Thank you to everyone who gave their lives for us to be free. And to those who served and returned home, so that we could be free. And a big thank you to our soldiers who are fighting today for the freedoms of others.

Thank you.

Actually, I didn't really give it any thought at all. I just said it as a joke.

See, we have this little hole in the trim at the base of the doorway in the back of the house:


I don't know why. It's been there since we moved in. Originally that was an exterior door before previous owners added on, so it could be any number of things. Anyway...

Last night, Nick noticed that little hole. "Hey Mom. What's this hole?" Just off the top of my head I said "That's where Jerry lives".

It was all downhill from there. Drew knew instantly who I was referring to. "Jerry the mouse? The cartoon? He lives here? Is his bed in there?" And on and on and on...

No amount of talking or denying could convince them that Jerry the cartoon mouse does not live in the hole in our wall. Even now, 18 hours later, they're still trying to catch a glimpse of him.

The best thing I've heard, though, was this one line from Drew early this morning:

"Nick, Jerry is lots smaller than I thought. That hole is tiny. On TV he's really big."

And Nick said "yeah, Jerry's tiny"

Wow. It was quite a day.

The boys slept late. Like, 8:30 late. Amazing. I didn't know what to do with myself. I was actually up before they were! Andy worked last night, so when I got up he was asleep and they were asleep and the house felt very strange.

Anyway, once everyone was up and dressed, we headed out. First on the list, wash the truck! With the mulch out, it couldn't be put off any longer. Finally, it's clean. Or, at least, it was. I've already gotten it dirty again, but it's nowhere near as filthy as it was.

Next up, head out to the farm. My friends are out of town for the holiday weekend, so I'm on cow duty. Everyone is present and accounted for, after a little searching. It seems that they felt like hiding from me today.

And now for the fun stuff. We're swimming. Or, at least, some of us are. Drew couldn't wait to hit the pool:


Notice that Nick is dry:


While he did put his toes in the pool one time, he flat-out refused to swim. And after swimming on Friday I really thought he was making progress. I don't know. I don't know if he's scared, or if he just doesn't want to swim. He won't tell me. But I'm certainly not going to force him. He manages to amuse himself just fine by watching us.

Later on, after lunch and naps, the boys got some time with their dad. That's in short supply lately. Here he is showing them some ants in an anthill:

And I missed it, but shortly after this, Nick caught a snake! I am so sorry I wasn't there. Apparently a rat snake (I guess it was about 5 feet long, according to Andy's estimation--but he tends to exaggerate these things) popped up out of a hole in the ground, and Nick just grabbed it by the tail and dragged it over to his Dad. Keep in mind, Andy does not like snakes. At all. I guess Drew doesn't either, judging by the way he freaked out. But Nick wanted to keep it.

That's my boy.

Then I saw this guy when I went back out for cow duty this evening:


When I got home, the boys were watching their movie, and Andy was already asleep on the couch. Good thing we're all off tomorrow, too. With no plans to speak of. Think the boys will sleep late again?

I bet they'll be up at 6:00.

I've been hauling around appoximately a half a load of mulch in the bed of my truck for about 2 weeks. I bought 2 scoops at Mr. Mulch that long ago one evening after work when I was feeling particularly motivated, and promptly renovated the large bed in the back yard. This used up about half the mulch, and most of that evening. My intent was to use the rest of the mulch the next evening in the front beds. Uh huh. I think it rained. Or maybe it didn't. At any rate, the rest of the mulch has been riding around in the truck (rake and shovel, too), blowing out at various intervals and totally screwing up my gas mileage (which is not that great to start with) since then.

Sadly, the reasoning behind finally getting the mulch out of the truck really has nothing to do with the wastefulness or with the gas mileage. It has to do with laziness. You see, the truck is filthy. FILTHY. And I need to wash it. I'm embarassed to be seen in it. There is mud splattered on the roof, it's so dirty. And I can't take it through the touchless auto wash with a bed full of mulch, because it'll just blow out everywhere and totally make a bigger mess. And I'm too lazy to wash it by hand or even get out and use the little wand thing. *sigh* So the mulch must come out tonight.

So, this evening after Andy left for work, the boys and I mulched the front beds. I was a little hesitant to accept the help of pre-schoolers, after all, I've been known to be slightly critical/picky about some things. But I'm impressed. The beds came out rather nice. Drew was an especially big help, being very careful around all the plants and the edges. Nick was a little rougher, but the mulch still mostly made it in there. And I'm learning, slowly but surely, to relax.





