Rats Update

I found homes for 10 rats! YAY! All the rest went back to my friend's house, except for two, which I plan to give to friends of mine. Now the menfolk in my home will be happy with me again. Geesh, you would think they were the ones taking care of them the whole time!

Lord of the Rings

Brad and I finished watching the entire trilogy of The Lord of the Rings tonight. I've lost count to how many times I've seen the DVDs, but I still found myself crying for Frodo and Sam, laughing at Pippin and Merry, cheering for Aragorn and Legolas, and weeping for the riders of Rohan as if I were experiencing it for the first time. Wonderfully, wonderfully done.

A couple of years ago I found this music video of Annie Lennox singing, "Into the West," with clips from "The Return of the King." It's one of my favorites.

Into the West

Raphael | MySpace Video

Rats... Rats... and More Rats

My love for animals can often lead me into odd circumstances. I find myself drawn to care for random creatures, mainly because animals fascinate me, and I love to nurture them and observe them whenever presented the opportunity.

I now find myself in one of those situations. I am currently responsible for a large menagerie of furry little rodents. Not five, not 10, not 20... but 36 rats in my home, plus a few more coming within the next few hours.

How did I find myself in such a predicament? Well, it wasn't entirely on purpose. It all started out by me helping a neighbor. She called me a couple of weeks ago from Minnesota, letting me know that she was out of town and in desperate need of help. She had bred her three female rats prior to her departure (which produced three litters), and while she was away, the person she hired to pet-sit was unable to care for her pets any longer, so I agreed to take charge. I brought the three mother rats, 1 adult male, and 29 babies into my home. I took care of them for a week. After my friend returned home, she called and told me she was no longer able to care for any of her pets. She didn't know what to do with the rats. I told her to let them stay with me temporarily and I would try to sell them all for her.

So, that is where I am right now. I need to find homes for all of the little critters before my husband and father-in-law lose their patience with me and kick me out of the house. So far I have two homes lined up for four rats. Please spread the word for me if you can! These rats are very cute and very friendly. They deserve to have a chance as pets, not reptile food.

CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET

Five Males (above) and Five Females (below)

Plus one very fertile 1 year-old male rat

Sushi the Cat

I'm really behind on this post, mainly because June was an extremely busy month and I didn't make time to blog much. We got our new little kitten, Sushi, over a month ago on June 3rd. She's an adorable little 3-month-old Lynx point Siamese. She is a very pretty kitty with a great personality. She's a cuddle bug and a people lover. She loves to spend her time sleeping under necks or on shoulders. She's also very playful and curious, as most kittens are. We are crossing our fingers that Brad's allergies will tolerate her as she grows older. So far so good. She's a delightful little addition to our family.

Lizzy Talks!

Oh Lizzy! Could you really be old enough to talk? You are getting to be such a big girl, I can hardly keep up with you.

Lizzy's first word was "ma-ma." She said that for the first time back in October when she was only 4 months old. Now she has a vocabulary of about a dozen words, plus a few short phrases. She can say: bye-bye, hi, dog, Emma, ball, Mama, Papa, kitty, bottle (ba-ba), grandpa (gup-pa), uh-oh, and no. This past week she learned how to say "thank you," "all gone," and "hi kitty."

Here's a super short video of Lizzy saying Emma:

The Highlight of My Day: June 2010

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in June:

Tue 6/1/10: Tonight was Scott's 6th Grade program. He did a fantastic job, although I wish he would sing louder and smile more. He has such a nice voice but he hates to sing.

Wed 6/2/10: I took Emma to the Primary Children's Medical Center in Riverton for her lab tests. She was very brave. The good news is her blood turned out normal, so whatever she has is probably not too serious.

June 6/3/10: We picked up our new kitten from the Animal Shelter today. She's a little loopy tonight, due to the anesthesia from her operation, but we can already tell she has a good personality. Today was also Brad's birthday. We celebrated with cake and a present-- one of our favorite boardgames, Masterpiece.

Fri 6/4/10: Today was Scott's 6th grade graduation at his school. He won a total of five awards. After the ceremony, we took Scott out to lunch at Chick-fil-A. In the afternoon Marilyn came to visit me, then we went out to dinner with Brad, Twinkle, and David at Francisco's (Chef Tom's).

