There are bunnies living under these benches, out came the cameras!
They were so sweet together.
Fei found our owl family look alikes.
She's learning about on and off. She really wanted on then she really wanted off.
Look what Eric found for me! We've been looking for years but can only ever find them with drying racks on one side. No idea when we'll get to putting in a new sink, I'm happy to just know it's in the garage for now.
Jia playing Birdland on my phone.
Loving the attention from the big girls.
Seeing how long Oreo is.
This is how one cuddles with a snake.
Shannon reads the funniest stories.
First day back to school.
Grade 3, 8 years old.
Grade 4, 9 years old.
The last trip was fabulous. Perfect weather. I stayed home for two nights and took care of critters, the family came home Friday, had showers, did some yard work and picked up Lacie, Lewis and me of course. We left Jenny at home and the rats too. Sophie isn't quite as relaxed as the other rats have been and we didn't think she'd appreciate Lewis trying to catch her tail in the trailer.
Lewis LOVED the RV. He alternated climbing everything and napping. He started relaxing a bit more around us and even initiated a cuddle or two. Last night we gave him the run of the whole house. That is a lot of house for a small kitten to get lost in! He found us in the living room and hung out there and even got on my lap for a nap! I was starting to think that would never happen. We gave him the run of the house again this morning and he choose to stay around us. He was however getting on the table and trying to take Jia's food. He still wants everything we're eating. Also, this morning he had managed to lock himself in the bathroom, Eric had to break the 101 year old door down, breaking the deadbolt and shattering the moulding. Yikes. I know....I know....I wanted a Siamese. He is my fourth one, but it's been awhile and I forgot about how they use their paws more efficiently than regular cats. I thought Eric would be upset about the door but he took that in stride. We're all enjoying most of his antics.
The beach was awesome, kids had a blast playing with friends. They were deep in their games for hours one day with James, but Penny, Eric and I wanted to walk with Jia and the dogs so we guilted them into leaving with us. We told them if they stayed on the beach nothing more would happen, if they came with us it would be an adventure. I was really hoping something fun would happen when we came across a man with a California King snake named Oreo. The kids had met him before and they were super excited to see Oreo again. Oreo sheds four times a year and he was there on a shedding day, oh yay, so the kids spent a half hour picking his skin off for him. Life is sure interesting some days. Then Jia had to give up her num numbs (all food is num numbs) so that we could put Oreo's skin in the ziplock!! Yes, not kidding, the kids insisted on keeping it. They weren't even bothered that Oreo eats mice and the bigger snakes eat rats.
The kids were absolutely not ready to stop camping for the year but I am. Usually I like some fall trips but right now it just feels like a ton of work. I'm tired of packing and unpacking. Jia is still a lot of work. She really likes camping though and she really likes her bunk in the RV. Next year will be easier when she is 2 1/2.
So, school went back in yesterday for two hours and today is their first whole day. They weren't unhappy about going but it wasn't a big excited deal like usual. They clearly would prefer to stay home with Dad. Jia has been to busy to notice yet but once Eric stays home and she's on her own she is going to really miss her 'sissers'. They won't know until the end of the week who their teacher is, where their class is or who is in the class with them. I wish they didn't have to waste this time in school while it gets all sorted out. I totally get the need to sort it out but it is confusing for some of the kids. Fei's transition has been better than usual but still has some rough patches.
Back to dance today but their class time changed to 5:30. That will be a very disruptive for Wednesdays. Eric is going to feed the girls dinner early and I'll eat when we get home. Plus I won't see much of Jia on Wednesday! Eric and I might have to alternate taking them. How do families deal with these odd times? Thankfully piano is still at 4 and the kids are home at 5:15. Speaking of which...I've been searching for a metronome for months and we found one on the weekend, nice brand, good shape and a smokin' deal at $10.
