Stella

Dang you roadside "free kittens" sign.  If we hadn't seen you coming home from church yesterday, we might have avoided getting suckered into this cuteness.  Of course we did see you, right next to the woman selling homemade fudge from her pickup and we turned the car back around "just to see."  We all know how that ends up... we got a cute little puppy in the Fall, found out we were not dog people, and two months later delivered her to her new family.

I figured our cat, Winnie, needed a friend.  When Alora and I saw this cute little kitten, I knew Winnie needed this little girl.  She was one of three tortoise-shelled calico's left in the litter and Alora fell in love.  After convincing Jeremy (or at least him giving in), we took her home to meet  Winnie. 

Upon meeting, Winnie did her usual sniff and then away she went.  She didn't seem interested in the least!  However, this morning when we couldn't find Winnie, we thought she had escaped again outside.  After looking for quite a while, Winnie turned up in my closet, hiding behind some clothing totes.  She was NOT a happy camper.  She hissed and swatted and hissed some more.  Her ears lay back and she had this glare in her eyes.  She obviously has decided she DOES NOT like this new kitten.  Talk about a tantrum!  Hopefully she will come around and accept Stella (what Noah named her). 

Opening Day

The 2012 Estrella Youth Sports Baseball season has offically begun!  Depite having several coach issues at first, Jackson finally got his team placement and coaches were finally put in place.  Jeremy is actually helping coach Jack's team this year since Noah decided to "take a break" from playing this year.  Needless to say, Jackson is stoked that Jeremy is one of his coaches.  Surprisingly too, Jackson is perhaps the best player on his team!  He is a consistent hitter and is an awesome 1st baseman!  Today's game was against the Blue Whales, and even though they don't officially keep score, Jackson's team, the Cobras, whipped their butts!  Wa-hoo!

 L-R (front row): Olivia N, Judah Erb, ?, Jackson Fuls, Danny Storz, Markus Sund, Tyler Phipps, Jaidyn Armstrong, ?
L-R (back row): Dustin Moore, Juan Colon, Jeremy Fuls

I Knocked And It Answered

I always joke about "knocking on wood" that our family is never sick. Apparently I knocked a little too much, because my lucky streak has ended and I'm now up to my yellow-gloved arms in puke and other fun stuff.

Shortly after we returned from our weekend trip to Tucson, Jackson started puking. Alora then started complaining that she didn't feel good. I noticed she was a little "green" and before I could get her to her bathroom, she decorated her bedroom carpet. That incident sent Jeremy to the store to purchase more carpet cleaner and some air freshners. Several more trips to the bathroom for both Jackson and Alora told us we were in for a long night.

The two made it pretty good through the night, just 1-2 bouts each. However, Noah soon joined them this morning. Instead of the tile or bedroom carpet, he decided to redecorate his bathroom. I almost started puking myself as I cleaned up the mess. Where is the school janitor when you need him/her?

The day isn't even half over and I've already been to the store and back to get yet more cleaner. Two of the three toilets are clogged, and despite jamming my hand down the mouth of the toilet, I have yet to figure out what is causing the clog. My nose has the perma-puke smell and Mr. Max is keeping me on my toes as he "helps" me clean, unclog, and wash laundry. I guess I'm just glad this isn't a common occurrence. This will teach me to knock on wood in the future.

Our "Hare" Problem

I don't know what it is about our yard, but despite everything we try, those darn jackrabbits keep finding their way into our backyard.  Last summer they nibbled down all of our brand new plants.  I replaced a few in the Fall and they can back again to nibble.  We blocked the gates and they figured out how to squeeze in through the sides.  We put up more chicken wire (both at the gates and around the plants) and they dug underneath.  You would think that our cat, Winnie, would have a field day chasing and eating these varmits, but no.  She is dumb and would rather roll around on the rocks. 

This past week we found another sneaky rabbit in our yard.  The kids chased it back and forth, side yard to side yard.  They finally scared it up the cinder block wall between our yard and the neighbors.  Winnie investigated for a moment, but then ran off.  After an hour or so, the stinkin' thing finally climbed down and Jackson opened the gate for it to escape. 

Chicken wire on the side gate.  Apparently we need to attach it to the front and make it deeper so they can't dig under.

Did she get it?  No, of course not.  She's dumb.

It might look cute, but they are ruining our plants!

We Have A Double Digiter!

Noah officially turned 10 today, putting him in the double digits.  It's a little baffling to think that he's this old already.  It doesn't seem all that long ago that he was a tiny baby and now he's 10!  It also kind of makes me feel kind of old!  How could I have a ten-year old already?!?

His Aunt Kenya and her two girls are here visiting, so we celebrated with just a simple family BBQ.  Grandpa & Grandma Frye, along with Uncle Christopher, joined us as well. 

NOAH IS 10!!!

He has been begging for an i-tunes card the past month or so.  Lucky for him, he received 2 i-tunes giftcards!

Along with a new fishing pole (to replace the one Jackson dropped in the lake), Noah received a fishing net from Grandpa and Grandma.  They apparently think he's going to catch some sharks or something giant!

Not the best looking cake in the least, but Noah was excited to have a basketball-looking cake.

Signs of Spring

Camp Run-A-Muk

The front of the invite.



The back of the invite.

One of the take- home treats.



Another take-home treat.



The "campfire" cake (I even made the flames myself!)



Kris, Jack, and Jensyn roasting hotdogs.



Kris, Lukas and Jack roasting hot dogs for dinner.

  


One the favorite gifts of the night (thanks Jensyn!)