're interested.

Look What We Discovered at Swimming Today

Wow was this a thrill. Discovering that they can fit inside a locker at the Y. Endless fun. If only we hadn't had to leave to go home for naptime!

Charlotte and Cold Weather

Charlotte: "I ready for winter!"

Charlotte: "I toot"

Mama: "You had a toot?"

Charlotte: "No!! I SO TOOT"

(translation - I so cute!)

Mama: "Yes, you are babe!"

Boo to You from St Lou!

Due to Nicholas having a fever and being diagnosed with influenza yesterday (as well as a probable secondary infection) we had to forgo the trick-or-treating this year so as not to spread the flu throughout our neighborhood . I thought this would be a huge problem (especially because Nicholas was feeling basically 100% tonight since he's been on medication), but it turned out to be such a fun night...we didn't even miss it! I snagged this picture in between trick-or-treaters. Charlotte wore Nicholas' lion costume from when he was 2, and Nicholas wore his monkey from last year. It is the last picture of that big pumpkin. Sometime during the night it disappeared!

One source of entertainment? Well there was a big game on! USC played Oregon, a big intrafamily rivalry. Sadly for us, USC was beaten handily by Oregon (the alma mater of two of my brothers).

Nicholas tried to help out. Having ditched the monkey coat (it's a little toasty), he practiced his kickoffs:

What form!

Charlotte cheered him on

Charlotte also got hot, ditched the costume and started her own game of jumping off the family room steps. She loves counting to three and then jumping. She holds up one finger for all three numbers as she counts.

She got more and more brave at the door as we passed out candy. Nicholas watched from the family room window as the kids came up the front walk. He wanted to know what every costume was. I couldn't even tell what some of them were! I fear the boy costumes of the future.

In the end, there was enough candy for all our visitors, with more than enough left over for our family.

Happy Halloween to all!

It Smells Like Autumn!

I cut out a recipe from the Magic House newsletter for pumpkin pie play clay awhile ago. We had the day off from school today, so we decided to make it. It required 1/4 c (yes, that's CUP) of pumpkin pie spice per batch, and I always make double. But who has that much pumpkin pie spice at one time?? I had almost 1/4 c, so I just used that and threw in some extra cinnamon and miscellaneous other sweet spices. It was potent! I'm thinking that might have been a misprint. Regardless, it smelled great and was a fun activity for Charlotte.

Meanwhile Nicholas took a page from Charlotte's playbook and did "stickers". The joy of free labels. One batch of labels was from M.A.D.D. That was quite a conversation explaining that one! My job as parent is only going to get tougher as his reading improves. Bumper stickers are not my friend!

LECC Halloween at the Magic House

Every Halloween, Nicholas' preschool rents out the Magic House for an evening. (Here are last year's pictures) This year we planned on taking the whole crew, but Charlotte needed to recover so Nicholas and I headed off alone. We spent the entire two hour party in one small exhibit. There is a traveling exhibit about Curious George here that Nicholas hadn't seen. He was hooked. And not at all because of Curious George.

There was golfing. Three holes with different obstacles.

There was a big conveyor-belt thing that required both loading and turning of a wheel.

Nicholas was a total "turn the wheel" hog. He had to be reminded that there were other kids also interested in taking a turn.

So there I sat. Watching most parents and kids come and go out of our little room. But not my Nicholas, who has always had the longest attention span of anyone his age. He could only be convinced to leave for one reason:

pumpkin donut holes

In the end, it was all about having fun, and boy did he ever. I certainly know where to take him for serious entertainment!

Why Daddy Isn't in Charge of the Blog

Tom scored some tickets to the Rams game today and took Nicholas. It was the first game Nicholas has made it to this year. As they walked out the door, I handed Tom the camera, hoping for some great photos.

