Monday, October 28, 2013

Cats and early birthdays

Well, once again, I am behind schedule on posting. So this is from a couple weeks ago. The kids have gotten used to the new kitten around the house. Both of them enjoy the fact that she doesn't bolt as soon as they get close. Sara Beth will give Lilly cat treats, and Hudson has picked up on this behavior any time he sees a bag of cat treats, he will clamor for the bag and then dump it all over the carpet for the cats.
  Hudson is not alone in messing up our carpets though.  I walked into the living room one afternoon to find that Sara Beth had made a "magic path" in the living room by spreading handfuls of cat food all over the floor. Her thought is that the cats would slowly eat across the floor and once they eat it all up, she would replenish the path. I mentioned that people might step on and crush the cat food; Sara Beth countered by demonstrating that she could carefully navigate from one end of the living room to the other without stepping on any food. After further discussions were topics such as the potential for ants and the freshness of the cat food stored on floors instead of sealed containers were raised, it was decided that she and I could have a race to see who could pick up cat food faster. It was a close race, but I think she might have won the race.
Every day, Hudson seems to become more and more mobile and capable. And he then uses that mobility to get into more and more dangerous situations. He now has the ability to climb on top of the plastic play house in the back yard. He did it a couple times while I was back there carefully observing him. The next time he did it, Heather and I were in the kitchen and Hudson decides to go off head first, though no permanent injuries were sustained. Here is a picture of him trying to take his wheelbarrow backwards up the slide.
Heather went out of town for a long weekend to go to an antique auction, so I took care of the kids she was gone. Sara Beth came to me asking to get four braids in her hair. I am rather impressed with how it turned out.
When the weekend was over, Heather came back with her mom and step dad and a truck full of deals from the auction. Seeing as how it was the beginning of October and Dennis' birthday was at the end of the month, we had an early celebration for him.
Sara Beth and her grandmother got to have some good quality time together. Unfortunately, it has been several weeks since this picture was taken so I don't remember exactly what they were planning, but I do remember they had a good time doing it.
Sara Beth has gotten really good at sharing. Routinely, she will now offer her brother food and candy. When she is done with her dinner, she will get a dessert for herself and for Hudson as well. Hudson is thrilled by all the cool stuff she brings him.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Climbing and cats

Since the last time I posted, one of our cats, Little Bit, passed away. It was a sad time, but after some discussion, Heather and I decided to try getting a new kitten again. We decided to try a little girl cat with longer hair this time. Longer hair means less shedding, and girl cat means less marking of territory. Lilly (or "Sparkle Princess" as I like to call her), is a resounding success. She is really sweet, allowing both Hudson and Sara Beth to pet her. Here, Sara Beth is showing of her game to Lilly on the iPad.
Hudson is definitely improving his climbing skills by climbing on anything that is safe to get on top of, and several things that are unsafe. Heather will still put him down for a nap in his crib, and I am amazed that he has not decided to try climbing out of it yet. Apparently, his crib is the only thing he will not climb. He will get on top of the cat tree, kitchen counters, and the dangerous side of the stairs.
He is still fascinated with taking things to the trash can. If you ask, he will take the bag of dirty diapers out of the waste basket in his room, climb down the stairs with it, and take it out to the trash can at the curb with a huge smile on his face.
Hudson's obsession with the trash is partially due to the fact that he likes to lift heavy objects. We brought out a cooler to take to the Wylie football game, and he took no time at all trying to carry it around the house, despite the fact it is twice as big as he is. We had a lot of fun at the game. Sara Beth saw one of her kindergarten friends so we all sat together. They spent the entire game cheering for the other team.
When Sara Beth got her bike out to ride it around the drive way, Hudson decided he wanted to learn how to ride a bike too, and eagerly climbed onto Sara Beth's old bike. Unfortunately, even with the seat at the lowest setting, he could not reach the peddles. We are probably going to get him some sort of properly sized wheeled device for Christmas.
This is the aftermath of eating spaghetti. Most of the time, Hudson will eat his dinner without making any sort of mess, but spaghetti is another matter. We will always strip him down to his diaper and typically have to mop the floor after he is done.
It actually rained her in Texas for the first time in months. Fortunately it was on the weekend, so I was home and able to take the kids out to frolic in it. It actually got a little chilly for a bit.