The GOLDEN Lizard

I had it in my head that we would be getting a new kitten yesterday. The kids and I actually wanted to get one for Marc on his birthday Saturday, but the shelter was closed. We figured it's time, Biggles isn't coming home :( We checked out a few other places (Petsmart and Uptown Pets) but no luck. Anyways, we did NOT get a kitten yesterday...Marc had other intentions.

I don't think I have mentioned that Scale (our Chinese water dragon) has been sick for like six weeks. It started out with an eye infection. I took him to the vet before our RV trip and got some meds for him. They didn't seem to help though. I don't think he has eaten in like a month. He is so lethargic, but won't croak. I had given up...I was NOT going to take him back to the vet for another $150 visit. Besides, where am I gonna find the time?

I'm actually quite proud of Marc. He took the initiative to call around until he found the vet I took Scale to last time. He made an appointment for him and took him in. The kids and I met up with him at the veterinary hospital after I picked up the boys. I guess Scale almost died when the vet poked him to administer some fluids :( Amazingly, he had lost hardly any weight though. Sooo...after that $200 visit, we drove to Petsmart and got Scale an entire new husbandry. That was another $300 or so. We needed a glass cage because his screen cage is just not holding the humidity he needs.

I think this lizard has cost us over $1000 so far. If he makes it through all his treatments he shall be otherwise knows as The Golden Lizard. Only time will tell...we have to give him lots of meds, vitamins, and force feed him for the next week.

Victorious Procrastination

Some people think I am nuts (some get frustrated...Marc ;) by my procrastination technique in regards to school, but I just can’t help it. The rewards (A’s) are so reinforcing. Yup, I got a 98% on my first exam. I only missed one. The silly thing is that I felt 100% about 36 of the questions and was a little iffy about 4 of them. So as I walked out of the class, I knew that I at least got a 90%...so shouldn't I have been ecstatic about only missing one??? Nope, not me…I was pissed I didn’t get 40/40. Sigh, I REALLY need to get out of my med school mentality.

So…I think I am finally getting into the groove of things, schedule wise. This week was a breeze, even though Marc was gone and I had a test to prepare for. I think I really needed the single mom time in order to push myself into gear. I just have to realize that I can NOT rely on him and this semester is going to be rough…it’s just a couple of months…WE can do this ;) I don’t know why I put so much on my plate, but I just can’t seem to help it. I feel like the energizer bunny…I just keep going…going…going.

Maybe I shouldn't have taken a class AND a practicum. I LOVE my class though. It’s Human Sexuality and we all know that anything that has to do with SEX is right up my alley ;) I haven’t actually “enjoyed” attending class in a long time. Here is a look at my weekly chaos. It may be nothing compared to some, but for some reason I was having a hard time settling in :(

Mondays – Wake the boys up for school at 6:45. Get them ready and to school by 8. Work out and get ready for the day at the gym. Meet with client from 10-11. Pick up boys and take them to lunch at 11:20. Get them back to school in time to meet Jaimee (our sitter) at Bronson by 12:30 for Aspen’s swim lesson. Feed Aspen and go grocery shopping for the week. I have just enough time to drop the groceries off at home before I have to head back out the door at 2:45 to pick up the boys. From 4 to 7, I have to make dinner, try to spend some quality time with the boys, and do their homework with them. At 7 I try to start the bedtime routine: bath, teeth, stories (it NEVER goes as smoothly as it may sound) and have them in bed at 9PM. By then I am pooped and the TV entertains Aspen instead of mommy reading her a bedtime story :(…I need to do better with that. Sigh, there I go putting more pressure on myself.

Tuesdays – Wake the boys AND Marc up at 6:45. Marc helps me out by taking the boys to breakfast and school on Tuesday mornings. After I get them out the door I get ready before waking Aspen up at 8. I have to have her ready and to school by 9. Tennis from 9:30-10:30. I usually squeeze in a quick cup of coffee before I pick her back up at 11:30. Aspen and I just kind of enjoy the afternoon together doing whatever. Jaimee comes over to watch Aspen at 3PM so I can take off and get some studying in before my 5–6:15 class. Come home and start cooking a simple dinner. Jaimee usually returns with the kids by 7:15. They have quite a busy evening too…Meredith picks up the boys from school for me and drops them off at tennis. Jaimee picks them up at 5:15 and takes all the kids to gymnastics. After we eat dinner, we pretty much go straight into the bedtime routine.

