Allison + Husband + Kittens

RAGBRAI 2011

2011-07-22T16:26:00.002-05:00

Check out my RAGBRAI blog which I'll be posting to for the next week -
http://allison-anders-ragbrai.blogspot.com/

I am sad that I have to leave these two little munchkins -

May/June 2011

2011-07-12T18:28:00.006-05:00

Zoey in the sun

Zoey decided I was done reading

Loki likes our new rug

Balancing on Eric's printer

Watching me work

Wondering why I interrupted naptime

Sprawled out

And again

Eric & me in Chicago for our five-year wedding anniversary

(not that you can tell that by any of the photos)

Kitten pics galore!

2011-06-08T12:37:00.006-05:00

Loki and his toys

2011-05-29T07:43:00.002-05:00

Loki decided to empty his toy basket this morning. It was such hard work that he then had to take a little nap, using one of his toys as a pillow.

Kittenfaced!

2011-03-27T13:42:00.003-05:00

Happy Thursday!

2011-01-27T08:39:00.001-06:00

The best thing about this photo is the story behind it. Zoey had her eyes closed but Loki didn't. I said, "Loki, close your eyes for the picture." Immediately, he did. Such smart babies!

We discovered something new today

2011-01-20T12:46:00.001-06:00

Head Hug!

2011-01-14T11:52:00.003-06:00

Loki decided he needed to hug my head the other morning. And then he fell asleep.

Zoey thinks my computer makes a great armrest
Trying to get a photo of Eric & Zoey but Zoey was not a fan of being held

She did think Eric was an excellent jungle gym

Loki is a much better sport

Our new home

2010-12-28T08:41:00.006-06:00

Fun with bags and boxes

2010-12-20T12:13:00.007-06:00

They love Christmas simply for the extra bags lying around the house.

We may need to have another lesson on the concept of hiding. . .
"See how flat I can make myself!"

Zoey curls up in this box all the time. Looks like we may need to get Loki a larger size.

Eric put her up on top of the door and she loved it. She is truly the princess of heights.

Kittens to become CMAs

2010-12-16T20:49:00.005-06:00

Loki & Zoey both decided tonight that they want to join me in studying for the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) exam. Loki seems a bit more studious. Big surprise there . . .

Happy Holidays!

2010-11-13T08:55:00.002-06:00

My family. I know I'm a lucky, lucky lady. :)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/iEg7YPFyD1ffiJ4ch1Av

Studying & Sleeping

2010-11-08T12:33:00.002-06:00

Zoey showing me the correct answer to my CMA study question

Sunbathing - apparently he's not worried about tan lines

Zoey found a good pillow

On the bed with me while I study like they are every night

Close up of Zoey

And Loki-motion

Nicole's birthday dinner at The Saloon

Halloween Part 2

2010-10-31T08:35:00.003-05:00

Love Child Hippie & Carmen Miranda/Chiquita Banana Lady & Shark

And again

HON friends

Hippie Love Child & Shark (1st Round of Halloween Pics)

2010-10-30T18:33:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday!

2010-10-22T17:43:00.003-05:00

"What? Oh, this cat food? I heard we might get snowed in now that we live in Iowa. I like to be prepared."

Look close and you'll see that their tails are crossed. This is the second time I've caught them like this. It makes me happy. :)

Sunday Sweethearts

2010-10-18T20:38:00.003-05:00

Allison & Loki on the morning of moving everything into the Westside Drive apartment

Zoey wasn't such a willing photo shoot participant

No interest

First night of having furniture in a few months. I was reading on the bed and they boxed me in.

Close up of Miss Zoey

Mr. Loki

Another shot of Loki from earlier that evening.

Moving Day

2010-10-17T07:13:00.003-05:00

Last picture in front of our Kansas City home. I love that Eric's wearing an Iowa State shirt as we're moving to Iowa City.

My parents watched Loki & Zoey while we were in KC. Saturday morning (moving day), I was getting sad about leaving our house so my dad sent photos of what the kittens were doing at that exact moment.

Loki looking out the sliding glass door.

Zoey wandering around the kitchen, probably looking for trouble.

Bonus photo - This is Loki a few nights ago. He sat on top of his scratching post and washed his face with his paw. Why would he decide he wanted to do it up there?

Kansas State Fair Weekend

2010-09-19T16:01:00.002-05:00

Eric & I visited Kari & Joe in Wichita last weekend. We had a great time hanging out with them and going to the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. At the fair, we ate beer-battered cheese curds, pronto pups (fancy cousin of the corn dog), cajun chicken gyros, monkey tails (chocolate covered bananas), strawberry limeades, fries, bread pudding, and salt water taffy. See below for the main eating event at the fair. Then we went back to Wichita and ate SmashBurgers. I'm sure my fellow E.A.T.S. members are proud and not at all surprised.

Kari & Joe - love them!

Allison & Eric

Note the first item on the menu

Of course we had to get it

We split it and it was disgusting

Mostly sleeping

2010-08-16T20:02:00.001-05:00

Little sweeties

2010-07-17T15:37:00.002-05:00

Saturday afternoon naptime

Still loving her tower in Iowa

This is the ledge in our apartment window. The kittens love it.

It's always something . . .

2010-06-08T21:23:00.001-05:00

Zoey learned a new trick.

2 days of work down, infinity to go

2010-05-25T20:47:00.003-05:00

Ron & Myrna left presents for me to find when I came home from my 2nd day of work. They're so sweet!

Me, on my 2nd day of work. I forgot to take a picture on the 1st day. Taking a photo of myself with my phone was harder than I thought it would be. This is the best I could do.

