Our not-so-smart cat

So, this morning I ended up working at home for a bit. Snuggling into my favorite working chair (where I am right now, by the way) I heard one of our kitty's meowing. I looked around the room but no cat was to be seen.

Again, "Meow."

I leaned over the side of the chair, "Where are you?"

No cat. I continued to work. The cat continued to meow. It was very close to me, and in distress. After surrendering to the distraction, I got up from the chair and started trying to locate the origin of the sound.

Alas, the cat was INSIDE my chair! I don't know how she got there, but it took just about as long to get her out.

Not the smartest cat in the house.

Ike, a hurricane?

This is Ike.

He's a very sweet dog. He also has a bit of "slowness" to him. When we got him, his head was as big as his body because he had been abandoned and left for dead. At six weeks, he was as cute as can be, but clearly the malnutrition caused a little bit of damage to the brain.

He's just not the sharpest tack in the box.

Now there's a hurricane that's been named after him.

Hurricane Ike not only ravaged the coast of Texas, but the storm traveled all the way north to Columbus with its 75 mph winds and knocked out the power in most of Columbus, including our house. We just got our power back, after 2 1/2 days, but some people in the city could be without for another five days! We salvaged some of the food in the fridge and made due with candles and flashlights.

I don't think I'll ever try to join an Amish community.

So, is there irony in the fact that our Ike, a slow, somewhat dumb dog who would have died long ago had he been left to fend for himself in the wild, now has one of the fiercest storms to hit our parts named after him? Perhaps. But in our household, things remain about the same for Ike.

He is still afraid of the cat.

This is actually a video I took with my camera last fall (before it was broken) and I just located it as I was sifting through files on the computer.

I think I was trying to get the kids to pose for a picture, and maybe they didn't realize I was shooting video. Anyway, it's so indicative of their relationship that I just couldn't resist posting it here! (For anybody who might possibly not have given up on me.)

Don't give up on my blogging...I've had camera issues...

Zoey dropped our camera when we were in Mexico. Although I can still take some pictures, the quality seems a bit compromised.

I will attempt to post some, however.

Please bear with the poor quality.

Hockey Stars!

So, I think I've written before that the kids are doing a little hockey playing these days. It's through a rec center league and a lot of fun. They have mostly been working on skating and puck handling. Last night, however, they were invited to play in Nationwide Arena during intermission at the Columbus Blue Jackets game (our NHL team).

It was GREAT! Zoey was the goalie (her favorite position, I think because she loves the equipment). She took it so seriously. Let me tell you, she was awesome (and I'm just a little biased). One of the kids on the other team had a breakaway and came down the ice full guns toward Zoey. She made an awesome stop and the crowd went wild! Micah played defense, which meant his role in the game was a bit more low-profile. Nonetheless, he was quite a scrapper.


After the game (which lasted about 5 minutes), they selected Zoey for an interview with the game announcer - the interview is shown on the Jumbo-tron screen in the center of the ice.

The whole thing was just hilarious!


Zoey is floating on air - I don't know what she's going to do since she's only six and her lifetime dream has already been fulfilled. Hopefully she doesn't fall into some state of despair! And Micah is dealing very well with his sister's new found fame.

Random Photos of Silly Kids

Our life these days can hardly be deemed "peaceful". The kids seem to be quite keen on fighting with one another. So, Dave and I spend much of our day correcting behavior, refereeing fights, and sending children to their respective corners.

I just had to take a picture today when I realized that they spent the afternoon playing with one another and creating a "zoo" of animals in our living room. There was no yelling, no fighting, just pure cooperation. It was a virtual miracle.














































Things were so quiet, the dog just slept through the whole thing.