(On Nick's face--that's red popsicle, not dirt)

And then, after all the new gardening was finished, all of the regular gardening had to be done. There are several containers and plants in the back that need watering daily. Typically I'll do that while the boys play, or sometimes they'll help me. Tonight I don't know what came over me, but as I was watering the hanging baskets Nick wandered by. I just couldn't help myself. I sprayed him with the hose. Then I sprayed him again. Then I sprayed Drew. Before it was all over they were both stripped down to their underwear in the backyard, sopping wet and having a blast. I had fun, too.

I think tomorrow or Monday we're going swimming. We have friends with a pool who have invited us over "anytime". I took the boys on Friday while Andy was sleeping, and we had so much fun. Drew is a regular little fish, and even Nick-who wasn't a big fan of the water last summer-had a good time. My plan is to go at least once a week this summer. At some point I'll take pictures, but as the only adult there I didn't feel comfortable leaving them to get my camera, and I didn't want my camera that close to the water!

Remember Drew's lovely infected toe? Well, it's back. Of course, it doesn't begin to hurt until the Saturday morning of a 3 day holiday weekend.

I took him to Convenient Care this morning. $60 later and we have another 10 day round of antibiotics and instructions to soak the toe in epsom salts twice daily. No socks or closed- toe shoes at all. And swimming would be helpful, as the chlorine would aid in keeping the area dried out. Handy, as we've been planning on lots of swimming. More on that later.

Anyway, the Dr. tells me that this is his last chance at antibiotics. If it infects again they will most likely just go ahead with the incredibly painful toenail removal.

Keep your fingers crossed for him, guys. We don't want that.

In this household, bedtime is pretty much non-negotiable. I don't like to mess with it. When you have to drag your kids out of bed at 6:00 in the morning, it's important that they be asleep at a decent time.

However, as they get older, I find myself more willing to bend the rules a bit. Especially on one of the first truly summery evenings of the year.

Wednesday night is my scrapbooking night, and as I was packing up to come home at 7:30 (nearly bedtime for the boys) LeAnn offered for me to bring the boys out while she fed the horses. They also have goats, and a big pond with fish, and a preserve with whitetail deer and elk. She doesn't live far from us, so I said sure. I went home and picked up the boys--who had already had a bath--and off we went.

The boys had a blast. They petted and fed the horses, and fed and played with the goats. They threw rocks in the pond for forever. It's amazing how much fun that is. We all looked at the deer and elk, and dangled our feet in the pool. Nick fell in, and he thought it was hilarious. We didn't get home until nearly 9:00. Sometimes by 9:00 I'm contemplating going to bed!

They were tired this morning, but not too bad. I think it was worth it. We had such a nice time.

I jinxed myself bragging on Nick, and last night there was a Monster under his bed.

It was 3 A.M.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, and we were going over our list of reasons why there couldn't possibly be a Monster under the bed.

1. Callie chased them all away
Response: Callie is not here now, and they came back

2. You have the light-up-ball
Response: Monsters don't care about the light-up-ball

3. I am in the next room
Response: So? Monsters don't care unless you are here.

4. The fish light is on
Response: Monsters aren't scared of the fish light

By now I am desperate to go back to bed. He will not go back to sleep. The Monster will not leave him alone, and he won't come to bed with me because he doesn't want to leave his brother all alone in the room with the Monster. Even though his brother is asleep. He's terrified, but he's a good brother.

5. But Nicky, we sprayed the Monster Spray, remember?
Response (remember, Nick is not yet 3 years old): Mom, the Monster Spray is ineffective.

Well, that shut me right up. So I did what any mother in her right mind, desperate for sleep, would do. I slept in Nick's bed, and kept the Monster at bay.

Anyone want to buy me a massage?

We made the decision to use some of the $$ from the piggy bank incident to purchase a trampoline for the boys. Technically I guess that means that they bought it for themselves. At any rate, we now own the much-coveted trampoline.

We haven't even had it for two days. It's huge and takes up most of the backyard. It's going to have to go outside the fence, as soon as we can get it moved. But we already know that it's awesome.

It could take up even more of the yard. It could be neon green. The boys LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And that makes it so worth it. And I don't think this will be a passing craze. I forsee this thing getting alot of use.

