Happy 21st Anniversary!

Scowling, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Hey my guy! Another year added to the count and let me check real quick...Yep I still love you! I wish the do over of the paperwork for the house was the final closing instead, but I can't think of anything better than spending time with you today so it is good no matter what. I love you sweetheart!

Brothers

Brothers, originally uploaded by torri_g.

This is from our camping trip over Labor day. These two little guys were part of our group that went that weekend, and at ages 2 & 4 they were quiet the amusing pair. Everything was a weapon to be used against their brother, juice box drinks, fishing poles, and whatever else they could find. The littlest one liked telling you about how the "Big" guys got the campfire going...It was "HOT" and "BOOM" then repeat that about a hundred times!

Everyone have a great Wednesday!

Interesting

IMG_9971, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Hmm...on Sunday I made comment in post about Steph and her buying the car, and Monday we got phone call with great news. On Monday I typed up post about the limbo with the house, and today we got the phone call with great news! Now I'm wondering if i post something about really wanting to win the lottery if that could happen this week. Probably not right? Oh well I don't care because I'm to happy! The long wait has come to an end. The releases are in and come Thursday we get to go and do the great signing of the paperwork...again. Which means coming up in the next week or so I should see my house get moved out to the property and set on it's foundation! FINALLY! I'm not kidding there has been a collective cheer from everyone who has been working so hard to get this done, and today they finally had everything in hand. So Thursday noon Todd and I get to go and sit with "A" and spend a hour of our 21st anniversary signing, dating and initialing the paperwork for the house...again. Hopefully before the end of October I will be able to post about the final closing once the house it totally done.
The picture is of our soon to be kitchen from the day that I walked the girls through the house for the first time. I can't wait to get all of this done and maybe just maybe spend the holiday in our new place.
Oh and what the heck I will give it a try...if I could just have the winning lottery ticket this week that would just make this week so very complete. :-)

Kittens!

Kittens 10 weeks old, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Today the kittens are 10 weeks old! Based on the high level of play and amount of food they go through daily, I would have to say that they are very happy kittens. They are all happier now that they figured how to get those collars with tiny little bells off. The bells were to help us find them when they move into playing hide and seek with us. Oh well I will try to find where Lucy hid her's and get all three back on them again. I will not give up! So happy 10 weeks to our tiny little babies! We are all so glad that you have done so well.

Look what I bought Ma!

Look what I bought Ma!, originally uploaded by torri_g.

YES!! I know this may be difficult to believe but this little girl of mine has been at least half of my insane back and forth driving for about a year now. Well that ended today as of 4:50! Steph is now the proud owner of her very OWN Suzuki Vitara. The best part of this used car is that she got financing all on her own! The dealer said she had to be the luckiest young lady he has ever met. She may have car payment now, and a little bit of a list of things that she needs to get done or buy...oh and let's just not even talk about that car insurance now but it is all her's. She saved the down payment, she did it all. Best look you will ever see as a Mom is when they look at all the paper work that has just their name on it.

Random Monday

IMG00745, originally uploaded by torri_g.

I'm trying to keep posting on a regular basis, but before I over kill it with kitten photo's I guess I can pull from the cell phone photo file.This picture is from the day that we marked the placement of the house on the land. I have tons more pictures of the land and pictures of the house but since we are in a state of limbo waiting on banks to finally do title releases for the sellers, I just don't want to post those yet. What is funny about the waiting game is everyone said things like "Oh VA appraisal can take long time", there was the added worry about job status for Todd with the shake up of the contract world on base, but no one saw this hold up coming. It is an issue of one bank putting a lien on the land that should not have been put on it, and another bank not wanting to do their partial release for the well easement. My excitement about the house has gone up and down with each weeks updates. We are very scary patient about waiting for this though. It is one of those things that no one could have seen coming, and everyone has been working very hard to get this cleared up. The awesome news about this whole thing though is because our contractor owns the land, he has been working steadily getting the foundation done and everything else that he can while we wait. I think a great anniversary gift this Thursday would be to hear that the releases are done and then the house can be set on the foundation. This is actually one move that I just can't wait to make, for now we wait in limbo.

I hope everyone has a great Monday.

Sibling Sunday

arbys, originally uploaded by torri_g.

There should be a picture of the three G girls, but getting pictures of them all is pretty much an impossible task anymore. At any given time only one of them may be in the house for a picture. It is okay with me though because it gives me reason to use this picture that Stephanie took over the summer while we were out for "Girls" dinner while Todd was on one of his many TDY's.

So let's start this with stuff Steph a.k.a Binky Sue:
August brought the start of college classes yet again and full time plus is the name of the game for Steph. Let's not forget the working just about full time balanced on top of full time classes, throw in horseback riding lessons, and that all equals no real free time for her and me with the never ending driving during the day. Good news for this year she has been able to drive herself once Mom is done needing the car. Even better news is that Friday Steph went and started process towards possibly buying a car of her own! Mom and Dad had to take her money down in yesterday for her because you know she is always working...but hopefully before the end of this next week she will have a 2003 Suzuki Vitara of her very own. Fingers crossed so hard they hurt!