Here's what I got:

While clearly I'm thrilled that they got to see Peyton Manning (sarcasm intended), I wasn't so thrilled that there were zero pictures of my son at the game. I have learned the lesson that I need to be specific with what I'm looking for in my pictures! Sadly, the Rams continued their season-long losing streak, though my guys didn't seem to care. If only I could see their joy in pictures... :)

Our Birthday Boy is FIVE!

Our special day for Nicholas started with Daddy-decorations: balloons, streamers, birthday flags. You name it, Tom uses it to decorate. The stairway streamers were a new addition this year.

Nicholas got to choose the meals for the whole day. Breakfast was breakfast quesadillas, and lunch was....sandwiches! I bought this sandwich cutter a few months ago, hoping to entice him into eating sandwiches to no avail. But the dolphin/heart cutter is back, and was requested today.

I finished most of the cake during nap/rest time, but the kids helped by putting on the raspberries and the sprinkles. Nicholas' requirements for the cake were that it had to be raspberry, pink, green and blue. I remade the strawberry cream cake I made for his 4th birthday with raspberries instead, tinted the icing pink, and had them cover it with blue and green sprinkles. What would we do without sprinkles?!?

He had me make homemade macaroni and cheese with peas for dinner. In a pink bowl of course.

The big moment...

Charlotte was NOT, I repeat NOT happy that it was not her birthday, or that she couldn't just have cake for dinner.

Once we finally got around to eating the cake, all became well in the world once again.

Nicholas has inherited my eat-every-last-bite-of-cake gene.

Presents! (Charlotte pretends to be interested, but really just keeps working on her cake)

His present from us was a new set of golf clubs so we adjourned the party to the outdoors to try them out. He got his last clubs on his 3rd birthday, and it was (conveniently) time to move up to the next size. Now he has five clubs in his bag. Watch out!

Birthday Boy

Style Diva

As one of our last days before the hectic school year begins, Nicholas requested a "jammie day" today. We had nowhere to be, so jammie day it was. Charlotte was happily going along with the plan until she spotted a birthday shirt in the basement that her Aunt Libby had sent for her to wear in October. With all the birthday talk the last week, Charlotte was feeling a little left out and decided she NEEDED (a big word for her these days) to wear it. So off went the footie pajamas and on went the birthday shirt. To accompany it? Oh the rain boots her Aunt Erin had sent. It was hand-me-down heaven day for her. How happy it she??

Bumper Crop

I'll start by saying that we have been completely ignoring our back patio as it is full of pipes for Tom's water project (to be discussed in a future post, I'm sure). It is a disaster back there and I just try to pretend that it doesn't exist. That being said, Tom and the kids ventured out amidst the weeds today and found that the strawberry plants we put in last year have popped up and are kicking out some berries. The kids were thrilled to be eating things that we actually had grown, however inadvertently. Maybe someday we'll attempt a real garden!

The boys hunting

Success!

The perfect outfit for the day!

Future Doctors/Handymen

Today Nicholas put on his doctor outfit (left over from his tubes surgery). Charlotte was not happy about the fact that we only have one set of "scrubs". She was placated with a spare shoe cover as a hat. They started using the doctor kit, but really, how many times can you check in each others ears and give each other shots? So they moved on to the tools box, which has much more variety. Luckily they used the tools to "do some work" on the fireplace and the floor and not each other. Judging from the above picture, they certainly take their work seriously.

Cat Class Farewell

In lieu of going to school on our last day, the Cat class and their families met at a park for a farewell picnic.

Nicholas and Ms. Jamey whom he adored (somehow I missed getting a picture with his other teacher Ms. Sally)

Jack Gunther, Nicholas and Logan

Charlotte tried to play with the boys...

but got distracted by the availability of CheezIts

Jack Rollo and Nicholas in a serious game of "bolleyball" as Nicholas calls it

The gang - Logan, Jack Gunther, Nicholas, Jack Rollo and Henry

We were so lucky to be with such wonderful children and teachers this year. Nicholas and I both made some great friends.