Here Kitty, Free Kitty

Okay, so we have a tiny mouse problem. A tiny, disgusting, nasty rodent problem! The problem was brought to our attention a few weeks ago when Gracie notified me of some strange goings on in our cold air return in the basement. She was pretty much freaking out! Not knowing what she was freaking out about, I stuck my face by the vent to get a look, when a ginormous rat hand reached out and almost grabbed my face! Seriously, it tried to rip it clean off!

So naturally I calmly notified Jason at work of this huge dirty rat problem! He tried to reassure me, but I tried to reiterate how important it was for him to come home immediately for fear it would eat me and the kids! Jason showed up with Ed, his coworker, and Ed came prepared with his hammer! They didn't want to take the vent off for fear it would escape, so Jason went to the garage and got a needle nosed pliers. Ed waited patiently for a rat hand to come out of the vent and when it did...snap! He grabbed it. While Ed held the dirty rat hand, Jason unscrewed the vent and grabbed it with another pliers. I love how my husband tries to make me feel better! He's holding this puny tiny mouse and says..."it sounded way bigger than it looks!" They put it in a sack and Ed sent it on to Jesus!

My dad suggest we look at the furnace filter to see if they were getting in from the outside. When we opened the door to the storage room we were greeting with the unfortunate stench of dead rotting mouse carcass! Jason pulled out the filter and sure enough it was shredded, and there was a dead mouse in the bottom of the furnace! Can you say NASTY!

We put screen over all the pipe holes and steel wool in every little whole we could find, not to mention broke out the poison and the mouse traps! Gracie spotted another mouse in the same duct a few days later, which takes our total up to 5 caught one dead!

So you're probably wondering about the title to this post, well, we're almost there! So Maison goes to school and shares his dirty rat problems with his teacher. So our dilemma goes on the class prayer list that the kids pray over every day!

A few days after the initial capture, Jason asks, do you suppose mice make sounds like a cat when they are ripping their limbs off trying to escape a glue trap? I had never thought about that, but I really hoped not! Later that day Libby and I heard the same sound, we looked all over the house and all of the traps were empty. After Maison got home for school, I sent him and Libby on a mission to find out where that noise was coming from.

They come running back to the house telling me they found a tiny baby kitty in a bush. Can you see where this is going? So we grab it and of course it looks exactly like our old cat Puskers that died right before we moved here! We get it cleaned up and I tell the kids we need to find it a home. Maison says..."Mom, we can't throw an answered prayer away! We were praying about our mouse problem and God gave us a cat!" What could I possibly say to that?

Jason came home for lunch and we were discussing our new cat problem. He whips out a penny and says, heads we keep it, tails we don't. He flips this penny out of the truck into the air and it rolls around before coming to a stop. I walk over to pick it up...heads! I handed it back saying, best two out of three. Needless to say, it went like that eight times in a row! Statistically speaking, that just isn't possible! Jason says, when are we just going to admit we have a new cat?

ISU vs Baylor

We took 2 of the 3 kids to the game this weekend because it was homecoming. We thought it would be a great idea to take the kids to have some lunch and tour the campus.

We decided to take the kids to Hickory Park in Ames. This is where Jason took me on our first date. Jason and I shared a little about our first date and how their father tried to kill their mother by running a red light, etc. Maison ordered a root beer float for dessert, and of course Little Miss Hallow Leg ordered a banana split, which Jason only got a couple of small bites! Man that girl can put it away!

Next we drove over to campus and Daddy showed them around the Design Center. The kids thought it was pretty cool. We then headed over the the Campenile, and told them what "Campeniling" was/is. For those of you that don't know, to become a true Iowa Stater, one has to share a kiss with a beloved one under the Campenile at midnight. This of course is where Jason and I shared our first kiss during Veshia (Veshia is a student run celebration every spring). The kids really got a kick out of Lance-a-Lot and Elaine, the campus swans. We concluded our tour with a ride on the Cyride bus back to the Design Center.

The kids really enjoyed the game. Libby fell asleep on me during most of the 3rd quarter, but I managed to cheer the Cyclones on to their victory over Baylor! We all left Ames tired, cold, and happy!

Honey Creek Acres

Maison's school went on a field trip to Honey Creek Acres in Swisher today to get a tour of the orchard and working bee hives. It was very interesting.

Did you know...

1. There are many many different kinds of pumpkins?

2. Gourds are not for eating?

3, There is an apple gourd that looks like an apple but is the color of a watermelon rind?

4. Bees carry pollen on their back legs?

Each student took a hay rack ride, toured the orchard, picked their own apple to eat, and received their very own gourd! It was way awesome!

12 Months Old

Click Play to Get a Little Cake in Your Face

Hard to believe our Izzy McSquizzy in 1 year old today! It almost seems impossible! I just can't believe a year ago today my husband was slamming the wheelchair I was riding in, into a wall by the elevator! With the economy the way it is, our baby factory went out of business, but I'm wondering if and when the economy turns around if that factory will reopen for business?

Squiz still isn't walking on her own yet, and still isn't saying anything recognizable to anyone outside of our immediate family, and when I say immediate, I mean Maison and Libby only! I don't even understand her yet!