Paige a.k.a. Sweetpea also started college classes in August. Two art classes which she does see to love. She likes them even better when the "grown up's" of the class are just quiet and working on projects. She doesn't understand why anyone would take art if they really don't like it and finds some of her classmates to be annoying. Her search for a job has turned up nothing as of yet, but coming up in October she is going to be getting a real work out because of learning how to train a new horse with her riding teacher. Her love for horseback riding lessons is still being filled with weekly lessons and in general she is just very happy with how things are going.

Cheyenne a.k.a. Little Bug has had a very busy couple of months with school. She has had weekends filled with DECA activities, babysitting jobs, horseback riding lessons, home work, and stress of how full classrooms at the high school are. She has asked that I see about transferring her over to Tombstone High because she is feeling that because of the 40+ kids per class for her that her grades are starting to slip due to not being able to hear, and frustration levels of teachers is causing a lot of them to shut down and give up. So yes come tomorrow I will make phone calls and see just how horrible it would be to make a move to a different school.

I know it is kind of short and to the point with all of the girls, but they are all doing well for the most part, and just busy. I hope that everyone has had a great weekend and enjoy a Sunday spent with those you love.

Caution: Kitten's at play!

IMG_0384, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Oh no another photo of kittens, but right now they are about the only thing that I have time to take pictures of because they are at least right here in the house. Well I did have the sudden urge to take a picture of my "Really Big" drink out at LaCasita's last night but all I had was my cell phone and it just would not have done that drink justice. Dinner was very good but that raspberry margarita was even better and less than half way through it I suddenly felt very relaxed and very tired for the first time in more than a few weeks.
Anyway, back to my original thought for this post. If coming to visit us here in Arizona there are a few things that you should be aware of now:
1. Be careful where you step because even if one second you don't see anything there you may find yourself stepping on a tail or paw of a blazing fast moving tiny kitten who is trying to kill you by dodging between your feet.
2. Be careful when sitting down because the kittens claim every seat in the house as their own. Same thing as rule 1 they may not be there when you first look but their speed allows them to get there before you.
3. Know that they are the guardians of the bathroom. Their self appointed job is to make sure that you are safe while in there.(You get used to them lining up to stare at you over time)
4. Lucy seems to think that she is part dog and therefore any shoes that get taken off are fair game for her to drag off and chew on. Don't bother trying to figure out why the kitten is trying to chew on the shoe, it is just her thing!
5. Once you finally get a spot to sit down at (if you get a spot to sit down at) you have made the statement that you WANT the kitten's to come and use you as a playground. Don't worry though once they are tired of playing they will then use you as a bed to snuggle up and nap on.

I'm sure that we will be adding to this list of rules as the kittens continue to grow, but for now these are the most major ones.

I hope that everyone has a great Saturday and I'm actually going to try to do a Sibling Sunday again for the first time in months tomorrow.

Feline Friday

Lucy, originally uploaded by torri_g.

If you move in closer Lucy will share a secret with you...the kittens are 9 weeks old this week and so very playful most people would say they were wild. We wouldn't though because we know they are just growing and love exploring everything! This week they finally have been released from their usual over night holding spot of the master bathroom to the master bedroom. They have found that curling up with Mom in the blankets is nice and cozy until you feel like playing at 0300 in the morning. Then Mom politely picks you up and places you down on the floor, with the warning of stay down there.
Our miracle kittens are truly growing fast and learning even faster. They are to the point now that they get to spend a good share of their day checking out the rest of the house as long as Gypsy kitty isn't out. They each now know how to deal with Trinity dog and Trinity is even getting very good about letting them play jump off the couch onto her back. In just 3 more weeks they will be 12 weeks old and get more immunizations done and then they will be free to be anywhere with anyone they want. Their days of needing to be kept in one space so we can keep an eye on them are about to be over and probably not one second to soon for them.

I hope that everyone has a great Friday and enjoy a wonderful weekend!

Thinking Thursday

100_7918, originally uploaded by torri_g.

With the way this week is dragging along, I'm finding myself thinking of more peaceful surroundings. I feel so run down that a vacation is sounding wonderful. One were I don't have to do anything other than relax and at most take lots of pictures. Oh what a wonderful dream...now back to reality and time to get ready to start my day of driving kids, errands and appointments. It was a great couple of minutes at least.

Hope everyone has a good Thursday.

Wordless Wednesday

IMG_0199, originally uploaded by torri_g.

