Obscene, Heavy-Breathing...Cat?

I used to have a cat that was insanely affectionate. He loved to insert himself in the middle of everything, and when he decided it was time to cuddle, well, it was going to happen whether you wanted it to or not. He would pick the person, too, and sometimes it would be a complete stranger. I think he needed to mark every single human he came across as his 'territory' so he could curl up on them whenever he wanted. And I do mean on them. This cat used to sleep on my face. It was really annoying. :)

There was one thing, though, that he didn't want his humans near, and that was Christmas bows. You know, the ones you peel and stick on a gift. Yeah. I brought him home as a kitten right before Christmas, and I was worried he was going to annihilate the tree. Nope. He was mesmerized by the bows on the gifts. He batted at them for a bit, pounced on a few others, and then, oh joy! One came off! 

Clearly, this bow was meant for him and him only. He played with it all over the room, and then the weirdest thing happened. He noticed I was a mere five feet away! His beloved human, the one who feeds him and keeps him safe, was now suddenly a threat. What if I tried to take his bow? He was having none of that, and decided to stake his claim with a vengeance.

He picked up the bow in his mouth, arched his back, and hissed. That right there was funny enough to send me giggling, but have you ever heard a cat try to hiss with something in its mouth? It doesn't work so well, and there is no actual hissing sound. Instead, it sounds like obscene heavy breathing. I fell over in hysterics, which offended him greatly because I clearly wasn't taking him seriously. He forgave me later, though, after he'd hidden the bow and come out for dinnertime. :)

Cow Patterned Cake

I guess I only make cakes for other people's special occasions. Friends' birthdays, bake sales, Christmas parties, etc. I made a cake over the weekend for a Teacher Appreciation Dinner at the boys' school. They have this dinner every year, and I've made a cake each time. The theme changes, and this year was The Wild West. I had no idea what to do, so I just made a huge cake and put a cow pattern on it. It turned out pretty well. Here's a photo.

The top layer is chocolate, and the bottom is yellow. And there's caramel frosting in between. :)

Jokes From An Eight Year Old

Oldest is really into jokes. Actually, both boys are, and they both love to make up their own. Of course, they think they're hilarious but they don't make much sense to a grown-up. Namely, me. :) But I listen and I laugh, mostly at how well they can crack themselves up.

Oldest has had a recent mental shift. He still makes up silly jokes that don't make sense, but he's also starting to see the world around him and tell jokes that are pretty darned funny. Like these two, which he sort of made up on his own:

Q: How does a baby roll?
A: In a stroller.


Q: How does a baby rock and roll?
A: In a stroller on a gravel road.

But the best one he's told me so far is this:

Oldest: Will you remember me five minutes from now?

Me: Yes. 
Oldest: Will you remember me tomorrow?
Me: Yes.

Oldest: Will you remember me next month?

Me: Yes. 

Oldest: Will you remember me next year?

Me: Yes. 

Oldest: Knock knock.

Me: Who's there?

Oldest: I thought you said you'd remember me!

The Toothless Wonder

For the last couple years, Youngest has watched his brother and all his classmates get loose teeth, coins from the Toothfairy, and then grin--showing off those awesome gaps. But Youngest's teeth remained stubbornly tight. Not even the slightest wiggle. Last year, he came to me with a sigh and said "Mommy, when am I going to lose a tooth?" He looked so forlorn that I hugged him and said his teeth would come out when they were ready. He nodded and sort of moped away.

Well, this year, he has hit the jackpot. A couple weeks ago, he lost his first tooth (while we were at a restaurant, no less), and on Sunday he lost another. And, he's got four more loose teeth. Four! I don't know how this kid eats!! Plus, once all these teeth fall out, he's going to be gumming his food to death.

But he doest care. Right now he's smiling, showing off his jack-o-lantern grin and loving every minute of it. In the mean time, I think I'll dust off the blender, just in case. :)

Polite Children

I saw the most astonishing thing the other day. I went to pick up my kids from school, and as I went into Youngest's first grade classroom, all the kids were getting their stuff out of their lockers and bringing it back into the classroom. One of the girls ran up to one of the boys.

Girl: Your locker is still open.
Boy: Oh, uh...(looks at the coat, backpack, and lunchbox filling his arms). Would you mind closing it for me?
Girl: Sure! (she runs off)

I kid you not, this is verbatim. These kids are six and seven years old, and this boy sounded like a polite, well-mannered adult speaking!! How cool is that? I thought it was pretty awesome, and had to share. :)