Monster Jam

We took the boys to Monster Jam again this year. They just LOVE watching those big trucks bounce around and crush things! But don't worry, we had optimal ear protection, ear plugs, covered by head sets. It was fun.

Meet Bazzle

Yep, Bazzle, sounds just like it's spelled. (Not like the herb Basil, with a long "a" sound, but Bazzle, like Razzle Dazzle!) He was a stray that showed up on our porch, starving. He ate an entire can of tuna in one bite practically. Found out the neighbors got him from friends, but he was just going to be an outside cat, and they weren't even feeding him... thinking he could just be an "alley cat" and find his own food. They said we could have him, as they obviously didn't care about him. Keegan fell in LOVE with him, because he's SO sweet! So, Bazzle was my birthday present this year, since that's when we took him to the vet, got him checked out, and adopted him, officially! He's now our indoor cat, and SO happy that he's not outside scrounging to stay alive. It was coincidentally "National Pet Adoption Weekend," so I got all kinds of free kitty supplies at PetCo. It was just meant to be!

Bazzle is Comfortable Everywhere!

He sleeps on Keegan's Batman Chair, on our sofa-chair. He's comfortable around water-- he's always in the bathroom at bath time! And he loves his little toys we got for him. The boys wear him out every evening, so he sleeps better at night. Hmmmm, that's what Chris and I like to do to the boys! :-)

Keegan's New Pal

Bazzle seems to have attached himself to Keegan and Keegan's room. It's pretty cute, since Keegan is the one who BEGGED us to keep him. (A little unusual for Keegan, since he's never really been attached to anything-- post-pacifier-- and he's not the really snuggly, cuddly type.) But, Keegan really seems to love this kitty! And ever since we brought Bazzle into the house, he's been 100% comfortable. Eating well, sleeping well, no training necessary for the litter box, etc... It all just worked out perfectly. Except... it's obvious he wasn't weaned properly. His self-soothing technique is to purr as loudly as he can, knead his claws, and try to suckle on his own teats! It's funny, but kind of sad for the poor baby at the same time. You can see that in one of the pictures with Chammy, below.

It Took a Little While

Bazzle and Chammy are finally "getting used to each other." Every picture that the two of them are in together, Chammy still has a "Watcha-Talkin'-Bout-Willis" face on though! Bazzle is really starting to want to play with Chammy, but she just isn't quite ready to completely accept him as a member of the family yet. Time will tell! But, these pictures show a good start.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone! I'm a little behind in posting our holiday photos, but I've finally done it. We took a week off over the holidays and drove up to Northern California (Rocklin & Auburn) to visit Tif's Mom's side of the family. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, kids, pets, the works! The weather was not optimal throughout the course of the trip, in fact, our two driving days were probably the worst. But we sure had a great time. My sister and our two cousins are all married with two kids to each family. So, the EIGHT younger cousins were able to play and hang out together quite a bit on our trip. It really was a lot of fun. At the end of it all, sad to say goodbye to Christmas, and mostly, sad to say goodbye to family! I love you all, and thank for opening your hearts and homes to make this Christmas wonderful!

A Night at the Folsom Zoo

Perhaps we were a little to eager to "get out and do something" by attempting to go to the Zoo on the night we arrived up north! After a LONG day in the car (a 10-hour drive due to inclement weather), and the first time the cousins were able to see each other in a while...... THE KIDS WERE CRAZY!!!! We managed to have some fun moments in the hectic mess of things, and the zoo was quite pretty.... but after about only an hour, we were ready to go home, put the kids to bed, and let us adults drink a glass of wine and RELAX!!

Togetherness!

Although little Bella was not walking at Christmas.. I hear that she is currently a WALKER!!

Kids at Play

Even though it was a bit drizzly the first few days when we arrived, the kids still had fun getting outside and enjoying each others company!

More Family Fun

The cousins had a great time playing together-- all 8 of them!

Family Dinner

The night after we arrived in town, the whole fam damily (almost) joined together for a fun pizza dinner in Rocklin. We had a whole portion of the restaurant sectioned off just for us!

Christmas Walk

After our fun family dinner at Round Table Pizza, we headed out to walk the streets of Rocklin! One neighborhood in particular, really goes "all out" with their decorations, and people come from all over to drive around, and walk the streets, to check out the beautifully-decorated homes and yards.

A Beautiful Day at the Park

We found the perfect sunny day amongst the on/off rain showers, and took the kids to the park. The weather was crisp, clear, and the kids had a blast. We played at the park and went on a fun nature hike! And Uncle Chris tested the kids' (uh, boys') balance skills!