Eric sent me this picture of Loki in the Whole Foods bag.

These next two are also from Eric. He's so smart to know that I need visual proof that my babies are doing okay without me.

Moving Day, Part 1

2010-05-23T10:51:00.001-05:00

This is the perfect card that my parents sent me. I'm moving to Iowa today and starting my job at HON tomorrow. Eric and the kittens will soon follow.

My babies

2010-05-20T13:41:00.002-05:00

Morning nap

Collapsed on the floor after running wild

Hanging out outside our bedroom door. They were upset I wouldn't let them help me paint.

He makes the funniest faces!

Baby Loki

Sleeping in Eric's office while he was away

Pretty girl

Looking out the window, hoping to see the rabbit again

Somebody grew up . . .

2010-05-06T21:23:00.005-05:00

3 months old

10 months old

April Faves - Too Cute!!!

2010-05-05T16:17:00.005-05:00

Zoey sleeping in a headlock. She seemed okay with it.

Baby Loki doesn't like the light in his eyes when he sleeps.

So shiny and handsome

Pretty girl

Zoey seemed a little scrunched in there but, again, she didn't seem to mind.

Best friends

Eric put his arm down on his desk and Loki snuggled up to it.

And then fell asleep

They collapsed like this after running wild.

All stretched out

She loves that bowl!

Tired babies

Zoey poking out from under Eric's computer monitor stand.

Sunday afternoon napping

2010-05-02T14:20:00.002-05:00

Nine months old

2010-04-15T12:15:00.004-05:00

I am loving being with the kittens all day. They are amazingly funny and sweet.

Just hanging out

Zoey apparently likes feathers too. We never knew because this was the first time Loki would let her get anywhere near "his" feathers. She is a big fan of tearing the feathers out of whatever they're attached to. Kind of kills the fun for the next time.

Helping me with our taxes.

Beautiful boy sleeping

I turned the ceiling fan on above our bed and Zoey thought it was the best thing ever. She kept rolling from side to side.

Las Vegas Vacation

2010-04-11T10:15:00.004-05:00

Before leaving for the airport

We were upgraded to one of Mandalay Bay's suites - it was amazing

Our first trip to In-n-Out Burger

Our friends, Kari and Joe, happened to be in Vegas at the same time so we met them for the famous burgers. I don't know why we didn't get a picture of the four of us.

Going out. Eric hates having his picture taken so sometimes we end up with pictures of just me.

We were there on Easter Sunday so we had a southern style, Gospel brunch at House of Blues.

Possibly my favorite dress I've ever owned. I wore it to Sunday brunch and then to the Lion King later that day.

Tired feet at the airport

Eric has the best office

2010-03-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

My 26th Birthday

2010-03-10T10:20:00.001-06:00

My family

My pink champagne cake

Playing & Sleeping

2010-03-10T09:41:00.003-06:00

The kittens love to shove their toys under everything (furniture, appliances, closed doors, etc.) This is what we found under the oven last night - 3 bows, a fish toy, a Starbucks stir stick, and a twisty tie. They were pretty excited to have their treasures back. They've become fascinated with twisty ties recently. Zoey is extremely quick at stealing the twisty tie from the bread whenever we have it out. She doesn't like to share so then I have to get a twisty tie out for Loki as well. They both disappear within hours.

It really is true that their favorite toys are from around the house, not from the pet store. We let them have a small paper sack and they loved it for a week. I finally threw it out because we were having company and it was looking pretty ragged from the bite and claw marks.

Zoey loves all small spaces.

I think Loki is such a good big brother to let Zoey put her feet up on him. She would occasionally kick him as well. They're on "the Christmas blanket" that they adore. I just couldn't take it away from them after the holidays. I guess we're going with red, green, and polar bears when we redecorate the house.

All snuggled up.

What I had to leave this morning

2010-03-02T09:44:00.004-06:00

Loki sunbathing

Trying to figure out how to get to the ceiling fan.

Looking anywhere but at the camera.

Sleepy Zoey

2010-02-26T09:56:00.001-06:00

I couldn't bare to disturb her so I had to stay there reading until she was ready to get up. I have such a rough life.

My bowl!

2010-02-25T14:42:00.005-06:00

Zoey likes to sit in the bowl for awhile after we weigh her. So last night we thought we would weigh Loki first. We set up the scale and bowl, reached down to get Loki, but before we could get him in the bowl, Zoey had hopped in. She completely hunkered down. I think her expression is priceless in this photo. My little girl now weighs 7 lbs., 2 oz. When Loki finally got his turn, we discovered that he was 8 lbs., 8 oz. He's getting a little big for the bowl. He wouldn't stay in it long enough for me to get a picture.

This is Zoey at half of what she weighs now (in October). Her ears barely came to the rim of the bowl. Now she fills the whole thing up!

Kitten Cuteness

2010-02-17T13:45:00.003-06:00

My little furballs are now over 7 months old. Loki weighs an impressive 8 pounds and Zoey is 6 1/2. Still cute as can be!

Eric has mastered the art of typing with a kitten on his arms.

Different day. Different kitten.

Zoey eating her "cheezburger"

Loki devouring his

This was when my parents were packing up to head back to Iowa. The kittens apparently wanted to go too.

Loki sleeping in Eric's inbox.

I wish I got to work with kittens on my desk all day!

Would the princess like a ride?

2010-01-27T09:40:00.003-06:00

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."

2010-01-26T10:09:00.001-06:00

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

Happy Monday!

2010-01-25T13:39:00.003-06:00

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 :)

2010-01-22T13:37:00.000-06:00

Better late than never - Kittens' First Christmas

2010-01-22T13:14:00.003-06:00

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 . . .