Sat 6/5/10: Brad and I went to Lagoon to participate in Del Sol's annual Lagoon Day. We took Lizzy on her first merry-go-round, train ride, and ferris wheel. Brad won a $200 gift card to Best Buy. YAY!

Sun 6/6/10: We joined the Bruce-clan on their walk to Loralee's sister's house this evening. We played an LDS card game with Melanie while she made us brownies. We also enjoyed watching the lightening show outside, and saw a beautiful sunset with amazing clouds and rainbows.

Mon 6/7/10: We got the van fixed today. Now it's completely road-trip-proof for our California vacation. YAY!

Tue 6/8/10: Tonight we went to Wheeler Farm to take pictures of Lizzy for her birthday. I was very pleased with the way they turned out.

Wed 6/9/10: My beautiful baby turned a year old today! I can't believe how fast the time has gone. She had her doctor appointment this morning and got three shots. Her doctor says she's growing wonderfully. Tonight we had a small birthday party for her. She loved her birthday cake.

Thu 6/10/10: Laundry from dawn until dusk! Got done some last minute shopping, too.

Fri 6/11/10: Drove to St. George today. The kids enjoyed swimming at our hotel.

Sat 6/12/10: Arrived in Long Beach! We ran some errands tonight and had dinner with the family. I love being back home.

Sun 6/13/10: We had a birthday party tonight for Lizzy. It was nice seeing old friends.

Mon 6/14/10: The four of us went to Disneyland today. Rachel, Craig, Susie, and Krista joined us later.

Tue 6/15/10: Today was our quiet day. We went over to LBCC to feed the bunnies, then we went to Rachel & Craig's condo for dinner and swimming.

Wed 6/16/10: We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific with Scott and Emma today.

Thu 6/17/10: Huntington Beach was our destination point today. We went to the beach then visited our friend Gizella. In the evening, Brad and I went on a date for our wedding anniversary. 4 years today!

Fri 6/18/10: We left Long Beach this morning and stopped in Overton, Nevada for the night. We had a quiet evening swimming and eating at a little diner called "Sugar's Home Plate" restaurant.

Sat 6/19/10: It's great to be home again! We had Magic Wok for dinner tonight and the kids and I went to pick up our kitty.

Sun 6/20/10: Had a great Father's Day. I made Brad breakfast this morning, and the kids and I presented him with gifts. I bought him a U2 video he's been wanting for the longest time. Lizzy gave the best present of all: she took her first steps!

Mon 6/21/10: I went to the storage unit and the library with Brad tonight. I picked up some new DVDs to watch with Brad, which I'm looking forward to seeing.

Tue 6/22/10: I took Lizzy to feed the ducks this morning and walk along the Jordan River Parkway. She loved looking at the ducks and called them "dogs."

Wed 6/23/10: When Scott & Emma arrived home tonight, Lizzy saw them and was so excited she starting screaming and laughing like mad. It was adorable watching her joy at being reunited with her siblings.

Thu 6/24/10: Brad and I are watching the newest production of Jane Austen's "Emma." It's fantastic! I loved watching it with Brad tonight.

Fri 6/25/10: Finished watching "Emma." It was WONDERFUL! I'm going to need to own it on DVD.

Sat 6/26/10: The four of us left Lizzy with a babysitter and went to watch Toy Story 3 in 3D today. The movie was fabulous! Pixar truly knows how to tell a great story and succeed every time.

Sun 6/27/10: Visited with the Bruce-clan tonight. Scott and Emma enjoyed spending time with their cousins.

Mon 6/28/10: Lizzy talks so much now! She's saying dog, bye-bye, hi, Emma, ball, and she's even trying to say thank you.

Tue 6/29/10: Scott has braces on his teeth again! I took him to the orthodontist this morning, and we've officially started the third and final phase of his treatment. In the afternoon I took the kids to Leatherby's.

Wed 6/30/10: We had cousin sleepovers last night. The girls slept over at our house and enjoyed playing with Sushi, who's feeling so much better now. I'm happy that she's acting like a normal kitty.