Oh yeah, the 'adults' in the household? We like it, too. I've always thought a tramoline would be fun to have. But don't expect to see any pictures of me on it anytime soon...

When I was a kid, I had an idea in my head what being a grown up would be like. I couldn't tell you exactly what that idea was, but I'm sure it involved lots of staying up as late as I wanted and not wearing a coat if I didn't think it was very cold outside. I'm equally as sure that it didn't include worrying about money matters or the health of my kids. Whatever my concept of adulthood was, I was obviously wrong. Things are never as simple as they seem.

I suppose I meet all the typical requirements for being a grown up. I've finished school. I have a job. I'm married, and I have 2 kids. I own a home, and vehicles, and stuff. I am (financially) independent of my parents.

The thing is, I'm not so sure I feel like a grown up. And yesterday, a few things happened that made me question my qualifications for adulthood.

1. My boys were invited to a birthday party. Jeremy is Drew's "best buddy" and he turned 4 yesterday. So, at 2:00, off we went to the party. I knew several of the parents in passing (I see them as they are picking up/dropping off their kids) but I'm not really friends with any of them. Anyway... so all of the kids head outside to play on the swings and just basically run around and be kids. All of the moms follow to take pictures. I'm busily taking photos of all the kids and playing with them when I look around and notice that all the moms have retreated to the deck where they're all sitting in a circle talking. Have they left me to watch the kids? Am I supposed to join them? I went over and sat down, but didn't really feel very included. So, I went back over to the swingset and proceeded to have a marvelous time playing with a group of 7 children ranging in age from almost 3 to 6. Me. The girl that doesn't really like kids. Hmmm.

2. After the party, the boys and I headed downtown for the annual Little River Days Festival. This is just your typical small town festival, with food booths, arts & crafts booths, a band, and lots of people. I wanted to go in the moonwalk bounce thing with my kids. Why is that so funny? Those things are a blast! There was no need for that teenager taking tickets to laugh when I gave him one for myself as well as one for each of the boys.

3. We also went on the merry-go-round. There was another little boy in line behind us, and he asked his dad to ride with him. His dad told him that the merry-go-round was for kids. When that little boy saw me getting on with Drew and Nick, he pointed it out to his dad who said--and not quietly, I might add--"well, some parents need to be parents and not kids".

But then I proceeded to prove my adultness by using my super adult authoritative voice and forcing my children to sit still by threat of NO McDONALD'S FOR SUPPER if they didn't behave during my haircut.

Then I got a Happy Meal, AND played with them on the playland.

It's really interesting how 2 different people living in 2 different places can have the same odd experience on the same day. And how that same experience can make them think the same thoughts. 2 people who don't even know each other. Interesting.

Yesterday morning the living room looked pink when I got up. Wow! Look at the sunrise:


But even better. I got out of the shower, and glanced out the back window. How often do you see a rainbow at 5:45 in the morning? And how often does a rainbow stick around for half an hour? I took photos and more photos, and then tossed my camera in the truck 'just in case' any more photo opportunities presented themselves. I'm always wishing I had my camera.


Anyway, so during a break at work, I was reading through some blogs and Stephanie over at Pickleness had just posted about the rainbow she had seen on her way to work. In St. Louis. And how seeing the rainbow made her wish she had her camera.

Small world.

Turns out it was a good thing I took my camera along, because I had time at lunch to run out and take these:

Thistle

Queen Anne's Lace

Clover


Daisies


Queen Anne's Lace, not fully open



Native wildlife, stalking an unsuspecting caterpillar

I mean, really. Come on. He's a cop. A police officer. In charge of upholding the law. Keeping the peace. Making sure the public is safe from harm. Somewhere, in all of his training, don't you think they'd have told thim that this:

is not an acceptable way to store a firearm, especially with young children in the house. Yes, the boys are home. No, Andy was not in the vicinity. I walked in the back door, the boys were hovering around the guns, and Andy was in the bathroom. They're not loaded, but still. Unacceptable, at least in my opinion. I don't think it will happen again.

Now, on to happier things. OK, well, happier for some. Not so happy for others. Here is Spot. She's happy. Why is she happy? She just finished a snack of baby bluebird. I guess the baby bluebird isn't so happy. There are still 3 more in the nest. We'll see if they make it.