Wednesdays – The mornings start out pretty much the same as Mondays. After I observe a client from 10-11, I have to go to WMU for an hour to do my weekly office work…aka bitch work for my practicum. I get home around 12:45 to feed and hang out with Aspen before we do a repeat of Monday afternoon/evenings. The boys homework for the week must be completed by this evening because it is due on Thursday mornings.

Thursdays are kind of similar to Tuesdays…Marc takes the boys after I get them ready so I can move on to getting Aspen ready. However, starting next Thursday, my afternoons will be a little more chaotic. I will be dropping Aspen off to my grandma at 2:45. It is my day to carpool, so I pick up the boys, Henry, and Eloise. I will have just enough time to drop them off at West Hills for tennis and get to another client for an observation at 4PM. After that, I have class from 5-6:15. Marc has all the kids picked up and dinner usually started by the time I get home at 6:30 (well that’s the plan anyways...I feel like I have only picked food up on my way home thus far).

Fridays – I take the boys to school and head to the gym (I can’t believe I am working out five mornings a week…well maybe only once so far, I’ve skipped a few already…BUT, that’s the plan ;) I have a weekly meeting on campus from 9:30-11:30. After I get out, I have to run to the office and grab Aspen from Marc. We hang out together until it's time to pick up the boys. Jaimee is supposed to come at 4:30 so I can observe a client from 5-6, but the graduate therapist/client haven't gotten it worked yet so I haven't had to do it thus far. Date night starts at 6...YAY!!! I will also start having to visit a client on Sunday evenings for an hour :(

WOW, this is a long blog thus far...what's next? I have some GREAT news, Aspen is doing better with school. She didn't cry on Tuesday (she was still upset when I put her in the car, but no tears dropped down). Thursday didn't really count because she had a field trip and I got to stay with her. She just needs to bond with one of her teachers and she'll be fine. There was a time that she would cry when I would leave her with Jaimee too, but now she is always like YAY....Jaimee ;) Next Tuesday shouldn't be bad either. It's applesauce day so I plan on staying to help out. I hope these two mommy days don't cause her to regress.

Wheee!!!

This is my FAVORITE pic of these girls.

She found her perfect pumpkin.

Last, but not least, Marc's birthday was yesterday. He and I celebrated on Friday night together. I didn't plan anything this year because we both felt we just needed some alone time together. We had a WONDERFUL evening. We played tennis for a bit, went to dinner, then enjoyed a soak at Oasis. It might have been my first soak minus the poke haha. LMAO...my grandma calls it the soak-n-poke ;) But we really just enjoyed each others company and conversed through the entire session...ooops. There was a light drizzle outside too...it made for the perfect setting.

Last night the kids and I took Marc to dinner at Hana East. Larry and Carrie came along with their daughter. Our company was FANTASTIC, but our dinner was HORRIBLE. I think it was the worst food I have ever had there. The guy was new and just simply sucked. You would think that they would test him out first...be sure he really knows how to cook table side. He didn't provide any entertainment either...no volcano :( Hmmm...why am I complaining, aren't girls supposed to be satisfied with cake for dinner ;)

Candy Trail

Every fall, we take one last trip in the RV. This is the third year we have gone during a "Halloween" weekend. The kids love breaking out there costumes early and trick-or-treating in September. We went to Holly, MI (near Detroit) the first few times but when we found out that the campground was no longer a jellystone we decided to go to the Yogi Bear Resort in Fremont, IN this year.

We LOVE that campground BUT the trick-or-treating SUCKED. We went during the "parade" weekend. It was just a mess. They have everyone that is handing out candy make a big circle in the athletic field and all the children walk around in the big circle. It was DUMB...the kids even hated it. In Holly it's normal, all the kids walk around to each campsite just as they would in their neighborhood. Most of the sites are usually decorated really well because they hold a decorating contest during that time. You "feel" like it's Halloween in September :) In all fairness to the Fremont park, I guess they only do the parade once out of their three Halloween weekends. I will just have to be sure NOT to book our trip for that weekend next fall.

I guess she should have been Cinderella ;)

We had beautiful weather. It was so nice that they still had the pool open. The kids quickly learned that just because it is sunny out doesn't mean it necessarily warm ;) They had a blast playing water wars though. It's amazing how long it takes to fill 20 water balloons but how quickly they're gone. The days of tying them by myself should be over soon, hopefully.