2010-01-22T09:54:00.004-06:00

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

2010-01-12T09:43:00.002-06:00

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

Always cute

2010-01-11T16:58:00.000-06:00

Cousin Mokie

2010-01-11T14:09:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-08T14:57:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-04T15:18:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-04T14:46:00.004-06:00

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.

My Sweet Little Babies

2009-12-11T14:18:00.003-06:00

The kittens aren't allowed to sleep in our bedroom at night because they get too wild. Shocking to anyone who has met them, I know. I let them come hang out in the mornings while I'm getting ready for work. For the past two mornings, Loki has immediately cuddled up next to Eric. When it's time for us to go downstairs, it has been hard for me to get Loki to leave Eric. Yesterday, he kept looking at Eric and then back at me and then back at Eric. I finally had to just go pick him up and take him out of the room.

This is how Zoey decided to sleep last night while I was reading. How can that be comfortable?

A close-up.

I turned on the lamp to try to get a better picture. The light was apparently too bright for little Miss Zoey because she covered her face with her paw.

Five Months

2009-12-09T09:00:00.002-06:00

We have recently achieved a new milestone - Loki is over 6 pounds! It is a big deal to me when either of the kittens hit a new pound mark. I explained it to my mom the other night as them becoming "more durable." Which, as you all know, we need our kittens to be. Zoey weighed in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces. That's great for her. She's still gaining weight at a good pace and she will probably always be smaller than Loki since she is female. I am curious to see how much smaller though when they reach their final adult size. Nobody needs to worry about Loki picking on her. Zoey is my little "Wild Woman" and she can definitely hold her own. Here are pictures of the kittens that were taken a day after their 5-month birthday.

Precious Zoey

Zoey waking up. She never looks quite happy about it.

Loki looking out the window.

Loki sleeping.

"Why are you interrupting my nap? You don't need more pictures of me. Everybody already knows I'm cute."

2009-12-07T10:15:00.002-06:00

Do you notice anything different about our tree? What about the paw sticking out below the gold ball?

Then I saw his head stick through.

Too cute!

Too funny!

Zoey was more interested in kicking the ornaments than climbing the tree. She would grab the gold ball with her front paws and then kick it like crazy with her back paws. This is also the technique she uses when she is wrestling with Loki.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T10:11:00.012-06:00

I hosted my first Thanksgiving this year. Here are my favorite photos.

"Grandma" with her first grand-baby

One of the million reasons I love my parents - this is how their laptop is decorated.

Doing yoga in my living room. Loki wanted to participate.

"What do you mean, I only get to use one yoga mat?"

Ashley helping cook the Thanksgiving meal.

Mom before the Thanksgiving meal.

Evan & Ashley before Thanksgiving.

Our dining room table all dressed up for its first use.

The plates with the holly on them were originally purchased by my parents in their first years of marriage. My mom gifted them to me and I am excited to use them every year.

Another shot of the table.

The kitchen table all set up. Yes, there were notecards showing where each dish should be placed.

A close-up of the table.

Eric, Evan, and Ashley in the living room.

We had some free time while Mom & Dad went to pick up the turkey. Here's Evan & Ashley's photo shoot.

I really don't think I was as mad as I look. Eric had just spilled a drink on the coffee table.

Eric & me in front of our tree.

The turkey right after it arrived.

This is what a 26 pound turkey turns into after it has been cooked and sliced.

Ashley looking cute.

The four kids with our champagne.

Evan & Ashley

Mom & Ashley

Dad & Mom at the table.

Evan at the table.

Zoey being cute by the tree.

The boys playing video games.

Trying to get a photo of Mom & Dad with the kittens.

Zoey wasn't having it.

Not a happy kitten.

Loki started losing interest as well.

Dad & Loki

Evan & Zoey. I promise he is not strangling her.

So sweet.

Holiday decorating and kitten cuteness

2009-11-23T10:37:00.008-06:00

We put up the tree and holiday decorations on Sunday. The kittens did amazingly well and have shown no interest in climbing the tree (yet).

Zoey inspecting the tree.

Loki biting the tree. Biting seems to be their way of assessing items that are new to them.

Zoey biting the tree box.

Zoey stretching out on the tree skirt.

Zoey swiping at Loki after he went under the chair.

Playing innnocent.

Taking a break from decorating to look under the basement couch. I have no idea what they thought they were going to find.

My family.

Zoey lounging on the tree skirt. Both of the kittens loved it before it was under the tree and now they love it even more.

Looking precious.

Giving Eric her opinion on how to string the lights.

Investigating the lights . . . by biting.

Loki watching Eric work. Little did he know that Zoey was about to pounce on him.

Loki and his Starbucks. That kitten is an addict.

Eric was putting together a new ShopVac. Zoey decided the bucket was a great place to sit.

Loki preferred the ShopVac's box.

Zoey under the tree. Both of the kittens love sleeping under there.

Hanging out on top of their tower.

I'm not sure there is always going to be room for both of them.

Precious little kittens.

Napping under the tree.

And again.
Zoey waiting at the door for her grandparents to arrive.

Pics from Eric's camera

2009-11-23T10:28:00.007-06:00

Finally got around to getting photos off Eric's camera. Enjoy!

Zoey climbing the screen on the kitchen window.

Loki napping with Eric's slipper.

This is what suckling looks like.

And again.

I really don't think they could be any cuter.

Best friends.

And again because I can't get enough of it.

Loki

Zoey - those eyes make me laugh.

Zoey on top of the kitchen cabinets.

