Pets

Kate has always loved Grover. He, however, as not shared the same feelings since she was able to move and squeal at him.
Adam and I are cat  people. We prefer cats to dogs, like their affection and that we can leave food out for a day or two and he'll be fine on his own.

We hate the fur that goes everywhere, and I hate cleaning the litter box, but we deal because Grover has always been a pretty good cat.

Until recently.

He started peeing on the carpet in the corner by Kate's toys.

We checked out what to do- put down foil and a cup of vinegar- and that worked. For maybe a month.

I brought Kate downstairs to play this morning and saw a nice yellow puddle of pee right beside the foil/vinegar.

I grew up with a cat who eventually started peeing on my mom's china hutch. My parents placed plastic sheeting/ foil/towels and sprayed urine gone  to manage the pee. Adam and I decided we would never do that. I loved my cat, but I did not like the smell.

So now, with Grover, we will probably get rid of him. Hopefully we can find a home, or if we take him to a shelter he will get adopted.

It's hard. We have had him for about 4 years. I was hoping the peeing was just a phase and he would be over it.

I wish there was something else we could do, but we will not be covering our house (And Kate's toys) in plastic and constantly cleaning up after his intentional 'accidents'.

Round and round

As I was wide awake at 3 am last night, trying my hardest too go back to sleep,  I started thinking about this poor neglected blog.
I seem to blog in waves. I write and write and write. Then nothing. Then I do it again.
I could try to change that, or just go with the flow and write when I feel like it/ remember. I know there are some who say you should write everyday. I just don't have the energy for that. I am overwhelmed at work and we have some family things come up and we are still trying to figure out how to expand/remodel our kitchen.

So for now I guess I will just write whenever I remember.

And because picture-less posts are kid of sad I leave you with this.

We were up in the PA mountains for a family wedding and Kate stole the show- walked up to the groom during the ceremony, sat on the steps, tried to use the unity candles as a drum... you know, all the things I would have prevented if I wasn't taking pictures and Adam wasn't up at the alter.

Little Horses

My grandmother  took us to the Land of the Little Horses. We used to go when I was little, and it was finally time for Kate to get to experience the fun.

You can walk up and pet/feed the little horses before the show. Kate would walk up to them, then just before petting it she would turn and run away.

During the show, the little horses, along with some dogs and goats, show of their tricks. Kate wanted to get up to the railing and touch them again.

After the show we walked around the farm, saw a lot of animals, 'rode' the tractor...

...and some fake horses...

....And of course took some cowboy pictures.

If you're ever in the Gettysburg area, I highly recommend this farm. You could literally spend all day there and any kid who loves animals would have a great time.

Children's Museum

Prepare for a photodump of our trip to the National Children's Museum. We went this August with My friend and her son.

It was kind of expensive ($10 each plus parking) and there was only so much for them at their age level that we only spent about an hour there. But the kids had fun, and were so exhausted they slept the whole way home.

My Little Monster

I don't remember how the nickname started (maybe with the shark hoodie towel), but we have been calling Kate the Kate-Monster for ever. So, naturally, it was no surprise that our little monster developed an obsession a love for dinosaurs.

Some of the things she takes a liking to are no longer her favorites after about a month or so, but dinosaurs have stayed.  She will roar for you, loves to watch and sing to Dinosaurs Go Rawr, and can now say the word dinosaur.

When trying to plan out this Halloween, I knew she needed to be a dinosaur of some sort. I found something that might work at Costco, but they didn't have her size. I thought about making a costume- all I would need would be green pants and hoodie with taped on spikes or something.

Then I found out that Kid to Kid was unveiling all their Halloween costumes on Saturday. I had some things I wanted to sell anyway, so we went hoping to find something.

And for $8 we got it! (actually I didn't have to pay because of the store credit I got for selling old crib sheets and toys, but the price can't be beat)

OK, OK it's not a dinosaur... more of a dragon... but she doesn't know the difference. Kate absolutely LOVES it. She ran around the house in it and cried when I hung it up in her closet.

It fits her well, is easy on/off, and is actually the one we looked at last year at Old Navy (but decided against getting her a costume).

I cannot wait for Halloween.

Bumps and Bruises

And scratches and scrapes.

Kate has fat  wide feet, and when I noticed her sneakers were getting a little snug, I went to Stride Rite to get her measured (figuring they would have a good selection of wide shoes). Yup, she was measuring bigger than the size shoes she was wearing.  So we looked around, tried on some sneakers, and picked out one to buy. It cost way more than if we just went to Target or Payless, but I figured she needed good quality,  durable shoes now that she is running.

Well, after only a month I need to replace her 'good quality, durable shoes'. The velcro is completely frayed and actually falling off the straps. One shoe has even fallen off of Kate's foot while she was walking.

And now Kate's knees are covered in scrapes. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe it is because of the shoes, maybe her feet are growing too fast for her to adjust the way she walks. Either way I am annoyed that I have to replace shoes after 1 month.

I am so disappointed and frustrated. Adam encouraged me to write to customer service and request a refund or a replacement pair. They actually responded and said I could take them to the store for a replacement.

Though, we've been so busy and I already bought her new shoes at Payless, I don't know if we'll actually get back to the store for a while.

To - Do

On the to- do list today:

• Grocery store
• Post office
• Kid's consignment store to sell some things and pick up a Halloween costume for Kate
• Develop a couple pictures of my class
• Plan for next week at school
• Clean litter box and take out trash
• Laundry
• Shower
• Attend high school reunion

All while Adam and my parents are out of town.

What I'm missing by having this list:

• Happy hour last night
• A trip to the beach
• Play date with a good friend
• Turning off my brain on the couch in front of the tv

But I do get to spend all day with Kate, I  just hope I don't mess up her nap time...