All in all it was a great family trip. We all got to enjoy one last weeny roast and s'mores...I need s'more season to be over ;)...although cider and donuts aren't much better. We had one little mishap though. Poor Nicholas, he left a candy trail and lost all his candy on the way back to the RV. How did he not realize he was carrying his bag upside down??? He didn't even notice until we were near the RV (the athletic field was a great distance away) By then, it was too late. Marc went back a little bit but was able to find only a few pieces here and there. Nicholas was so upset...devastated might be a better description.

The kids LOVE doing crafts.

After we got home, Marc packed his bags and headed up north to go fishing with his Pah for the week. So it will be me by myself this week :( The worst part is that I have a test Thursday evening with no time to study...I foresee LOTS of 4AM mornings for me this week so I can get all the reading done. Crystal is going to help me out and pick up Aspen from school on Thursday so I can cram it all in (that's really what I would probably do anyways).

The kids and I got off to a great start though :) After Marc left I packed up their bikes (and Blake's scooter). It was a perfect day for an afternoon at the Celery Flats. The kids love riding and frog hunting there, and we made the best of it. I think we were there for three hours. We decided to cross the street and tackle a different trail. It took us to the Portage Library, the kids thought it was so cool riding there bikes somewhere. We took a reading break (well not really a "break", we were there for an hour until the library announced it was closing).

It was such a treat for me to watch them enjoy our adventure. I wish I would have brought my bike. Marc and I used to, but it was too much work to ride so slow and hop on and off to help the kids up the strong inclines. But today, they all did such a great job. Blake is even getting really good on his scooter. I told him that I think his balance is finally there and that he should be able to ride a bike now. His reply was, "Mom, you know, some people are just not bike people...I'm a scooter person." I guess that's that, until next year ;)

Yin and Yang

I thought that once school started my boys would be more civilized to each other. They are like Yin and Yang, I swear. They literally kick each other's asses already...I don't even want to imagine what it is going to be like during the teenage years. They sometimes start within minutes of getting in the car after school.

Yesterday, the beatings began in our house before we even left for school (that means they were at each other's throats by 7AM). I ended it by giving them a good whoopin, that usually only makes them join forces and hate ME instead...I just can't win.

The actual fighting isn't what drives me crazy the most, it's what they fight about. Yesterdays ordeal began because Blake simply asked Nicholas to chew with his mouth closed. Of course, Nicholas chose to ignore Blake's request. I don't remember who turned it into a physical brawl, but one nudged the other one's head (causing it to almost hit the table) and it was complete chaos after that (arm twisting, hitting, and face clawing). Oh, I forgot to mention that all of this happened within the two minutes that I had walked five steps away to move clothes from the washer to the drier.

At this point, you may be thinking that my kids are violent and nuts. The truth is, they don't act like this to anyone else but each other. There are times that I even want them to kick butt, but they just walk away (I am referring to some incidents that have occurred where other kids have hit mine and I tell their parents, who in turn, do nothing..."Little Johnny would never do that". That really pisses me off. If another kid is picking on one of mine, they don't even defend each other. I try to tell them if a bigger kid is bullying Aspen and the parents aren't doing anything about it to take care of it. One may not agree with my perception of what should happen,but no need to worry, my kids just take it anyway or ask to leave. They obviously did NOT get my confrontational personality ;)

I just wish my boys would get along. After I had Blake and got pregnant again, all I wanted was another baby boy so Blake could have a life long best friend. At this point, I can't even say that they are "friendly" to each other. Oy vey, once they are interested in girls life is going to get so much more complicated.

The Zipper

I had two favorite rides at the fair as a teen...the flying swings and the Zipper. I used to go to the Jaycee State Fair with my childhood best friend, Anne, every year. Our parents would drop us off and we would spend the whole evening enjoying the rides together...we thought we were little thugs though, it's quite comical actually.

We would always get in trouble on the swings (I don't think they would have been as much fun had we obeyed the rules). We would get each other swaying and spinning by kicking the back of each other's seats. Those were the good ole days, back when I enjoyed the rides MORE than the food. In fact, I don't think I had ever really eaten fair food until I started dating Marc. I know that I had never even heard of an elephant ear before him. Now, I have a hard time staying away from everything...fiske fries, lemonade, corn dogs, pizza, and occasionally, the sausage sub.