Loki and me

Baby Ashton

2009-11-17T14:26:00.003-06:00

First baby on my blog! This is Ashton Joseph, son of Tanya and Kevin. He was almost 7 months old when this photo was taken. You may remember T & K from previous posts. I love this picture because he's wearing the shirt that I got for him before he made his arrival into the world. He's so cute!!!

Kittens' First Snowfall

2009-11-17T11:23:00.003-06:00

Looking out the window at the snow.

Looking at me. Sorry about the lighting. I was in a hurry.

Loki with his first snow in the background.
Zoey with her first snow in the background.

Our house with the first snow of winter 2009.

Weekend Activities

2009-11-16T10:15:00.007-06:00

Prepping for Thanksgiving.

Yes, that is the official Thanksgiving 2009 binder in the middle of the table.

Yes, I am aware that I am crazy.

Page 1 of the binder is the menu.

Hanging out with my babies on Sunday afternoon.
Loki

Zoey

Playing princess at the top of her tower. She wants you to know that she is not waiting for a prince to rescue her, thank you very much. She is not that kind of girl.

And again.

Hanging out.

How do we kill this shiny device?

2009-11-13T08:34:00.005-06:00

"Seriously, how do we kill it?"

"Got it!"
"Maybe I should sit on it. "

"Let's try biting it at the same time."

"I do not want to look at the camera. I do not care how many times you call me a 'pretty girl'."

"If I sit here for you, can I have a belly rub?"

"Come on . . . is it belly rub time yet?"

Fort Dodge Fun

2009-11-11T09:25:00.012-06:00

As Fort Dodge is no more, I thought it was time to collect my photos from the past year. The top seven things you will learn from this post about me and the amazingly wonderful people I have worked with are:

7. I enjoy documenting important life events through pictures - events such as getting a new umbrella.
6. We enjoy nerdy games, i.e. word scrambles.
5. Food and birthday celebrations are important.
4. We get excited about free stuff.
3. If you ask someone to do something enough times, they will finally do it just to be able to move on with their life (see Alan's pic below as evidence).
2. We enjoy dressing up.
1. We think we're really, really funny (even if nobody else does!)

Wearing Fort Dodge sweatshirts in front of the brand new Pfizer sign.

Tanya, Allison, Ali, Tara

We found these Fort Dodge vet tech shirts and decided to wear them one Friday.

Ali, Tanya, Allison, Kim

We knew we had matching shirts but we did not plan to wear them on the same day.

Tara & Allison

Looking stylish in Fort Dodge hats.

Tanya & Kim

Being serious at Korma Sutra (this was #9 out of 10 Project E.A.T.S. destinations)
Tanya & Kevin

A little more relaxed
Tanya & Kevin

Tara's Birthday - We had a "T" party for her where every treat brought in began with the letter "T" (Tres Leches, Terrific Doughnuts, Twix, Twizzlers). Too bad we didn't have any Tim Tams . . .

The birthday cake didn't come in until the afternoon so we had a paper stand-in. This was the beginning of the "I did not know that" catch phrase.

Alan working hard . . . in an apron.

Tanya showing off her Fort Dodge treasures. Yes, she actually bid on that apron in the silent auction.

Tara sorting through her (free!) Fort Dodge goodies.

Tanya's campaign effort to "save the dung beetle." What does that mean anyway?

ProMeris scarf? Check. ProMeris tie? Check. Looking stylish? Double Check.

Modeling with my new Fort Dodge umbrella.

Tanya & I thought it would be fun to give John daily word scrambles. Of course he loved them.

This particular phrase is "Pfizer and Wyeth are One."

Our buddy Jeff.

Loki the Dachshund

2009-11-10T15:47:00.003-06:00

Look at how long he looks! I always knew I'd have another little dachshund!

Keep in mind that we don't have kids . . .

2009-11-10T10:46:00.008-06:00

I might be able to rationally justify this purchase to people . . . if one of its main purposes wasn't to figure out if the kittens would be interested in an even larger (and thus more expensive) one.

Loki on his way up

Zoey making sure she wasn't missing out on any of the fun Loki was having above

"I know you're in there, Zoey"

Hanging out

Zoey being cute

You can see how there's a hole in the top level that let's them climb up and through. It is completely enclosed where Zoey is.

Tim Tam Slam!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-05T13:26:00.005-06:00

So . . . Tanya introduced me to Tim Tams last week. I'm not going to lie and say that they are the most amazing cookie treat I've ever had, but they are pretty darn tasty. Definitely tasty enough to warrant a blog post. Everybody knows how much I love trying new food!

If you've been to Australia then you are probably already acquainted with Tim Tams. If not, Tim Tams are a chocolate covered cookie that are a big deal in Australia. Here are some Tim Tam Facts for you:

1. First marketed in Australia in 1964
2. Named after the 1958 Kentucky Derby winning horse
3. Around 35 million packs are sold each year – nearly 400 million biscuits, an average of approximately 1.7 packs per Australian
4. Now available in the U.S. (since November 2008) in three delicious Tim Tam flavors - original chocolate creme, caramel, dark chocolate
5. Marketed in the U.S. by Pepperidge Farm as "Australia's Favorite Cookie!"

Tanya and me with our Tim Tams

Tim Tams packages (Sorry, I forgot to rotate the picture and I'm too lazy to go back and do it now)

To show the size of a Tim Tam

Our very first TIM TAM SLAM!!!!!!! Apparently, the "thing to do" with Tim Tams is to bite off each end and then try to suck liquid through it. We tried it with hot chocolate and both failed. We have plans to try it again with milk after sufficient recovery time.

What can happen to a Tim Tam in a hot beverage

Doesn't make it any less tasty though

Happy 4th (Month) Birthday to the Kittens!!!