Unfortunately her vampire teeth have been accompanied with her two front teeth, so we will have to fore go the vampire bat idea. Her teeth seem so big to me, but then again, Maison still has some pretty big chompers!

She is definitely the most strong willed of the three! Just absolutely relentless at times! She definitely gives Libs a run for her money when the bottom lip pops out! That must be a girl thing because Maison never stuck his bottom lip out when he pouted! And believe me, he can still pout with the best of them!

Thank you for all the gifts and cards! They are most appreciated!

Libby's First Field Trip

Today Libby's preschool took their first field trip to the North Liberty Fire Department. The kids had a wonderful time. Here are some important facts that Libby thought would very important to share with family and friends.

Did you know...

1. that the fireman's gear weighs about 70lbs! "Whoa, that's what you weigh mom!"

2. that firemen leave their boots in their pants? "Mom, I need to do that! Then I wouldn't have to get up so early for school!"

3. that most fire houses no longer have fire poles? Firemen sustain more injuries per year from sliding down the pole than from fighting fires! "Maybe they could just get a slide instead!"

Open House

Hillside had their annual Open House tonight. Maison was pretty excited to show us some of the projects they have been working on at school. The kids have spent quite a bit of time observing, studying, and releasing insects. Lots of creatures on display at the school.

Maison has been selected as a self-manager at school, which means he is a "go-to" person in the classroom. He helps his teacher as well as other students! Great Job!

This year Maison is in a grade of his own, 2nd and a half grade! The 3rd grade is made up of all girls and most of those girls are old enough to be in the 4th grade, with one old enough to be in the 5th! So not only are they girls but all are a full year older than he! Poor boy didn't stand a chance! So the consensus was for him to work mostly with the 2nd graders because they are the same age as Maison and there are also a couple of boys, which Maison really likes his all boy group! He has the same privileges as the 3rd graders, like learning cursive! Maison is super excited about school and things are coming to him much easier which makes all of us happier!

This situation is just one of the many reasons we love Hillside! With the one room school house, the kids aren't limited to a specific grade and it removes the stigma of "pull-out" programs the public schools offer!

When I'm Old & Dead

So, we're driving to school today and it's abnormally quiet. Pretty soon Maison says, "Hey Mom, guess what I want to do when I get older?" Not knowing where this is going I hesitantly say, "What?" "I want to work at Country Landscapes with Daddy and draw cool pictures for people like he does." "Great!" I say. He follows up with, "I think I'll get a house in Fox Run too so I can be close to work."

It's quiet again for a couple of minutes and Libby says, "You know what Mom? When you get old and die I'm just going to live in your house, then I can probably cook my own food."

*Note to self: Sleep with one eye open and make sure my life insurance is up-to-date!

Maquoketa Caves State Park

Well, Daddy planned an exciting day at Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, IA. Not ever being there before we didn't know what to expect. We were definitely under prepared! There was only one cave we could actually walk through. It had a nice walkway and a lighted ceiling. The other caves required you to have a headlamp or flashlight, and a desire to belly crawl like a snake! However we had a great time walking the entire trail. It was extremely beautiful!

Click Play for a Spelunking Adventure

Living History Farms

Maison's school went to the the Living History Farms in Des Moines, IA today. Maison's school has been studying Iowa History since the beginning of the school year, so this was a perfect trip for him and the school.

Click Play For a Trip Back in Time

11 Months Old

Oh my, where has the time gone? Hard to believe our last baby is almost a year old! Squiz has had a busy month so far! She has seen her first ISU football game, has had a couple of sleepovers at Grama Shari and Papa Ed's house, popped in some new teeth, and really wants to walk!

Speaking of Squizzy's teeth, she has the two middle bottom teeth and a couple on the top. Not the middle two top teeth, but the two teeth beside the front teeth. Now we aren't big fans of witches, vampires, etc, however the rules are going to have to bend a little next month. Assuming the two top teeth don't come down, we are going to have to dress her like a little vampire bat!

She still isn't 20lbs yet, and finally wears 9month clothes! Libby decided that she is still my peanutty and Squiz can be my honey bee. I wonder if Squiz will ever be able to think for herself? She won't have to with a big sister like Libs!

Henry Doorly Zoo

Click Play to Join Us at the Zoo

After the ISU/NDSU game, we stayed the night in Ankeny. Friday morning we headed off to Omaha to stay the long weekend with Jason's friend Eric. Eric and Nancy have 2 boys, 1 girl, a baby due in October, and a great dog named Chester!

Our kids don't see eachother often, but they seem to pick up right were they left off everytime we do get together! Eric to their kids and we took ours over to the Henry Doorly Zoo for the day. Nancy hung out at the house with Chester for a little R and R. The kids had a great time at the zoo and the weather was perfect!

Squizzy's First ISU Game

We took all of the kids to ISU's first home game against NDSU. Kind of ironic for me in a sense. What did we eat? Buffalo meat! The kids had a great time and Squizzy loved the whole thing! She did awesome! Her and Libby are definately into football, Maison is into the free stuff and watching the cheerleaders.

