Muddy Pumpkins

Quick kitten/Bubba update... Bubba has decided the kittens aren't so bad because they came with kitten food. The kittens mostly just ignore Bubba and do their own thing... which often involves getting into things and places they aren't suppose to.

We went to the pumpkin patch with Melissa this week. Along with James, Leo and Annika's dad, I got to be a chaperon on this trip. Kiddos in tow were Sean, David, Leo, Annika, Cruz, Kahlil, and Langston. We rode in a trailer behind a great tractor though DEEP mud to get to the pumpkin patch. The rule of the patch was that you can only take a pumpkin that you can carry by your self... our pumpkins were pretty small. Back at the farm the kids got to use an air cannon to launch ears of corn across a field. It was pretty loud, but the flying corn was exciting enough that nobody seemed to mind the noise. Then it was off to the rubber duck races which seemed to be the favorite activity of the day. It was a great setup where you put your duck on a gutter-track then pump a hand pump to get water to flow into your gutter and push the duck. Kahlil was awesome at it and won several of his races... Langston may need another year and a few more inches before he's competitive. We also spent a little time in the hay bale maze. The bales were just tall enough to define the maze, but not so tall that the kids couldn't see over them. It was funny because even though Kahlil could see everybody and everything, he got upset a couple times because he was 'lost'. Luckily we were able to point him in the right direction. Despite the chill and the mud, or maybe because of the mud, everybody had a great time.



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The Feline Ghostbusters

We picked up a couple kittens at Heartland Humane Society yesterday. YEA!!! All of our cats have been named after scientists and we saw no reason to change that. But we went a slightly different direction this time... meet Egon and Ray!

Egon (pronounced E-Gone) is 3 months old and he came out of the crate and moved right into the family. He has been here less than two days and he has already been seen chasing Kahlil up the hall, rolling around with Langston on a sleeping bag, getting pulled around the house in a laundry basket, and slipping into the bath with Kahlil and Langston. He also makes it hard to work on the computer as he is a total lover.

Ray is five months old and a little more reserved, but I think he is just about to burst out of his shell. He has mostly hidden in the kitty room since arriving, but he has gotten easier and easier to coax out. This evening he had a mini love-fest with Kahlil and me. We followed that up with some serious play. He may always be a little skittish, but I think he will fit in just fine. And, no, his eyes don't have laser beams in them. I don't have good red eye software and this was the best picture I got that shows what a cool color he is.

You may ask how Bubba (i.e. Kepler, remember the scientist thing?) is with the new additions. Bubba seems to be dealing very well. He and Egon have touched noses and Bubba had a small growl but nothing serious. Since then they have crossed paths several times and nothing more than a sniff has come of it. Bubba hasn't meet Ray so it's possible there will be trouble, but I think it will work out. I think any real trouble will come when Ray and Egon are given free range of the house and think Bubba looks like a fun toy.

The Birthday Party

Kahlil's Big Bounce House Birthday Bash was last weekend. But even before the party we were having fun with our first sleep over! Tivi and Cruz spent Saturday night with us. After lunch on Saturday, while Langston napped the three older kids helped me to bake Kahlil's strawberry coconut cake. Once the cakes were out of the oven, we headed to see Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3-D.

I was a little worried a double feature would be too long to sit still, but all three did great. Cruz was getting a little antsy by the end, but all in all a good moving going experience. The only part of the sleep over that was a little dicey was at bed time. I had the three older kids all on the floor together, but Tivi and Kahlil kept pestering each other. So once Kahlil went to his own room, everybody settled in and slept just fine through the night.

The next morning we all got up and had breakfast. The kids helped me make the frosting and frost the cakes after a few super heroes (and a monkey) ran around the house for a little while.

Then we loaded up and headed to the Bounce House. It was a well attended party by Valerie (w/Andrea), Jack (w/Heidi, Grace, and Mark), Anaika & Leo (w/Jennifer), and Sean & David (w/Priscilla and Brad).

The best thing about the Bounce House is that the grownups get to play too - including crazy Grace! Heidi, Mark and I watched her nervously, but she was fine and really enjoyed her walk on the wild site. We all had a great time, the cake was yummy, and Kahlil did very well on the gift side. I think it will be a fourth birthday to remember.










Langston was VERY excited about the cake and kept moving down the table to get closer.





















Heidi, Jack, Cruz, Tivi, and Kahlil hanging out on the jungle inflatable.


















Tivi, Sean, Kahlil, Leo, Larkin and Langston at the top of the slide.
















Valerie in action.





















Jennifer, Anaika, Tivi, Sean, and Priscilla at the top of the slide. Anaika was fearless on the slide and loved going down all by herself.

















Dad, Little Brother, Birthday Boy, and Mom.

The feverish birthday week

Kahlil turned FOUR on Sunday... but it was a rough week running up to his birthday.

Starting the Sunday before his birthday he started running a fever. It got up to just over 104 so we made a quick trip to the doctor on Monday. His ears and lungs were clear, but he had swollen, spotty tonsils. They tested the tonsils for strep but that was also negative. In general he was healthy - no chest cold, no runny nose, no cough - but this fever just wouldn't go away and he was pretty emotional (nice word for GRUMPY). To control the fever we were medicating every few hours. He would have moments of happiness, but most of the time he was not happy at all. So by Friday we are all on edge and went back to the doctor. She was about to order a blood draw when she notices a light rash on his chest... yea! that meant it was a virus that had pretty much run its course.

But Kahlil's birthday is on Sunday and he had be in a bad mood for a week... what to do? We decided to delay his party for a week which was a good call as the Grump was still around for a few more days. On Sunday we did have cupcakes and presents here at home so there was a bit of a party.

From Grandma and Papa he got a garbage truck which has been a HUGE hit. He has been emptying every toy and drawer he can get to and has constructed a landfill in the office (check it out below). He has spent hours loading stuff into the little trashcan, having the can dump into the garbage truck. Once the truck is full it's off to the landfill!

At Melissa's he got cool a Buzz Lightyear / Woody / rocket ship toy. It's been in his bed with him every night.

He also got a new bike from Mom and Dad. This is a special bike without pedals (they will be added back on later). The lack of pedals lets kids use their feet to push and balance. Once they get the balancing down, you put the pedals back on and they are good to go! He is still a tiny bit small for the bike, but he should be in business next year when we are back in good biking weather.



After the rough start, Kahlil's birthday has been pretty good so far... and we haven't even had the bounce party yet!

The Holavarri Guestroom Landfill - bet you can't wait to come visit and sleep next to this!