2009-11-04T14:09:00.003-06:00

Here are some recent pictures that hadn't made it to the blog yet.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T08:38:00.004-06:00

Zoey's Photo Shoot

2009-11-02T12:03:00.003-06:00

Loki sneezed in my coffee this morning.

2009-10-29T08:54:00.001-05:00

I hadn't even had one sip. It's a good thing he's cute.

More cuteness

2009-10-28T10:12:00.002-05:00

It was really only a matter of time . . .

He does not look sorry.

Using the Mt. Dew bottle as a size reference.

Such a pretty girl.

And a handsome boy.

Zoey doing a little troubleshooting for Eric. The kittens love hanging out in Eric's home office now that he's working from there most of the time.

Mornings

2009-10-27T11:07:00.003-05:00

Each morning I feed the kittens and then go back upstairs to get ready. The past couple mornings this is how I've found them when I come back downstairs. They look so happy lying in the sunshine with their little bellies full.

October happenings

2009-10-26T09:00:00.005-05:00

Zoey's new trick is to get up on our shoulders. She will either climb us or jump from a counter.

The Catsifier arrived! Yes, that is a pillow with fake little cat nipples on it. No, it is not working out for us. When Zoey is suckling we can direct her attention to the Catsifier for a little bit but she always gets tired of it and looks for another surface that is more to her liking. Her favorite is human skin, followed closely by sheets.

Weighing in on Friday, the 23rd of October. Zoey was 3 lbs., 4 oz. Loki was 4 lbs., 5 oz. We had a visit to the vet last week and she told us that we are feeding the kittens too much. They are definitely not anywhere close to being overweight but we are going to try to cut back. Eric is doing better with this new plan than I am.

Drinking tea. I don't remember why he sat down on the kitchen floor but the kittens immediately claimed his legs as their bed.

This is a horrible shot of me from Saturday afternoon. I was reading on our bed and the kittens curled up on me like this. My mom called and I told her about it so then I took a picture of myself with my camera phone to send to her.

They were very concerned that Eric might escape out the "secret exit" in the bathroom. See my "cat humor" post.

My brother captioned this picture of Loki in lolcats style. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/

And another one he did.

Loki is a fan of all things crinkly. This (clean & empty) wastebasket with a plastic sack in it was waiting to be carried back upstairs and he hopped in. He was quite amused by the crinkles he made each time he moved.

Evan & Ashley brought the kittens "cheezburgers" when they came to visit a couple weeks ago. I need to stage some better pictures but this is what I have so far.

Loki loves the bowl that I use to weigh them. I usually leave it on the floor for them for a few hours after the weigh in. This day he decided it was a great place to take a nap.

Evan & Ashley with the kittens. Zoey is going after Loki's tail.

Having a father-daughter moment.

Just the girls.

Zoey and Chessie

2009-10-06T16:32:00.006-05:00

Fellow kitten lovers (and family members), Ron & Myrna, sent me the picture below of Chessie because of how much one of Zoey's pictures reminded them of Chessie. Chessie became the mascot of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company in the 1930s. The little darling even has her own Wikipedia entry!

Chessie

Zoey

Cat humor

2009-10-06T15:53:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple excerpts from a letter I read from a cat owner to her cat. I am planning on sharing them with Loki and Zoey tonight.

"The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run."

"For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, and try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- feline attendance is not required."

3 Months Old and Still CUTE!!!

2009-10-05T11:14:00.011-05:00

The kittens turned three months old yesterday. Very exciting for me. They didn't really seem to care. Eric & I were able to spend a lot of time with them over the weekend since we didn't have anything outside of the house going on. They are super-snugglers and enjoy being near us.

Fridays are weigh-in days. Loki is at 3 lbs & 13 oz. Zoey is at 2 lbs & 14 oz. They each gained 3 - 4 oz from last week.

He looks surprised by his weight.

Wondering if he's comfy enough in there to take a nap.

Loki's weight

I wasn't as quick with the camera with Zoey.

And she's out of there.

I really tried to get good pictures of Loki this weekend. I think he looks best on colorful backgrounds.

My friend, Tara, came to meet the kittens today over lunch. She said that Loki looks much better in person than in his pictures. I completely agree!

The kittens love it when I sort the laundry on the floor. Their favorite pile to play in is the one that I am trying to move to the washing machine.

Sleeping kittens.

September 30th Photo Shoot

2009-10-01T08:32:00.004-05:00

"I am cute in my basket."

"Still a little big, but I'll grow into it."

"Stairs are a comfy place to sleep."

Naptime - can you find all 3 sleeping creatures?

"Having the bed to myself is nice."

"Snuggling is nice too."

Sleeping kittens

2009-09-28T10:00:00.002-05:00

Some of Eric's family came to visit this weekend.

The kittens fell asleep by the door waiting for them.

Zoey sleeping - she got herself into this position.

Zoey sleeping - I helped tuck her in for this one.

I feel like a bad kitten mom because there are more pictures of Zoey than Loki. The problem is that, while Loki is gorgeous in real life, he doesn't photograph well. I swear I love them both!

Pacifiers for kittens - No, I'm not kidding

2009-09-24T10:10:00.004-05:00

Loki and Zoey are all but inseparable now that they've decided to be friends. They both run to meet us at the door whenever we come in. Loki sits patiently waiting for his petting but Zoey gets impatient and will hop up so that her head can meet your hand as you are lowering it toward her.

We've noticed that Zoey is a much faster eater than Loki. They both get the same amount of food in their bowls but she is done in about half of the time that he is. So then she has to sit and wait for him to finish before they can resume playing. Sometimes she gets impatient and tries to help him finish his meal but we try to stop that.