Stuffed Fish

Well, this summer when Maison was in Canada he caught a 36in Northern. It had been a while since I had seen one and now I get to see it everyday! Papa Dan had Maison's fish stuffed! Man that thing is nasty! Nasty in the sense it could rip your arm off and beat you with the wet end! YIKES!

I informed Jason and Maison both that it had to go in Maison's room and that it would be the only dead thing brought into this house! Meanwhile this fish is sitting on the kitchen counter and the dog is going completely nuts. Gracie wants this Northern in a really bad way! Jason let her give it a sniff and when she licked it, it was decided then and there that it had to go high on the wall.

The First Day of School

Hard to believe the kids are going back to school. Part of me is looking forward to a little quiet and some alone time with Sqiuz, but the other part of me is going to miss my daytime companions! Who is going to talk my ear off all day? Squiz better learn to talk in a hurry!

Maison is going to be in 2nd and a half grade this year. It was a tough decision, but he truly lost a year with his rough start in kindergarten. He is the only boy and the girls in 3rd grade could technically be in 4th or 5th. We would rather see him be confident and enjoy school than to struggle and wonder why he can't do the work the girls are doing. It will be good for him to be able to work in a boys group with the 2nd graders. He is really excited about being able to work with the boys!

Libby is in the senior class at preschool. She is super excited about being with her"school friends" again! I've already heard who she wants to invite to her birthday party! To think I have to have this discussion daily for another 11 1/2 months. WOO HOO! Hard to believe they are as old as they are. Does that mean we are getting older too?

Happy 5th Birthday

Hard to believe Libby is 5! Seems like yesterday when we brought her home and Maison tried to feed her Doritos! Since Libby is rather girlie, I decided to take her and a couple of her friends to the Beauty Shop to have their hair and nails done!

I was sure they would be so giggly and chatty, but I was completely wrong! I've never seen a group of girls so quiet in my entire life! There was NO talking or giggling! Just silence! It was the craziest thing I have ever witnessed!

After the girls were all dolled up, we went back home for some pizza, cake, ice cream, presents, and bouncy house fun! Everyone had a great time. We even continued the party the next morning with some card opening and cake and ice cream for breakfast!

Libby lovea all of her gifts and cards! She loves the Pet Shops, her Hello Kitty bike, and all of the sparkly cards. However, I think her favorite gift is her number 5 birthday girl from her Godmother Becky! She knows it's coming every year, but she is so excited to see it! Goofy girl. She combined some of her birthday money to buy the Hannah Montana movie which has been running nonstop in the van since the purchase!

Thanks again for all of the cards and gifts!

10 Months Old

This month will be quite busy for little Miss Squizzy! We will celebrate Libby's 5th birthday, the kids will both start school, and she will see her first ISU game!

She isn't walking yet but Jason thinks it will be soon! She will stand up on her own from a squat. She is very stable but only because her toes are digging into the carpet and hanging on for dear life! She likes to walk behind her little walker and play in the Tupperware cupboard.

She is definitely the most stubborn out of all the kids! She already "lets them have it" when she doesn't get her way! Temper Temper! She has a great GGGRRR face!

Looks like she could get 4 upper teeth any day now! I think I'm kidding myself when I say her temper will subside when her teeth come in. Thinking she's crabby because her teeth are coming in. One can only hope!

Swimming Lessons

This year swimming lessons seemed to be more difficult for some reason. Maison has taken level 3, three times before he passed and Libby has taken level 2, twice before she passed. They had a great time in swimming lessons this year, but there were a few days that the temp was so low, they had to take the kids in-doors! We definately DID NOT get our money's worth this year with our pool passes!

Fun in the Sun

Our neighbors Nichole and Jason invited us and the kids for a day at the beach. The kids had a blast playing in the sand and tubing! Iz loved being on the boat! Libby went tubing, but she wasn't too sure about the whole thing! Maison on the other hand would have tubed the entire day! He is quite the fish.

Of course it wouldn't be a trip with the Allen's without some sort of drama! My Jason sliced his toe on a broken prop. Nichole's Jason fixed him up pretty well, but I really thought it could have used a couple of stitches! Then when we went to leave, the boat wouldn't started so we had to have someone tow is in. To top it all off, our Jason got the remote to the van wet and we couldn't get in! GRRRR! I wonder if they will ever invite us out again?!

Click Play For Some Fun in The Sun!

(Bring your own first aid kit!)

Paddling For Hope: Dragonscapers

Click Play to See the Dragonscapers in Action

WARNING

Some of the Music in the video might not be appropriate for children (Clarence Carter: Strokin')

This year Daddy's company, Country Landscapes, Inc, participated in Paddling For Hope which is sponsored by My Angel Foundation. Country Landscapes was invited to participate in the Dragon Boat Races at Gray's Lake because of their work on the Chinese Cultural Center of America in Des Moines, IA.

The Dragonscapers made a strong showing in the time trials, but fizzled out in the actual race. One of the other teams challenged the Dragonscapers which proved to be successful for Country Landscapes. Everyone had a great time! It was quite an experience. We are already looking forward to next year!