Fleury update

Annabelle & I took Fleury to the vet last week. It was all good news.

It’s a boy! Although I have always been told the females are more the mousers the males are cuddlier.

Healthy. Very healthy and about 5 to 6 months old.

No chip! We are keeping him, we stopped and took down the sign we had posted on our community bulletin board on the way home. Sorry suckers, you lost a great cat.

Truly we could not have been more blessed with a patient, easy going pet. We are working hard to get Nate to stop picking him up. “Here’s your cat Mommy” has been said several times while Fleury is upside down. He just acts like a rag doll and never scratches or bites.

Phrases heard around our house lately (again, we are working on it, none of it is acceptable)

“Nate, the cat is not a sit-upon”

“Nate, get your face away from the cat while he eats” (he lays beside him and says “chew chew chew”)

“Nate, the cat does not want to eat a potato chip”

“Nate, the cat is not a track to run your trains over” (even though the cat is just laying there looking long suffering)

But Annabelle, my sweet Annabelle pets him, holds him, and takes care of him. Besties.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!

We celebrated Grandma’s 80th birthday on January 15th at our house with Uncle Frank, Aunt Charlotte, Cousin Zachary, Cousins (and Godparents) Jenny & Chris, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Jeff & Nana along with Grandma & Grandpa. It was a fun day with lots of pictures and most of all cake. Nate was so very excited about the cake. Grandma certainly was surprised as Aunt Kathy told her they were going out to lunch but had to stop at our house first to drop something off. Uncle Frank & Aunt Charlotte had driven in that morning as a surprise. She suspected *nothing*.

	Grandma with some of her kids and Grandkids (Aunt Karen & Cousin Eric did not attend) Next time, for sure, we are going to get everyone together for a complete 3 generation photo.
	Nate is very attached to Grandma and spent most of his day with her. He wore a suit in honor of such a momentous occasion.

Nate's birthday party

We celebrated Nate’s birthday the Saturday after this actual day. Even though it had snowed the day before the roads remained passable so our guests could arrive. We opted for a low key family party this year, saving the play place party for next year with some friends. Fortunately for us our cousins are the same age as both kids and we always have a fun time when we visit with them.
Nate has been saying for 2 months. “I want a Thomas cake for my party”. That is all he asked for. Oh my sweet child, I hope your requests are always this easy.

Nate did a great job blowing out his candle. Extra bonus that he got a toy to keep after the cake was cut.
Even with a house full of toys, the kids thought playing on Annabelle’s bed was super fun.

Fleury

Arriving home from Kansas City Friday January 7 during a snowfall proved to be a little nerve wracking. Thankfully flights were relatively on time, parkway traffic was not too hectic and I was looking forward to seeing my family after a week away. As I approached the house I could see Nana waiting at the door which could be a good or bad sign, depending. As I walked up on the porch she peeked her head out the door and said “can we keep it?” I was puzzled for a few moments until I saw this little grey fur ball come out from under the loveseat. Mom explained it had been in our yard and porch all day but didn’t want to leave it in until I got home. “Of course” I said, it was cold out there. Annabelle immediately sat down on the floor and the kitten went straight to her, purring and crawling on her lap. Nate had some trepidation (which he is now over); he liked it from afar but didn’t want to get too close. The kitten made itself right at home by crawling up on the couch. It had no collar, no tags but this was a well taken care of, used to being in the house cat for sure. After kids were in bed I ran out in same snow storm to get food, kitty litter and some toys to keep this cat for a day or two until the owner posted a sign or something. I went to my favorite Thesaurus.com and looked for names that went with snow. We decided we liked Flurry, except with the French spelling of “Fleury”, like the Penguins player. It was cute, unisex (we still don’t know if it is a boy or girl cat) name and then I tried not get attached. Too late. 10 days later we are all so in love with this kitten. It is the sweetest, most patient, cuddle cat I have ever known. I only hope this was fate sending us just what we needed. We take it to the vet Friday, fingers crossed it does not have a chip in its neck (or if it does the deadbeat owners that have not tried to find it or answer our ads will let us keep it)

Nate’s actual birthday

Unfortunately Nate’s 2nd birthday fell on a Wednesday when Mommy was out of town for work and Daddy had to work 2nd shift (4-12).

Fortunately we have a wonderful family that steps in make the day special no matter what.
Early in the day Nate opened some birthday presents with Daddy, Nana & Annabelle

Aunt Stacie knows what the boy likes. Farm train arrived for him to open that day.
Later Aunt Karen, Kurt and Josh came over for dinner and more celebration.
And there were cupcakes, that makes it all worth it
His very own Thomas laptop
As the festivities were winding down Nate emptied out a bin, declared it a nest and perched himself in it (with cozy pillow of course)

New Year's Day

We spent New Years Day visiting Grandma & Grandpap at their house. Grandma had put up a lovely tree and really enjoyed letting Annabelle & Nate play with everything adorned. Most of it was antique ornaments and delicate but good natured Grandma didn’t appear as nervous as I felt letting them take things down to play. Annabelle really liked the manger underneath, another dollhouse to her. (Note to self: get a manger set next year) We had lunch, played lots with Aunt Karen, Uncle Jeff, Grandma and Grandpap. Hide & seek was a big hit, as was playing in a box. By the time we left Grandma looked like she needed a much deserved rest.
	and there is that elf look Nate always gets with Grandma

Nate is 2!

January 5, 2011

Dear Nathaniel,

Happy 2nd Birthday! My goodness, you are officially 2 today. It seems you have been 2 for quite some time. You are such a big boy, so mature, so talkative, and so smart that is often hard to remember you are still a toddler. Then you square that bottom lip and have a tantrum over wanting your shirt both on and off in the same instant and I am reminded once again of your actual age.

Nate, my sweet sweet Nate, I so admire how you love. You are attentive and affectionate to the people and things you hold dear. For example: Sometimes you will be engaged in an activity, stop to seek out your cozy pillow, pick it up to cuddle for a few moments, put it down and return to your previous task. I hope you always love like this Nate. I hope you always keep what you love close and take the time to cherish it as you do today. What a precious heart you possess.

You have matured from calling me Mum-Mum to Mommy, saying “Ess!” to Yes, giving one word, all capital commands to polite requests. (From FRIES! to Please Mommy Fries) You don’t experiment with foods much. You have your staples that you love, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese sandwiches, yogurt, pancakes (pronounced Pan-pakes), various crunchy snack foods and any type of dessert. It is a challenge to say the least keeping you proper nutritioned. But when you do eat, you sure do put it away.

You refuse to acknowledge your middle name is Thomas, instead picking a different train each time. “Faniel Percy Stonah” or “Faniel Emily Stonah”. Then you give that ornery smile that lights up your eyes before the sly grin appears. Oh that smile, I always tell you it’s a good thing you are so cute, it keeps you out of most of the trouble you should be in. You climb anything. You jump off things without regard to landing. You look for things to get into. You are just an on-the-go, perpetual movement little boy. But you would say “No, I’m just Nate”

I cherish our bedtime routine, holding you close and singing “Hush little baby” brings me the greatest peace I have ever known. You lay your head on my shoulder and when I’m finished you pull back and say something like “good singing Mommy” or sometimes “love you Mommy”. Just last week you said “happy holidays Mommy”. It’s been over 10 days but I still tear up every time remember your serious expression and soft voice.

So Happy Second Birthday Nate. We are having the Thomas party that you have been requesting for a few months now. Mommy & Daddy love you more than you could ever imagine. Thank you for being “just Nate”, because just Nate is more than we could have ever dreamed.

With all my love,
Mommy