Zoey has perfected the "I'm so little and pitiful" look when she wants something. She sits and makes her body as small as possible (which is pretty small). Then she looks up at you and somehow manages to make her eyes even bigger. She did this last night when she didn't want her nails cut. I'm also getting the feeling that she does this when she's trying to get Loki in trouble. She'll be playing just fine with him and then she'll stop and get into her pose. It of course then looks like he is just attacking her. I told her that I'm not buying it.

This is them hanging out in the kitchen. "Being underfoot" is one of their favorite hobbies.

Zoey has developed the cute/weird/endearing/annoying habit of wanting to suck on our skin. It's like she's trying to suckle milk from her cat mom. She purrs and closes her eyes while she does it. I've done some research and this is apparently fairly common and nothing to be too concerned about. I do have a call in to the vet to make sure that Zoey isn't trying to tell us that she needs more food. I decided to try giving her a pacifier made for newborn babies but she wasn't having it. Loki did think it was fun to play with for about 30 seconds though. There is a place that makes a "catsifier" but they are on backorder. We're on the waiting list. This picture is of her suckling Eric's hand. You can see Loki in the background and the undesirable pacifier in the front.

Zoey discovered this morning that she can climb the towels and then walk over to get on one of the bathroom counters. I kept telling her that the counters are not for kitten paws but she really didn't seem to care.

Playtime

2009-09-20T20:09:00.003-05:00

Being Cute

2009-09-20T20:07:00.001-05:00

Snuggles & Sleeping

2009-09-20T19:57:00.004-05:00

The kittens finally get along! Major breakthrough on Saturday and now they are good friends. It was a very long week (for me and anyone who would listen to me) waiting for this to happen. I took many, many pictures of them snuggling this weekend. These are my favorites.

Food and a Friendship Breakthrough

2009-09-19T19:00:00.005-05:00

Chowing down.

We're training them to each have their own bowl so there are no disagreements.

Sniffing.

I don't think she was really as mad as she looks.

Look at the huge eyes! And ears!

The first time we caught them sleeping next to each other.

They did not understand why I was so excited.

I took a lot of pictures just in case it never happened again.

These kittens . . .

2009-09-18T09:38:00.003-05:00

In a moment of desperation yesterday, we bought baby gates. The idea was that they could see and smell each other but not be able to attack. Unfortunately, the store only had two gates so there was still a large gap at the top. We knew this was not anything more than a very temporary solution but, like I said, we were desperate. It did take the kittens a couple hours to realize they could climb the gates but then there was no stopping them. At first, Zoey's plan was to squeeze out through one of the holes in the gate. See the second picture below if you're curious about how well that worked for her.

Zoey loves to hide and then spring out to pounce. As soon as I realized that she was using her litter box as a hiding place (gross!), I supplied this cardboard box as an alternative. She loves it.

It's hard to tell in the picture, but Eric is not really supporting any of Loki's weight. Our little man is holding himself up.

Taking a little nap with Cowtopus as the pillow.

We are still working hard at getting Loki and Zoey to accept each other. Major progress was made last night when we were able to have them in the same room without them attacking each other. They were fine as long as we kept them distracted with their toys. We have a vet appointment this afternoon so I'm interested to see how they are around each other in a neutral environment. I'm also very interested to hear what the vet has to say about their behavior.

Email from Eric

2009-09-16T10:12:00.003-05:00

Below is an email I just received from Eric. Note that Zoey is still supposed to be in her safe room. I love being kitten parents!

kittens were terrors this morning. zoey escaped while i was getting her water. loki chased her under our bed and did his tackling routine underneath there. Every time I went to the side of the bed they were on, they went to the other. It took me 20 minutes to detangle and get them back in their places :/ le sigh.

A bump in the road on their way to becoming BFFs

2009-09-15T11:02:00.005-05:00

We're in the middle of an adjustment period with the kittens. The two week separation caused them to not immediately be best buddies. So for now, Zoey is confined to the safe room and Loki has the run of the rest of the house. This is just until Zoey becomes more comfortable with her surroundings, with Eric and me, and with Loki's scent.

Last night was a major improvement in her comfort level. It may have something to do with the NaturVet At Ease Calming Spray that we put around her room put we'll never know for sure. This spray is the natural and herbal version of Feliway. Both products mimic the calming scents that cats produce naturally, thereby creating a calming environment for the cats. I did tons of research to make sure this product would be safe to use around the Loki & Zoey, determined that it was, and then decided that we might as well give it a try. We also sprayed it on both sides of the door that Loki & Zoey play under (see picture below). I'm hoping they will associate this calmness with each other as well.

As of this morning, Zoey is to the point of trying to escape from her safe room (a very good sign!) so we're going to let her explore the rest of the house tonight. We will keep Loki in the basement during this time so that Zoey can go at her own pace and not have to worry about being pounced on. I am very hopeful that we will be able to leave Loki & Zoey unsupervised by the end of the weekend without any worries of bloodshed.

Loki playing with his Cowtopus (the head is a cow and the bottom looks like octopus tentacles)

Zoey and Loki playing under the door (from Zoey's side). They both stick their paws under so the other can swat at them. Zoey cries for Loki to come back when he wanders off.

Little Miss Zoey

2009-09-13T15:08:00.002-05:00

After thoughtful consideration, we adopted another kitten. We decided on one of Loki's littermates and named her Zoey. She is such a sweetheart! She's a little smaller than Loki right now (2 1/2 pounds to his 3 pounds). She is also the shyest of all of our kittens. We are keeping her in the safe room right now so she can get used to us and her new environment. Eric slept in there with her last night and she has warmed up to him tremendously. I think my turn is tonight. We already love her and are excited about her being in our family.