Look at the sky today:


After some unseasonably cool, wet, yucky weather, today was perfect. I imagine it'll be hot and humid soon, so we're enjoying it while it lasts.

Sometimes I don't think I realize just how lucky I am. I think maybe next time I get into one of my funks I should do some cruising around out in the blog community and see just how bad things could really be.

Let's see. June 12 will mark 7 years of marriage for Andy and I. In that time span there have been definite highs and definite lows. Here they are, in list form:

Good things that have happened to us:
1. Well, we got married and had a lovely honeymoon.
2. Less than a year later we bought a cute little house.
3. And a new truck.
4. Another year or so and Drew was born.
5. So we traded up to a small SUV.
6. Two more years and Nick joined us.
7. Then Andy was accepted to the police academy and began his new career.
8. So we bought a bigger truck.

Bad things that have happened to us:

1. Shortly after we got married, Andy got laid off. He was out of work for 3 months.
2. Shortly after we found out I was pregnant the first time, Andy's hours were cut by 75% and he had to job hunt again.
3. Not long after he started that job, he was kicked by a horse and ended up in the ER. The knee still bothers him today.
4. Drew was born in July with a small mass on the side of his face. It had to be surgically removed when he was 3 months old.
5. January 11, 2002. Andy and Drew are on their way to the babysitter when the truck slides out of control on a patch of black ice. Drew is not seriously injured but Andy is. 6 months of recovery and rehab and thousands and thousands of dollars and he's able to return to work full time (he went back part time after 4 months).
6. March 2002. Drew gets the chicken pox, and several ear infections in a row.
7. Fall 2002--a little surprise in the form of a heartbeat on an ultrasound exam. (just to clarify...I just re-read this and it sounded awful! Nick is not a bad thing. He's not. The timing was not good. Not good at all. I was not a happy camper when I found out I was pregnant.)
8. Fall 2002-summer 2003. One MISERABLE pregnancy.
9. My kitchen flooded. The entire thing. What a mess. 2 weeks to repair/replace.
10. That new career Andy began as a police officer? His hiring agency let him go due to budgetary constraints before his training was complete. He had to scramble to find a job, and took one with a significant pay cut.


Somewhere in all that was a fender bender (me), 2 more fender benders (andy), a raise at work (me), extra part time work for extra $ (both of us). And that's just the stuff that happened to US. That's not taking into account illnesses and deaths of members of our families and friends.

But you know what? Here we are, 7 years later. I still love him, and he still loves me (I think). We have 2 really great kids, who are healthy and happy. We have a home that is in good repair that keeps us warm and dry. We have families that love us and support us no matter what. We have jobs, and friends, and vehicles that run with little maintenance. Our boys want for little to nothing.

Sure, I want a bigger house. I want a farm, and livestock. Andy wants a home theatre system with surround sound. He wants a sports car. The boys want video games and their own computer.

But there's nothing we really need. Nothing we have to have.

I've read blogs owned by people whose children have cancer. Or worse, whose children have died. I can't even imagine. Websites maintained by people whose homes have been destroyed by fire or hurricane or tornado, and they are left with nothing. Blogs where folks write of their parents that abused them or their boyfriends that beat them. People with terminal diseases.

Kinda makes my little list look like peanuts, huh?

Maybe, just maybe next time I start to feel sorry for myself because I can't afford to buy a farm, or I feel like whining because my kids are getting on my nerves, I should take a stroll around the internet. Then I'd see how good I really have it.

I'll get to some content in a minute. First, a random sampling of photos I took on Sunday. You need to know, Nick was not cooperating at all. He was crabby. And the last one, in color? It's not a really great photo or anything, but it pretty much represents the entire photo session. So, here you go:




Anyway...

Today was election day here in Christian County. A big one for us. Sheriff, Jailer, County Attorney, and lots more. I voted at 6:10 this morning. I even got a sticker that said so! Andy voted today, too. That's unusual for him, but he was really into the race for Sheriff. We even have an election sign in our yard. Against my wishes, but that's another story... So, I'll be keeping a close eye on the election results as they come in tonight.

