What the...??

Hmmm, looks like someone has been doing a little reading in bed.

Curiosity

It's Wordless Wednesday!

(By way of explanation for those who haven't seen or heard of Wordless Wednesday before, it's just a group of bloggers that post with just a picture, not much, if any, dialogue. Kind of like "A picture is worth a thousand words". Check here for more.)

Hello Kitty!

This is one of my fuzzy children, Murphy. We adopted Murph about 18 months ago as an 8-week old kitten. It'd been a long time since I'd had a baby animal around and I was so excited to have a little critter bounding around the house and causing trouble. I was hoping he would grow to be a snugglebug, loving to be held and loved on, seeking out my lap and attention when I managed to actually sit down for a minute.

Alas, he has not turned out to be this kind of cat. Don't get me wrong, he's a sweetheart and a real goofball. He just doesn't love me in the way I'd hoped. Yes, I had selfish intentions when I adopted him. I wanted another little fuzzer to lavish love on and be loved lavishly in return. I'm a bit spoiled in that aspect - my other fuzzy child, Chewie, is very much a momma's boy and practically begs for my attention. Murphy, however, looks at me dolefully whenever I snatch him up to hold, like "Listen lady, I'm just not that kind of a guy." And he hardly ever purrs. Or at least so I thought. I mean, what kind of a cat doesn't purr-rrr-rrrr when being held and loved on? But apparently, he just doesn't purr for me. Hubby and son both informed me that he purrs at them all. the. time.

So while my little feelings are a bit dented at not being the object of my feline's affection, even though I AM the one who feeds him and cleans his litterbox, I'm happy that he seems attached to the kids. I grew up with cats and I think there's something special about being loved by a cat. Murph always is the first to run into the kids' rooms if they call out in the night, checking to see if they are okay. And he is SO tolerant of them and their shenanigans, it amazes me.

Today I went in to get Zoë up from her nap and discovered this:

So the betrayal is complete. Catching him in someone else's bed is the final straw. And while my heart is sad to not be on the receiving end of his fuzzy love, I'm glad my kids will know the joy and comfort of having a warm, purring friend snuggle up with them.

A Whole Lotta Babies

I talked to my cousin this morning to check on her and the babies. Everyone is doing fantastic and she shared with me that they had made the front page of The Orange County Register and were also on the news. This is the first peek I've had at the babies and it just brings tears of joy to my eyes.

And is it just me, or does Cris not look AT ALL like she just gave birth to FOUR babies?!?

http://www.ocregister.com/news/gaiennie-four-lovell-1997252-times-baby

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/media?id=6019138

I can't wait to get down there and get my hands on those kids. I'll go down to help out when they all are home, but until then I'll just look at the video and pictures over and over and over....

p.s. I figured since they were in the paper and on TV that sharing on my blog wouldn't be a much bigger deal. I don't have quite the viewership that the Los Angeles ABC news station does.

p.p.s. Cris, if you happen to see this, I love you and I am SO incredibly proud of you for being so tough and dedicated to these babies. What lucky kids they are to have you as a mommy. I'll see you soon!

The Fruits of my Labor

If there's one part of the house that I can't stand to let stay dirty for long, it's my kitchen. My computer is just behind where I'm standing for this picture, so I have full view of the kitchen and it's mess that I should be cleaning when I am instead playing on my computer.

Yesterday I decided to take bite the bullet, drag myself away from the computer (and all the lovely new blogs I've discovered, thanks to the Ultimate Blog Party) and tackle the kitchen. Of course, since my way of thinking now takes into consideration whether any and all activities are "bloggable", I of course grabbed my camera for some before and after shots.

It really didn't take long and the kitchen was sparkly clean & much more to my liking. Of course, the floors still need to be mopped, but I'm "saving" that as a special treat for myself. Ha.

It does something good for my soul to see my expanse of countertop CLEAR and wiped clean. One of my pet peeves is dirty or wet counters. Gross. I can't stand public bathroom where water and soap is splashed all over the place. And yes, I've been known to wipe them up, thankyouverymuch.

I even managed to sweep and reorganize the bottom of my pantry a bit.

Ah, I feel so much more at peace now. And less guilty as I while the hours away at my computer.

Party on Garth!

Welcome party guests! Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Thanks for coming! Can I get you a drink? I have some lovely Sangria along with a variety of Northwest microbrews. Or perhaps you'd like a glass of iced tea? Whatever you'd like. Help yourself. There's lots of snackies too. Grab some and make yourself comfortable.

Let me tell you a little about myself, since we've just met. My name is Kate - howdy. I have two little children that live in my house, Sam & Zoë. Sometimes I look at them and think "Where'd they come from?" but then they holler "Maaawwwmmm!" and I remember. I'm mainly a stay at home mom but I also work part-time in the evenings at our local hospital. Wouldn't trade it for the world. The part-time job yes, the kids no. I have a terrific hubby too, Josh. He puts up with me and my craziness and has for almost 10 years. Amazing man, he is.

I've recently discovered this crazy blogging world and am having a blast! It's HUGE! Every day I discover something new (like this Blog Party) and am amazed at all there is to see and learn. I'm almost scared to keep clicking for I always find something new and fun to read or participate in and my house is seriously suffering. Mt. Washmore is threatening to erupt again and I'm sure I could make a nutritious and satisfying dinner out of what is on my kitchen floor, if only I'd sweep. Actually that might solve my "what's for dinner" dilemma...

My life is pretty crazy sometimes, but I'm not sure if it's just my quirky crazy take on it, or if it truly is just insane. I'm sure there's some legitimate insanity in there - after all, I have two small kids, one of which is an extremely busy crazy son. But at least he's quit doing things like peeing in the heater vent or the cat box. Although I did catch him with his pants down outside yesterday.... Hmmm. Maybe not as much progress as I thought.

Anyway, hope you'll stick around for awhile. I love having company, but I must warn you. I'll thrust food and baked goods at you and probably talk your ear off. If you can deal with that, then we can be friends.

Leave me a note letting me know you stopped by and your address so I can pay you a visit too! Now, if you'll excuse me I'll go turn up the music a bit and we'll get this party started.

~Kate

Out & About

On Sunday, while I headed back to work, Josh and Auntie M took the kids to the park. It wasn't especially warm but at least it wasn't raining. And being outdoors is always welcome after a long winter cooped up inside. Needless to say, we're all very anxious for Spring!