But the Zipper, that was by far my favorite of the two. I thought I was gonna die every time I got on that thing. I was also always in fear of getting puked on by another patron. Luckily, that never happened.

Today, at the Allegan County Fair, I got to relive those childhood memories with Nicholas...he was brave enough to accompany me on the ride. He actually asked ME if he could ride it. I was totally stoked that he met the height requirements. Blake had no desire, which was probably a good thing...I don't think he would have handled it well.

Poor Nicholas, he was scared to death. I have to admit that I was a very bad mommy...I laughed so hard at his fear that I actually pissed my pants (damn weak mommy bladder). He held on to me for dear life and begged me not to let him go. Poor thing, he had slid under the bar a little and was wedged in, but I think it made him feel more secure. The funniest part for me was that he had just commented about some of the people screaming on other rides we had gone on, "Why do they scream Mom...isn't that dumb?" However, he squealed like a little girl on the Zipper...it was freaking hilarious. I have never heard vocalizations like that come from him before.

I was ready to go after that. Thankfully, it was the last ride we planned to do anyway. I needed to get home and change my pants...how embarrassing. I need to start dressing smarter at the fairs. I wore white capris to the Jackson County Fair in August...can you say idiot. Those are pretty much toast. I haven't bleached them yet though, so there is still hope. Today I wore khaki shorts...those don't hide a wet spot very well :(

Running Off Steam

Although our first week of fall was a little rocky with the start of school and all, our weekend has been FANTASTIC thus far. Our sitter requested the night off last night so we didn't have our usual " date night", BUT we might have had more fun as a family then we would have on our own.

We spent the evening with the Hedeman's. Meredith made us an amazing steam pot dinner (I swear, she is one of the BEST cooks I know). It consisted of corn, potatoes, crab legs, mussels, and sausage. I think the adults devoured almost a whole pot all on our own. We ate so much, it's almost gross, but it was SO good ;) I brought over a peach pie...I LOVE pie, especially peach.

The beautiful thing is how well our kids play together. It allows the adults to socialize as well, without feeling guilty. At one point all of us were in the family room sitting around the fire. It was so enjoyable to just sit around with a glass of wine and share the moment with our children...they are becoming so mature (at times ;).

When the alarm clock buzzed early this morning, I was not very happy with myself for volunteering to participate in the Grape Lake 5K in Paw Paw. I was up and out of the house before dawn :( My mood shifted when I arrived at Crystal's and realized that Marc had left the peach pie in the back seat. I knew it was meant to be, there is no better way to start the day then with a huge piece of pie for breakfast...well sex might be a little better (at least your burning calories instead of consuming them ;)

If there were any regrets left after the pie, they were all gone once we arrived at our destination. Once I saw the little girl I was there to support, everything else seemed unimportant. I actually ended up having a GREAT time. Even though we walked at a very slow pace so that we could stay with Crystal's mom, I loved the feeling of accomplishment I felt at the end. I could see myself actually running some time and maybe attempting a 1/2 marathon with Crystal.

It's So HARD to Say Goodbye

Just as I thought, today was absolutely heart wrenching. Aspen did NOT want me to leave her at school today :( I didn't want to leave her either...it took lots of will power to do so. Circle time had started and she just wouldn't settle down. I finally asked one of the teachers what I should do and they said I just kind of have to tell her bye and walk away. I did it, but not without shedding tears of my own. In fact, when I walked out the door I was a total mess. Thankfully, Crystal was waiting outside and gave me a big hug...I think that just made me cry harder ;)

I wanted so badly to turn around, kiss away her tears, and bring her home. BUT, I knew if I did, I would never get her to go back. She would continue to break down in order to escape the situation. This isn't the first time I have gone through this...Blake was the same way. He might have been a little worse. I remember very vividly him begging me not to leave him. He even cried out, "But I LOVE you mommy." If I made him stay then I just HAD to do the same with her.

As I drove away I just couldn't pull myself together. I drove to the gym in hopes that a good work out would ease my heartache. Marc was there playing tennis as well, and I needed a good reassuring hug. I interrupted his lesson and broke down for the final time. Working out after DID help. By the time I finished I only had an hour left before I could pick her up.