Yesterday and today I had to have physicals for work. Yesterday was just a general physical, today was a 'respirator physical'. See, I'm special. I'm on the HAZMAT team, so I have to be checked out every year to make sure I'm capable of putting myself in harm's way if necessary. It's almost time for training and re-certification, too. This physical came at a perfect time for me, because I was getting ready to go back to the Dr. about my headaches anyway. This way I got to talk to him on the company dime. The MRI I had last month didn't show anything in my sinuses, so it was back to square one. This time he gave me a trial of the drug Topamax. This is an anti-seizure medication most commonly prescribed to epileptics, but it's more recently been approved for use in the treatment of chronic daily headaches (which I appear to have). At any rate, it should take a week to a month to see the results, but I'm holding out pretty high hopes for this one. He sounded pretty confident that this would work, at least for awhile.

Last night I filled out and mailed off my entry forms for the Kentucky State Fair. I'm entering 6 of my photographs. I don't know that I'm good enough to win anything, but it never hurts to try. And even if I don't win, I'll have 6 of my better pics matted and titled and ready to frame. Funny. The fair is months away and I'm already nervous. It's not like me to compete if I'm not pretty sure of my ability to win. I like to win.

OK, well, the boys are clamoring for their pizza. I guess it's time to resume my role as mom and feed them supper while cleaning up the kitchen. Then, as usual, laundry awaits. But then? Then it will be bedtime. A time of sleeping children and a quiet house. Popcorn, anyone?

Well, here it is. Mother's Day.

I read several blogs regularly, and several others occasionally. The past few days I've noticed alot of Mother's Day posts, mostly stories about how wonderful their mothers are/were. Lots of well thought out, well written, emotional posts.

You won't get that here. Oh no.

Not because I don't love my mom. I do. I really do. She's awesome (right, Mom?). But that's just not me. I can't even buy a Hallmark card that's sentimental or sincere. I always go for the funny and mildly insulting cards. And even if I did want to write a funny, touching, sincere tribute to my mom, I couldn't. My writing just isn't that good. I can never get across what I'm really trying to say. But just so you know, she does make awesome french toast. And a killer pot roast. And she always buys me a present when she goes to the store--and one for the boys, too. She read me more stories than any other kid, and made up some really good ones, too. She made great halloween costumes. And she was always there, and involved. All my friends thought I had cool parents. They were right.

So instead, you'll get yet another look at the reason(s) I'm a mother:


Well, I guess Andy is a reason, too. But he's sleeping, and I don't think he'd really appreciate me posting a picture of him asleep for all of the internet to see.

Today they got me up at 6:15 to tell me Happy Mother's Day. I got 2 new bottles of nail polish (very cool colors--one with glitter) and 2 flats of flowers--hot pink impatients and yellow moss rose. And a $40 gift card to Lowes to pick out planters. Apparently the boys couldn't agree on what to get me.

And so, while Andy sleeps off another night of crime fighting, the boys and I are headed to Lowes to spend the $$. Then to the playground. And then we're going out to supper tonight.

And then it's the season finale of Grey's Anatomy.

It'll be a nice day.

These were picked yesterday afternoon. $1.25 a quart. 4 quarts.




Between the boys and myself, there aren't many left. Barely enough for dessert.

I may be at the strawberry patch tomorrow.

Can you tell the real inchworm from the fake one?

That's me. I am home alone. Andy arrived home from work (continuing education today, so he worked today instead of tonight) at 5:30 and announced that he and the boys had shopping to do. Hmmm. Whaddya think that means? And then he calls me at 6:30 to ask what size shoes I wear. Hmmm again.

So anyway, here I am, going on 2 entire hours alone in my house. I've finished a load of laundry, eaten supper, done the dishes, read the newspaper, and cleaned the hamster cage. And now here I am. It's so quiet. No TV, no one asking for milk or snacks or where the action figures are.

I miss my kids.

Really. I'm usually thrilled to be completely alone for an hour or so, then I get a little lonely. Not really lonely. Just a little. Just enough to realize how much I really do love them.

Then they come home, and it doesn't take long to begin wishing for time to myself again. But soon it will be bedtime, and once they are asleep is the perfect time. The house can be still and quiet and I can have some 'me' time, but if I miss them they're only a room away. I can watch them sleep and kiss their heads and know that they are there.

If you know me in real life you probably don't think this sounds much like me. Well, I guess we all have our secrets. Mine? I'm not as mean as I seem to be. I'm not as tough as I want to come across. And when it comes to my kids I'm a total pushover. I fight it, it's true. But it only takes a glance at the toy collection/wardrobe in their room to prove otherwise.