The Twins

IMG_0046, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Yes it is another blog post this week! I'm not going to say that I'm getting back into the swing of things with regular posting just yet though. I am however enjoying having a computer that will allow me to do a post without wanting to pull my hair out.
Today is another photo taken while we were back home that has just sat in files. Meet the twins! Cute, sweet, playful little guys that they are. One looks more like a twin to their older brother than his actual twin. I found it interesting watching all of the older kids with these two. Funny to watch the one who were once the babies at the house stepping up to offer help and care of the ones that are. These two will probably be the last of the baby's till the current younger generation decides that it is time for them to start their own families. Just thinking about it makes me wonder if the house is big enough to hold us all once they get going. Oma and Opa might need a bigger house, or at the very least yet another room for the kids table!

I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Tuesday!

Simple Monday Morning

IMG_0067, originally uploaded by torri_g.

With the transfer of pictures done I can finally post a photo from our whirlwind trip back in August! This is much like the picture of the crew in Waterloo, but for this one it started with Grandma sitting in the middle of all of the kids. Once again I think that it is ironic that the one hold onto the youngest in the photo was the one being held in the last one. Much like the other picture there is one girl missing, and for this one there is one nephew not in the picture. Still good to get most of the crew lined up for photo.

I hope that everyone has a good start to the week and that it isn't to busy for anyone.

Simple Sunday...maybe

m4, originally uploaded by torri_g.

I hope all the kitten photo's aren't driving everyone crazy. Oh wait I doubt that would happen because it is kitten cuteness after all. I had a different picture that I have been meaning to post for several weeks now but that is on the desktop computer that has driven me about as crazy as it possibly can. When it takes 30 minutes to start up and you are lucky if that is all it takes, I'm pretty sure it is time to just find it a final resting spot. Since it will take me a while with my process of picking out a new desktop we found me a laptop. Which is much nicer than I planned on getting but some times some prices are just WAY good! I got a very nice HP for a lot less that I really should have. Anyway, I need to finish back up of photo's from the desk top and then do a transfer of some photo's to the laptop. Maybe, just maybe I will enjoy posting again here soon.

Everyone have a great Sunday and hopefully the start of the new week will take it's time getting here because I have a lot to get done before then.

Feline Friday

IMG_0318, originally uploaded by torri_g.

We live in a vortex of constant kitten cuteness here anymore. Miss Mina showed off her future posing skills a couple of nights ago and I dare you to say that you aren't currently saying "AWWWE!"

The cuteness is just their cover to keep them out of trouble since they are now in "Kitten Ninja" phase of growth. Running, jumping, climbing, fighting, escaping are just a few of their ninja moves that they have just about perfected. My favorite though is the team effort to climb and get paper towels out of the trash can. Then the one left on the floor grabbing them and running with them to the kitty condo to hide and protect them from me. We have entered the never a dull moment with these three little miracles.

Everyone have a great Friday and hey if you have some cute furball pictures that you want to post and and leave a link in comments maybe we could get this back up and going again.

Not a clue what to call this

IMG_0319, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Not sure just what the look is all about but think I might have something to do with having her picture taken. That or she wants everyone to think she is crazy Lucy kitty.

Kitten Play Time

IMG_0225, originally uploaded by torri_g.

The kittens will be 2 months old this coming Tuesday! Amazing to me when I stop and think about their birth size and their whole start to life on that day. They are now 1 pound 10 ounces, eating and growing like tiny little weeds. This past Friday they had another appointment with Dr. M and were able to start with one immunization, and get a full check up from the tips of their tiny ears to their tails. Healthy...very very healthy is what the Dr said. She also took some time to talk about how amazed she is that they are doing so well, and to tell us that she is very proud of us. They get to return to see Dr. M in one month and at that time there will be a start to all immunizations and tests that need to be done since their Mother was a feral cat.

The kittens are now confined at night in the master bathroom because they have figured out how to escape anything and everything else. Having a door to shut is the only thing that works anymore but we have to be very fast! During the day time though they get to spend time in the kitchen with a gate in or if Trinity is in bed they get to run around in the living room exploring till they are just to tired to explore anymore. I will keep trying to take pictures of them once a week as they grow and post updates about them.

Friday Kitten Cuteness

IMG_0151, originally uploaded by torri_g.

We have kitten cuteness in the extreme here so must share it. Everyone have a great Friday and a very safe holiday weekend!

Six weeks old!

Mina with Steph, originally uploaded by torri_g.

Have to be real quick here this morning but did want to make sure I got this done this week. Mina, Perry and Lucy hit the 6 weeks old this past Tuesday! They are all over the 1 pound mark finally, and they started eating independently! Okay so they still get bottle feeding for their last feeding of the day but that is because they all love the cuddle time. There is lots of hopping, running, exploring, climbing going on in the house with these three now, and they are going to out grow their safe zone pen here very shortly. I've already started to introduce them to Trinity and Gypsy and things have gone very well for all animals. Next up is first round of shots which will be heart breaking I'm sure but something that really needs to be done for these three.