The huge smile and big squeeze she gave me when we were reunited might have been worth the emotional mess I went through that morning. I don't think she has ever been so happy to see me. Her teachers said that once they went through the daily schedule with her she was fine. They told her that I would be there to pick her up after their nature walk. The only downfall to that was she asked them if it was time to go on their walk after every activity ;) Hopefully that will be our hardest day. Marc has already offered to take her for me next Tuesday so I don't have to go through it again.

My heart was broken again this evening. Blake broke down while I was tucking him into bed and told me he didn't have friends to play with at recess anymore. KCDS is so small, there is only one second grade class and it only has fifteen students. The bigger problem is that three of his friends that he played with during recess last year are attending different schools this year. There is only one kid left from their "clan" and I guess he plays soccer now.

I asked him why he didn't just play soccer with them and he told me he isn't good at it (poor guy is the smallest boy in his class and inherited my sloooow moving skills). Next, I asked him about some of the other boys and he proceeded to tell me that they were annoying...all the "cool" boys play soccer.

Nicholas was my last resort, "Why don't you play with Nicholas?" He quickly answered, "NO, he plays with girls...they play ponies and puppies!" Nicholas quickly interrupts that they play other stuff too, like house (you have to understand that out of ten students in his class last year, Nicholas was one of only two boys...he is very used to playing with girls ;) I asked Blake why he doesn't just pretend to be the dad or something. His response melted my heart, "I am not a very good pretender Mom."

I didn't know what else to say or do. I did ask Nicholas if he would take some time at the beginning of recess tomorrow to play something with Blake. I told Blake that he could take his soccer ball to school and kick it back and forth with Nicholas. Being the sweetheart that he is, Nicholas replied, "Sure Mom." I also explained to Blake that his current school is very small and if he wanted he could attend a different school next year that is much bigger, therefore a lot more kids to interact with. I just hope that he and Aspen settle into the big changes soon...I hate seeing them unhappy.

Back to School

I don’t think I was mentally prepared for such a busy day. When I got home I was pissy AND pooped. But now that all the kids are in bed I am totally wired…old habits die hard I guess. Tuesdays are going to be the worst for our household, but hopefully we can get in the swing of things by next week. I am going to lighten the load a bit too…if I don’t, Tuesdays will end up being TOO much.

I started my day at 5:30 this morning (I think the earliest I woke all summer was 7, and that was like twice). I was able to get a quick shower and finish up some last minute details for school. Blake came down at 6:30 and I started getting all of them ready. Getting Aspen up at 6:45 was a REAL treat (I don’t think she is a morning person). I think she had three meltdowns in the 25 minutes she was up before we left. I finally gave up getting her ready and decided to do it in the school parking lot.

Marc joined us at Mickey D’s for a yummy back to school breakfast treat, cinnamon melts. Both boys were surprisingly excited to go back to school. They won’t be singing the same tune in a couple weeks ;) Nicholas should have a GREAT year in first grade. His Kindergarten teacher moved up so he gets her again…we LOVE her. This will be the third year in a row one of my boys are with her…I couldn’t be happier. I am always more anxious for Blake. I never know what to expect each year. But he was excited and the second grade room is so inviting.

After we got the boys settled, Aspen and I ran to the recycling center to drop off a huge load of crap. It is really close to the school and I think I only made it over to that area once this summer. She was in much better spirits when we reached Nature’s Way. Getting her ready in the parking lot was a breeze. Marc met us in the parking lot so he could walk down with her on her FIRST day of school. She looked so cute with her Tinkerbell backpack.

She was surprisingly calm when I left…I was expecting another melt down. Avalin started with her today so I think that may have helped. I think picking her up was even cuter though. The smile on her face when she saw me standing outside was priceless. She told me she had a great day but that she cried cause she missed me (melt my heart). Her teachers informed me that she DID cry a couple times throughout the morning. Aspen said that she wants me to come with her next time…that means leaving her Thursday is going to be heart wrenching for both of us :(

There she goes...I can't believe she is already at Nature's Way. It seems like just yesterday when I had her while Blake was attending his first year. Where does the time go?

Marc does a good job attending all their big moments :)

All smiles on her first day :)

I hope these girls have loads of fun together this year.

Goodbye Summer...Hello Fall

I think our Labor Day was just as wonderful as our Independence Day. I could really get used to these laid back and simply enjoyable holidays. We gave Summer one last ha rah and enjoyed beautiful weather outside. I was going in the pool today no matter what...you never know what the weather will be like next weekend (Michigan likes to keep you guessing).