Ninja Night

2009-09-13T14:59:00.005-05:00

Our friend, Tom, requested a Ninjas vs. Pirates party for his 30th birthday. Of course, we were happy to oblige. The party was awesome and we were actually the only ninjas there. Though outnumbered, we were still able to take down all of the pirates. Everyone knows that ninjas are far superior to pirates.

Izzy Fahey Anders (7/4/2009 - 9/7/2009)

2009-09-13T14:53:00.003-05:00

Our Izzy died last Monday. The vets think that she had a reaction to a vaccine she was given. We love and miss her so much. She will always be our baby angel.

Eric & Allison & Loki & Izzy

2009-09-13T14:49:00.003-05:00

We're too cute when we sleep!

2009-09-13T14:44:00.003-05:00

Eric as a jungle gym

2009-09-13T14:37:00.003-05:00

Who needs an expensive cat tree when you have Eric to climb all over?

Happy Two Month Birthday!!!

2009-09-04T09:14:00.004-05:00

Today is Loki & Izzy's two month birthday. They were born on July 4, 2009. For fun, I made a strawberry cake and celebrated with my co-workers. Just for the record, the kittens were not allowed anywhere near the cake while it was being made and they will not be eating any of the cake. I think my cake may be able to win a "worst decorated" prize but it still tasted great. In case you can't read it, along with their names, it says "Welcome Home" and "Happy B-Day (2 mo)".

All About Loki

2009-09-04T08:58:00.007-05:00

What I know about Loki.

He's very loving. He rushes over to us when we come in the room and wants to be petted. His purr starts the moment we touch him.

He is very good at playing independently. If Izzy isn't in the mood to wrestle with him, he will play in the jungle gym (he loves the hanging jingle balls) or with a toy mouse.

He loves heights and this works out well for him because he's a good jumper. He has no problem jumping up on the couch. He also enjoys scaling his jungle gym.

Surveying the scene from his perch on the jungle gym.

Taking a break from reading - Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul

Snoozing.

Pouncing at the very top of the jungle gym.

All About Izzy

2009-09-04T08:35:00.007-05:00

Here's what I know about Izzy so far.

She's teeny but feisty. She is noticeably smaller than her brother. She feels like she weighs next to nothing when you pick her up, particularly after you've been holding Loki. I know that she's under two pounds. We have her eating high calorie wet food in addition to her regular dry food to help her put on weight.

Izzy has decided that she is ready to explore the world outside of her safe room. She will sit right by the door and wait for you to open it so she can dart out for a few moments of freedom.

She loves being held. She appears to be most content when she is sleeping in a human lap. She purrs and talks/chirps.

Izzy sleeping.

Izzy playing with her toy mouse. The camera flash makes her close her eyes.

Thinking about what she should do with the scratching post.

Scratch it! was the verdict.

Izzy found her reflection in the window.

And now the stories start . . .

2009-09-03T10:53:00.006-05:00

As you know, I love updating anyone who will listen about my kittens and all of the adorable things they do. Here are a few stories from their first night with us. Warning: a couple of them involve poop.

As is fairly normal for small kittens, Loki & Izzy both have loose stools. This is fine . . . except when they step in it. Loki doesn't seem to have this problem, probably due to his lack of interest in spending very much time in the litter box (see below), but Izzy is another story. We hadn't even had them home for 10 minutes when Izzy used the litter box like the good little girl that she is and then promptly smeared one of her paws in it. Cut to Eric and me holding Izzy under the bathroom faucet trying to clean her up and looking at each other with identical, "what have we gotten ourselves into?" expressions. Amazingly, Izzy was very calm with the water. She even purred the second time. Yes, the second time. This has earned her the nickname of Izzy-poo.

Loki doesn't seem concerned with covering his droppings in the litter box. Maybe he never will or maybe there's too much fun stuff going on right now for him to be bothered. Regardless, Izzy walked by the litter box last night, saw what Loki had left, and immediately jumped in to cover it for him. Too cute!

You may have noticed in the pictures that we have two of most kitten supplies because we weren't sure how Loki & Izzy would be about sharing. This means that we have two sets of bowls for them, only about 6 inches apart. Loki was drinking the water out of one bowl and Izzy came up and pushed him out of the way. Loki sat back, waited for Izzy to be done, and then resumed his drinking. It was particularly funny to see since she is smaller than he is! I'm thinking she may end up being the bossy one.

Introducing Loki & Izzy

2009-09-03T09:06:00.006-05:00

Loki & Izzy came to live with us last night. They are adjusting well and we love them so much!

Our first family picture.

Loki - He loves to climb and pounce on any string or tag he can find.

Izzy - She's already become a little talker, though it's more of a chirping sound.
Sleeping in their carrier on the car ride to our house.

They immediately took to their scratching post. Izzy blends in a little with it.

Wrestling around on their jungle gym.

Playing hard makes them thirsty.

What goes in must come out.

Door County Vacation

2009-08-30T22:34:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our Door County vacation.

I was born to ride.

My wonderful parents.

Testing our communication skills.

Happy after eating gelato.

At Birch Creek.

Zen playing fetch

2009-08-30T11:39:00.001-05:00

Just found video of Zen playing fetch. I didn't remember that we had this so it was a wonderful surprise.

Coffee & Furniture

2009-08-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

My wonderful parents sent us a gift package. They included my favorite coffee - Black Satin from The Chocolate Chicken in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin. Coffee makes me a much nicer person.