Oh, and does anyone have any idea how much change that is in the broken piggy bank post below? That piggy bank held $267 in change! I was way off with my guess of $60!

A hundred times I've told him. Actually, probably more. "Don't touch it!" "Wait for a grown up". "It's heavy".

He's devastated. As any 4 year old would be, I imagine.

Well, there's not much I can do about it now. Maybe next time he'll listen.

This weekend was Andy's birthday.

Except it wasn't. Not really. His birthday is next Sunday. But this weekend was the only time he has off for awhile. My parents came down with his gifts, and they brought Kellie with them. The boys, of course, were thrilled beyond belief. She is their favorite person ever.

So, there were gifts:



There was also cake, but I didn't get such a good picture of it.

Here are the boys with their new shirts. One of the gifts was a set of police themed shirts. Nick's says "My daddy catches bad guys", Drew's says "My daddy saves lives. What does your daddy do?", and Andy's says "Sometimes there's Justice, and sometimes there's Just Us."




Then the boys took turns giving Kellie rides in the Jeep. They all had a great time.



And later, the boys found a snail. They were pretty excited, and watched it carefully for quite awhile.



Then they killed it. It was an accident--they were trying to see what it's belly looked like. Poor snail.

Andy had to go to work last night at 5, and Mom and Dad and Kellie left soon after. Then it was just me and the boys, like usual. They were so tired. Bathtime is usually around 7:30-8:00, followed by a movie and then bed. Last night they skipped bath and laid down to watch their movie (totally their idea, not mine) at 7:00. I checked on them at 7:15 and they were both fast asleep. And they stayed that way all night.



Today was a good day at work. Rachel started as our new histotech today. I am officially no longer alone in my section! Yay! Rachel is awesome. She's worked at the lab in another capacity for about 3 years, so I already know her and like her. She's never done this sort of work before, but she's catching on really quickly. I give her 3 weeks or so to be able to work completely independently. Which is great, seeing as in 4 weeks I'm taking a week off...

The Shriners were collecting outside Wal-Mart this morning. They were wearing their hats:



Usually if it's a cause I consider worthwhile (not just some cheerleading group collecting $$ without doing anything in return--but that's a whole different post) I'll give the boys each a dollar to donate. I'll explain where the $$ is going and how they're helping.

This morning I gave each kid a dollar. Drew trotted up to the first gentleman and put his dollar in the bucket. He was very polite, and explained that the money was to help sick kids.

Then, while Nick was putting his dollar in, Drew walked over to the other gentleman and very politely asked him why they were wearing buckets on their heads.

Fortunately the Shriners had a sense of humor and laughed. And told the boys that it was just the way things were.

As we were walking away, Drew said (in a not-so-quiet voice) "They were nice. But they look silly with those buckets on their heads".

That's all we want. Space. Without having to drive to access it. We would all be so much happier with just a little more space.

See, I had a tripod. It was given to me by my parents. They used it years ago for the video camera, back when video cameras were pretty big. It was a nice tripod. It mysteriously got broken. It was fine one night when I put it away, and the next time I tried to use it, one of the legs was broken. Of course, no one did it.

Anyway, I've been limping along for several weeks without one. But I caught a sale on Amazon, and bought one for 60% off the regualar $90 price tag. It came today.

So now, I can take pics like these:







I am in love with the last 2 pics. Nick hit Drew in the eye. Whether it was an accident or he did it on purpose I do not know. But Drew cried, and Nick was very comforting, and Andy just couldn't stop laughing for some odd reason. The pictures just seem to sum up my boys.

Remember those wildflower seeds the boys and I planted a few weeks back? Look:



Just look at all the baby plants!! The boys are thrilled, and I'm pretty happy myself. I can't wait until they get taller and start to fill in the bed. And bloom.

Here are some pics of the boys from this evening:







I wanted some pictures of them together since they were dressed alike, but they refused to cooperate. At least they were happy. The past two evenings with them have been really nice. They've gotten along fairly well, and have managed to entertain themselves while I did spring cleaning and yardwork. The weather helps--it's always easier when it's nice enough to be outside. It helps them sleep better at night, too.

Check out Spot. I think she must be the most tolerant cat in the world. Our indoor cats would have not put up with Nick lugging them all around.

Bedtime. See ya.