Would the princess like a ride?

Zoey hopped from the basement couch onto Eric's back last night. She then continued her "kitty-back" ride all around the basement, up the stairs, and for a few laps around the first floor. She just kept looking around - apparently enjoying the new view of her kingdom.

"We sleep where it's warm."

Loki & Zoey took my spot in bed as soon as I got up this morning.

Happy Monday!

Sunday afternoon nap on their favorite blanket.

Looking out from under our bed, down the hallway. They heard a noise.

Still looking down the hall.

Loki helping Eric cook.

(I promise that we use higher hygiene standards when cooking for anyone else.)

Me modeling the apron and matching potholder that my wonderful sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. There's even a black ruffle at the bottom of the apron. That's veggie lasagna in the pic.

Evan's Birthday :)

Better late than never - Kittens' First Christmas

My mom getting ready to pass out presents.

The kittens' presents and little bitty stockings.

I had to help them a little.

They were interested in all of the new smells.

Some of their loot.

Zoey did try to help Eric by chewing on the bow of one of his presents.

Ingesting Cough Drops Could Be Toxic to a Kitten . . .

but only if they contain menthol. And if they eat 500 of them. This makes #462 on the list of facts I did not know about cats one year ago.

I found Loki and Zoey both standing by a chewed up cough drop wrapper last night. I had no idea where it came from, if there had been a cough drop inside when the kittens found it, and, if so, which one of the kittens ate it. A panicked call to our wonderful vet's office (who I feel must have our account flagged as Eric & Allison, aka the people who we must be extra patient with because of their tragic history with kittens), confirmed that the kittens would survive. It would take over 500 menthol cough drops to be toxic. Good to know. This factoid is now filed in my brain along with everything I now know about FIP, fleas, tapeworms, nutrition, alteration surgeries, litter box preferences, vaccine reactions, and nail clipping techniques. As I said to the angel at the vet's office, "It's always something with these kittens."

Kiva - loans that change lives

http://www.kiva.org/lender/allisonanders

Always cute

Cousin Mokie

Proof that the kittens come by being spoiled naturally. This is how their Iowa cousin, Mokie, spent her Christmas - shopping and eating out of Christmas dishes by the tree.

Grandparents & Grandkittens

My parents did an awesome job taking care of the kittens over Christmas. Here are some of the pictures they sent me to prove my babies were doing alright.

Loki was apparently fascinated by the snowflakes.

Snow is amazing!

They let Zoey have her suckle time. This is her passed out in my mom's arms when she was done.

Suckle time with Grandpa.

They did spoil the kittens a bit. My dad put together a little "bed" on the kitchen counter so that Loki could sleep under the warm lights. As a general rule, Eric & I try to keep them off of the counters. Grandparents will be grandparents.

Zoey was trying out the new warm bed so Loki found another warm spot - on top of the dishwasher (but still on a kitchen counter).

Taco Bell Fun

Eric and I were in a rush for dinner a couple nights ago so we used the Taco Bell drive-thru. As I'm not very familiar with their menu I wanted to make sure that what I was ordering was vegetarian. Here is the conversation that transpired:

Eric: Are any of your burritos vegetarian?
Taco Bell worker: Ummm . . .
Eric: Do any of your burritos not have meat on them?
Taco Bell worker: Oh! The Chicken Burrito.
Eric: Nope, that's still meat.

Note: We eventually determined that the 7-layer burrito is vegetarian.

Six Months & One Christmas

The kittens are 6 months old today! I am thankful for them every day.

We had wonderful holiday celebrations with our family. My parents (angels that they are) came to stay with Loki and Zoey while Eric and I went to Iowa for a few days to spend time with his side of the family. I'll post more pictures soon but these are from the collection that I had on my phone.

Big yawn under the tree.

Playing in and on the tunnels we built for them out of Christmas packages.

Loki was on the counter and into the strainer 2 seconds after I got it out. I swear I washed it before I used it again.

Precious Zoey

I love, love, love her markings.

I also love it when they are in the same pose.

I got some new yoga music for Christmas. The kittens aren't quite sure what to make of it.

Their sleeping positions frequently make me laugh.

Loki started cleaning Zoey's ears soon after I took this one. He obviously realizes that she needs help with those giant things.

Loki helping Eric work.

Up close.