Texas

On Christmas Day we packed up our family and started the drive to Texas. We were excited to be going to visit Dan's sister and her family. I had a terrible cough (so bad that my ribs ached) and I wasn't looking forward to an 18 hour drive but I knew that we would all have fun once we got there. The kids did great. We stopped in the middle of the night and got a hotel room (due mostly to my whining) and caught a few hours of sleep before Dan had us up and going again. Upon arrival, my older two children disappear....and I have to say that I really didn't see much of them the entire week we were there! They really enjoyed spending time with their cousins. Lauren was in her glory. She LOVES animals and the Texas clan has 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 4 degus (small rodents) in the house and 4 goats outside! Will was constantly asking to hold the degu and climbing into the goat pen. Alec had fun on the trampoline and he played the Wii every chance he got!

Chris took the adults to see some of the devastation from Hurricane Ike. You would not believe how bad it is, and it has been 3 months since the hurricane hit. There is garbage along the streets that was washed in and people's houses are completely unlivable....still. It makes you wonder where the help from the government is. There was much more to see, but unfortunately for everyone else, I had a migraine and ended up yakking alongside the road. How embarrassing.

Tuesday night we got to go to the Texas Bowl at the Reliant Stadium. It was a cool experience for the kids. I enjoyed watching the marching bands that performed before the game and at half-time. The Texas Rice team was kicking poor Western Michigan's butt and William was getting restless, so we ended up leaving early.

The kids really enjoyed the day that we went to Brazos Bend State Park. They got to see alligators in their natural habitat. They even got to pet a baby alligator in the nature center! We walked and talked and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Oh, and the kids climbed lots of trees! I learned that my kids aren't the only monkeys in the family!!!

It was sad when we had to pack up to leave. Lauren and Alec kept asking if we could stay longer. I was so happy to have had a chance to reconnect with a part of our family that we rarely see. I wish we all lived closer! A big thanks to Chris and Jeff for opening their home to us and thanks to the kids for giving up or sharing their bedrooms! We love those barefoot Texas hillbillies!!!!!

Fostering turned into adoption....

The mother of Lauren's best friend calls me one morning at the end of November to beg me to help her. She has found a very tiny kitten outside her house and she cannot take any more cats in (she has 4). She wonders if I can foster the kitten and try to find it a home. I am a complete softy when it comes to cats, so of course I agree. I figure, my grandma wants a cat or my youngest sister...one of them will be sure to take it off my hands! He is only about 7 weeks old and very thin. I make an appointment at the vet to get him his first set of shots. He only weighs 1.5 lbs. The vet tells me that he has: Anisocoria (pupils of differing sizes that may cause vision or balance problems) and an abnormally fast heartbeat (meaning a heart defect of some sort...the cat could live for a long time or die tomorrow). He gets his first shot and they tell me he needs to have a booster shot in about 6 weeks. They ask for his name and I tell them that we have not named him, we are going to find him a home. They smile knowingly.

FAST FORWARD: The kitten has been at our house for about 2 weeks. The kids (and I) are getting really attached to him. My grandma has told me that she doesn't want a cat until she retires from helping out in the schools and my sister cannot have a pet in the apartment that she is renting. I begin to notice that the kitten is sneezing a LOT and seems to be very stuffed up. I take him to the vet again. I am still sure that I can find a home for this kitten and I can't very well pawn a sick cat off on someone! I tell the vet we have been calling the kitten "Lucky". He has only gained .2 lbs (which is not enough) and I find out that he has an upper respiratory infection and conjuntivitis (pink eye). I get him the medicine he needs and leave with the sudden realization that this cat is going nowhere but home with me. Poor Dan.....

We change the kitten's name to "Emmett" (Lauren and I are both big Twilight fans). Baxter and Olive are not thrilled to have a new addition to the house. He knocks the ornaments off the tree and climbs up into it. My poor artificial tree shakes and the branches get bent. But the kids and I are loving this kitten. He is so playful and lovable. When I pick him up he cuddles up to my face and licks my chin. So cute!

FAST FORWARD to this week: Emmett is excessively sneezing again. Back to the vet. He gets a booster shot and more antibiotics. He is up to 3.2 lbs. I ask when he can get "fixed". He needs to weigh between 5 and 6 lbs. I am starting to realize that this fostering turned adoption project is getting kind of expensive. But we love this little ball of energy and we wouldn't trade him for the world!