A year with kittens

A year ago, our house was feeling empty when our old cat died. He had cancer and a severe case of the grumps, but he still left us feeling like something was missing. That was when I had the brilliant idea to foster kittens. But look at these little faces. How could we not keep them? Hobbes made himself at home the moment he found the food dish.

 Cinderella showed no fear. She has since learned to fear thunder. She still loves to play with string.

This is their mother, Padme. It took some serious coaxing to get her to come out and join the family. She has since found a family of her very own.

Cinderella loves her toys. Hobbes has grown fond of the toys too - as long as they contain catnip. He walks around the house meowing whenever he is carrying one around. Sometimes we have to hide his toys at night.

Cinderella is a big helper.  She acted as a prop for Halloween.

Hobbes likes to show off his bunny butt.

Cinderella will never let her brother outdo her on the weirdness scale.

Hobbes was sure he was the best gift ever. (He's right.)

Cinderella checking out the toys we made for the homeless kitties at the shelter.

Hobbes didn't like the plant.

It takes too much effort to stand and drink. Love the water dish, Cinderella. Love it.

Cinderella waiting for favorite human to get out of the bathroom.

So there you have it. A year with the kitties. We don't feel like we're missing anything anymore. (Except for maybe some homework and legos) My next blog will not involve kitties. Promise.

Rebel Princess has been nominated for best cover!

Hop on over the the New LDS Fiction blog to vote for your favorite cover. And, while you're there, check out the other amazing covers in the other categories.

Enjoy them when they're big!

I can't count the number of times people told me to enjoy my kids while they were little because they grow so fast. It's true.  They did grow fast, but I didn't stop loving them the moment my son's voice changed or my daughter developed hips and a somewhat obsessive interest in cute boys. They were fun while they were little - and they still are. In fact, I think they get better with time. Wiping bottoms and runny noses can't compare with exchanging books and laughing about jokes that actually make sense.

Here are some advantages to having older kids;

First off, they are still cute.  Look at that face.

I still get to make her hair all pretty.

 We can use much more exciting mediums for art projects. He twisted this balloon animal all by himself.

We made these shirts with permanent markers and rubbing alcohol--definitely not something you would do with a toddler.

We can go hiking with them and don't have to carry anyone. (Blogger did something funky with some of my pictures.)

They can still be silly.  Here we are at the dinosaur quarry in Vernal Utah. They are touching a real dinosaur bone. (They have a designated place for people to touch the bones.)

The quarry was actually pretty packed, but I never had to worry about someone wandering off or running away.

We can stand by rivers and not worry that someone is going to drown.

In a few months I will get my own personal errand boy.

 Their school projects are fun and don't involve macaroni noodles.

 There was a cobweb I couldn't reach. He made a contraption that involved a mop, a broom, and some duct tape to clean it for me.

Blogger did something really weird with this picture. I'm posting it anyway. It's kinda funny. His entire head was attached when he was cooking. 

The older they get, the better they get at cooking.

He collected over $1000 worth of items for a local children's hospital. Talk about a proud Mommy moment!

So don't panic when someone tells you to enjoy your kids while they are little.  You can still enjoy them when they're big.