I saw this cat jungle gym at Target and couldn't resist getting it for my new kittens. Hopefully they like it. It breaks down fairly easily so we'll be able to take it when we travel. I even surprised Eric by putting it together all by myself.

I'm becoming a little obsessed with CraigsList. I saw this "formal cat stand" for $12 and had to have it. It needs a pillow on top but I love it.

This is our most recent furniture purchase - Crate & Barrel sleeper sofa. Now we have a place for two more people to sleep when they come visit.

Kittens set to arrive on Wednesday

2009-08-28T12:05:00.000-05:00

This is (hopefully) our last weekend without Loki & Izzy. As of right now, we will get them on Wednesday. We do need to get some stuff to prepare for their arrival and then we will be all set.

Zen Fahey Anders (3/14/09-7/27/09)

2009-08-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

This post is all about Zen. With the new kittens arriving soon I think it is fitting to honor my first little kitten.

Zen is a kitten that Eric & I adopted in June 2009 from Wayside Waifs in Kansas City. I had been looking at the animals on Wayside's website for a few weeks but none of them grabbed my attention like Zen did. I immediately texted Eric and told him that I had found "our" kitten. We went that evening to meet him and I loved him even more in person. We put a deposit down and went home to "think about it." It was such a big decision for us, particularly because we hadn't officially decided on getting a pet before this point. We obviously went back the next day to pick up our new baby. Zen was what the shelter had named him and there was no way I was changing such a perfect name.

He was a wonderful little kitten. Very curious and loving. I was the typical first-time mom. Very cautious and camera-happy. He loved his little toy, "Mousey" (which he taught us to play fetch with), would run and meet us when we arrived at home (he listened for the garage door), and liked to be held on his back like a baby while snuggling and burrowing his face into the palm of your hand. I thoroughly entertained my mom each evening with stories of what her grand-kitty had been up to. I was ready for the many years and stories we had ahead of us. Unfortunately, life had other plans.

About 6 weeks after we adopted him, Zen was diagnosed with FIP. FIP is a disease that I had never heard of before. It is very rare, incurable, and fatal. We only had him for 6 days after his initial diagnosis.

Through all the research I did about FIP, I learned about The Bria Fund for FIP Research. This fund was started by Ms. Susan Gingrich (sister of former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich.) Susan and her husband lost their kitten, Bria, to FIP in April 2005. There were parts of Susan & Bria's story that were eerily similar to my story. It was comforting to know that there was someone out there in this big world who understood exactly how I was feeling. The day after we put Zen to sleep, I wrote a letter to Ms. Gingrich. I never expected a response. It was simply therapeutic for me to write the letter. Also, I sincerely hoped that it would reach her so that she would know that there was someone out there that understood her story. I also wanted to tell her how much I appreciated her starting the Bria Fund. Amazingly, Ms. Gingrich wrote me back. Hers is a wonderful letter that I will treasure.

You can read Susan and Bria's story here. http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/BriaFund.html

This is the letter that I wrote.

Dear Ms. Gingrich:

I hope I have the correct address and this letter reaches Susan Gingrich, mother of Bria. My name is Allison Anders and today is the first day without my beloved kitten, Zen. I adopted Zen from a shelter six weeks ago. I loved him from the moment I saw his little furry face in a picture on the shelter's website. I brought him home about 24 hours after that first sighting and he became an instant part of my family. He was a gorgeous kitten, full of life and personality. I was amazed at how much I loved him.

One week ago I noticed that his abdomen had become somewhat "pot-bellied." Playing the part of the overprotective mother, I took him to the veterinarian. I really thought they might laugh at me and tell me that my baby was just growing up. Instead, I learned of a disease that was too horrible for me to initially comprehend. I have spent the last week holding and talking to my little "snuggle bunny." I chose to end Zen's suffering last night. I missed him instantly. He was only 4 months old.

I am so sorry for your loss of sweet little Bria. I applaud your efforts to raise awareness and funds through the Bria Fund. I will be making monetary donations in the future as a way of honoring my baby who was taken too soon. Please let me know if there is any other way I can help.

Sincerely,
Allison Anders

Our first picture together.

This is right before we brought him home from the shelter on 6/13/09.

Sleeping on the couch.

Saying, "why are you always pointing that camera-thing at me?"

Kittens on the way!

2009-08-25T11:43:00.000-05:00

After our tragic experience with Zen, we are finally ready to bring more lovable furballs into our home. So I would like to introduce: Loki and Izzy. We are adopting them from Kitty City Kansas. It is a rescue organization that keeps all of their kittens and cats in foster care during the week and then brings them to the Mariposa Veterinary Clinic on Saturday afternoons for adoption. Eric and I went there this past Saturday and I was immediately at ease with the operation they were running. All animals seemed very well cared for and 30 seconds into talking to any of the foster parents you could tell that they adored their temporary fur babies.

At the clinic, we met Chloe, a beautiful Lilac Point Siamese and her litter of five kittens. Chloe and her family were found abandoned at an apartment complex and then taken in by Kitty City Kansas, specifically by foster mom JoAnne. All of Chloe's kittens were precious but we really fell in love with Lucky (now named Loki) and Muffy (now named Izzy). On that day (August 22nd), Loki weighed just over 2 pounds and Izzy weighed 1.8 pounds. They were just little balls of fluff!

Loki is having his alteration surgery this week and then both kittens will be released into our care. Izzy will have her surgery once she gets a little bigger. I am bursting with excitement at having my fur babies at home and am hoping that they will be ready for the move by this weekend.

Loki looking sleepy in foster care

Izzy in foster care (she has beautiful blue eyes!)

Mama Chloe (who is much prettier in real life)