The Fisher Zoo

Well, it has been officially decided that we are not moving. We love Pocatello, and Casper just can't compete for day to day living. We would still love to be closer to our families, but Pocatello has so much to offer for us and the boys. So, we are home--it's so nice to finally be able to say that and really begin to feel settled!

As a result of this decision, the 'Zoo' has recently expanded. We've been talking for quite some time about getting the boys a kitten, and have put it off with the thought that we would be moving soon. So, to celebrate Cinco de Mayo we went out for lunch at a local Mexican Restaurant and then went to the animal shelter and adopted a kitten. I know, I know, kittens don't exactly have a lot to do with Cinco de Mayo, but, it filled the afternoon! So, in addition to the two dogs, Max and Raja, we now also have a 9 week old gray kitten.

Keil's family has a long tradition of having gray cats as family pets, and they've always just named the cats "Gray Kitty." (Pretty Original, don't you think?) When we chose the kitten we were going to adopt, Keil turned to me and asked, "Are we going to name him 'Gray Kitty?" Ummmmmmm......So, I asked Adrik, "If we take this kitty home, what would you name it?" Now, I have to say that giving Adrik the opportunity to name the cat made me a bit nervous because of a recent conversation I had with him. He asked me several weeks ago if we were ever going to have another baby. Not knowing the answer to that, I turned the question back on him and said, "if we did, what do you think we should name it?" Adrik then glanced around the room, thought for a moment and answered, "Door Stop!" Interesting choice. Now, as I was awaiting to hear what he thought we should call this new kitten, one thought went through my mind: "Gray Kitty is at least better than Door Stop!" After a few seconds of thoughtful silence, Adrik announced "Sammy!" Phew. Sammy it is, no point in arguing with that when the alternatives are, shall we say, not nearly as appealing!

Sammy is a pretty quiet little guy and VERY patient---fortunately for Jantzen. Jantz doesn't seem to quite understand that Sammy is a living being. I'm fairly certain he believes the cat to be a really cool toy who has no 'off' button. Jantz carries the poor kitten all over the house saying things like, "Hum on, Ammy!" and "Sit, Ammy!" He then points at the cat, turns to me and says, "See dat?!" and then giggles hysterically. I will try to get some video and/or pictures on the digital in the next couple of days.

In other news from the zoo, this weekend we shaved Raja down. She's such a fur ball, and she always acts so humiliated when we get done shaving her--as if she feels naked! It took me an hour and 45 minutes of shaving straight through to get her completely done. Here's a couple pictures.
Before:


After:


I've been working on a project for Adrik's preschool teacher today. She is celebrating her 20th year of teaching this year, so another mother and I spear-headed the purchase of a concrete garden bench, on which we painted each of the kids handprints. We're also giving her the use of a cabin in Sun Valley one weekend this summer when there is a big quilting and crafting show going on nearby. Dana (the other mom) and I will be going along to cook all the meals and take care of things. It should be a fun trip. Anyhow, I've spent the morning working on a card to go with the bench. I took some really neat pictures of Adrik's hands and came up with this for the inside of the card:


Well, I here the pitter-patter-thud-jump of Suggy Bug feet and the jingle-jingle of Sammy's bell; I suppose I'd better go rescue the poor animal.