The kids and I had some friends over and everyone just really enjoyed every ones company. Crystal and I have been spending more time together lately...our schedules are finally meshing. Watching our girls together is priceless. Their friendship makes me think of my childhood friend, Anne. They start pre-school together and they are so excited (they got an early start today and played school together upstairs ;) They are BOTH very dominating (they're not like their mothers or anything :) so it will be interesting to watch them grow up together. By the looks of things I think Aspen will back down first...Avalin may have a little too much of her mom in her ;)

I also got to see a couple of girls I don't get to see nearly enough. Both of them have kids that went to pre-school with Blake. I really need to put more effort into getting to know some of Nicholas's classmates. I have to admit that Blake gets to see his friends more because I enjoy their moms so much. I do like one of the moms from his Kindergarten class a lot, but her daughter switched schools this year. But I think we enjoy each others company enough that I will be seeing more of them :)

Aspen has gotten so brave in the water. She jumps off the bridge now and today she conquered the slide. Figures that she would start enjoying it on quite possibly our last pool day. Summers just won't be the same from here on out...I'm gonna actually be able to just enjoy the sun pretty much...no more babies :( However, I do look forward to all the fun we can share as a family now...I don't have to sit out from all the fun with a little one anymore.

I forgot to write about Marc's little work party on Saturday. There were supposed to be a ton of people, but only about fifty showed (there may have been more at some point, but that is what it felt like). We had SO much food left over. I felt kinda bad for Shawn putting the whole thing together and having such a bad turn out. Oh well, Crystal was here and we had a GREAT time together. She brought their golf cart over (pinkie is still recuperating) and we had a wild time racing...of course the girls ruled and kicked some serious butt (who cares if we had the advantage of knowing the property like the back of our hands ;)

Biggles...Where Are Thou???

Our poor kitty is missing :( We have not seen Mr. Bigglesworth since we got back from our trip on Tuesday. We always board the cats if we are going to be gone for more than five days (they get a little "pissy"). We had them brought home on Monday, we always have them come home a day early to get settled in before our return. I didn't worry when I didn't see him at first, but once he wasn't waiting on the back porch when we got up Wednesday, worry began to set in. He is ALWAYS waiting to come inside in the morning.

Poor Oreo is just a mess as well. Our boys have lived together for almost nine years. He is practically sleeping ON my head every night. I tried to put fliers in mailboxes yesterday, but got a courtesy call from the mailman. He took out all my fliers and told me how it's illegal to do that, told me how I am supposed to pay 42 cents per flier. I think what pissed me off the most about it was that I put invitations in our neighborhood mailboxes for five years in a row regarding our 4th of July parties and NEVER received a complaint.

I went back out and taped the fliers on the newspaper boxes. One lady was outside and told me how her neighbor was missing two cats. She also said that people have seen a fox in the area. Then I got a phone call from another lady that her cat is missing too. She said the same thing, she looks for her every morning :( With Biggles being the fourth cat to have gone missing in a few weeks time I have very little hope now. The thought of a fox getting him and carrying him away by the scruff just breaks my heart.

Some could argue that I should have never let him out since he had no front claws. But really, what are the chances? Even now, we really don't know what happened for sure. And our boys have been going outside on this property for seven years. Even now, we still allow Oreo to go outside...but we do our best to be sure he comes in each evening. The boys LOVE going outside and often wait by the door to run out. Oreo usually just plops to the ground and rolls around. It makes him so happy that I would never take that away from him...I just hope each time I open that door that it is NOT the last time I see him.

It really hit home the other day when Marc was watching the kids for me. Aspen fell asleep in her little house upstairs. This is the second time she has just gone upstairs and taken a nap all on her own while Marc is watching her (he says he is really good at ignoring)...she had NEVER done that for me. When I got home and went upstairs to check on her it just wasn't the same. The first time Biggles was crashed right next to her, but this time she was all alone :( She has cried a few times, wanting her Biggles back.

Although I lose faith daily, I still go to bed each evening hoping tomorrow will be the day he is looking at me through the kitchen window waiting to come inside. Biggles is a rare find and he is going to be VERY hard to replace. I guess he will never be "replaced", but if we get a new kitty it will have big paws to live up too ;) He had been around for ten years...what a good ten years it was. Our cats don't even seem that old to me. They are still full of life. I can't believe I have had Oreo since I turned 20...it seems like it was just yesterday. He was the cutest kitten EVER ;)