How a non-cat person got a cat for their birthday

For my birthday we got a cat. I do not like cats. Growing up we had cats. They peed on everything. EVERYTHING!!! If a shirt, coat, sock, towel, or anything was left out or on the ground it would smell like pee from there on out. As a whinny and loud teenager I would moan and groan, scream and cry that these stupid cats were peeing all over my stuff. Why did everything have to smell like pee!! I was always told-- Just don't leave your stuff out or on the ground and the cats won't bother it. I was angry that it was on me, why not just get rid of the cats, get better cats, teach the cats not to pee on my stuff?? I vowed to never ever ever get a cat.

I am also allergic to cats. When they do the allergy scratch test, the cat area becomes the size of a golf ball. When I am around cats for any amount of time my eyes get red, itchy, swollen, my nose is a mess, and I sneeze all the time. This, of course, adds to my dislike of cats.

Once we had a cat named Panther. This cat was demonic. You would go into the backyard and there would be dead birds on the ground. Yes, more than one. Yes, this happened more than once. Now, I was still quite young when we had Panther, and one afternoon I stood on our front porch and looked down to see a dead rabbit. I yelled: Mom, Panther killed the Easter Bunny!

Another time, we had a different cat, and I forget if this cat was old or sick or what, but I went under my bed for some reason and there was a dead cat. Traumatic. Cats= traumatic memories for me.

So when on my birthday Jack started crying/freaking out because there was a mouse in the tv room, I said, with full confidence that no one would take me seriously, we should get a cat to get rid of the mice. All eyes turned to me and Pete said that we should because it would be the most humane way to get rid of mice, Jack said he always wanted more animals, Luke and Thomas also thought this was an awesome idea. Um, I didn't really want to be the jerk that said- haha just joking!! So I went along with it. It ended up that Jack and I (and Robert) went to the DuPage County Animal Shelter, on my birthday, and Jack picked out his top 2 kittens. One was already spoken for so that left the orange tabby. Jack got to play with him for like 20 minutes, and he fell in love. Jack loves all animals in a big way. Ever since he was, well basically ever since he could talk to us, he has indicated he wants to grow up and have a job involving animals. We were not allowed to bring him home that day because I didn't have any paperwork on me saying Tigran was up to date on his shots, which is a requirement, so we had to wait until they could get in touch with our West Lafayette vet.

It turns out that Pete has always wanted a cat. This was news to me. I have known Pete for many years, and his desire to have a cat was a secret. He told me it was his idea to get Kit, his parent's cat, and he was really excited that we finally got to have one too. WHAT?! He named it. Oh yes, he knew right away what this cat would be named---Quantum. Today we loaded up the car, bought litter boxes, cat food, a toy, and then set off to pick up our cat, Quantum. He is 12 weeks old. So far, he just sits in this box in the closet. Meg stands right in front of him and just screams over and over. Then she laughs and does it again. I think she is really excited. Tigran barks at him and then demands pets. The boys want to hold him and play with him, but Quantum just wants to chill in this box so they don't really understand. I wanted to get a picture of Jack holding him or something, but not yet. Quantum is a little overwhelmed by the loudness that comes with being a Weigel. So I will let you know how things go. Right now, we are family that just keeps getting bigger.

Really, one more month till school starts?!

I don't know how I feel about school not starting for another month. Part of me is glad for lazy mornings and no need to get dressed until whenever, but part of me longs for the kids to get the hell out of here. Individually, they are all awesome! Combined into a unit-- maybe not so much. We have limited money, space, means, stuff, and etc., so we have always consistently stressed sharing. It is one thing we do all the time. You share food, toys, drinks, clothes, and whatever else there is to share. It turns out this has not taught our children that sharing is a lovely wonderful trait, it has taught our children to get what they can when they can, I believe it has made them selfish. Hmm....sharing = selfish. If there is a sharing soda in the car, the take a drink and pass it rule turns into take a drink for 2 minutes or until my brother complains or mom and dad notice my drink has taken longer than the normal amount of time. This is the case with everything these days!!!! I am going insane. Also, one-upping is at an all time high. Really, I don't care if you can eat your hot dog faster, if your car is 'more awesomer', if you slept longer, stayed up later, have a better shirt, like the better super hero, or anything. I really just don't care!!!!! Another thing that has started is the whole - you are not my buddy- conversation. This started out last year as super cute- the brothers would spend a Saturday or weekday afternoon hanging out and there would be hugs and a brother saying- you are my buddy. It was cute. No, not anymore. Now I say-- we are  not doing buddies!!! No one is anyone's buddy, you got it?!!  It is a threat, a way to say I am mad at you, you can't play, you aren't wanted, they say-- You are NOT my buddy! Followed by tears and tattling. Poor Thomas is 3, and this age is now my least favorite. He whines day and night. Really, he walks into my room at 6:30 am and in a very whiny voice says- I am hungry, when are you going to make me cereal?! It doesn't stop until he goes to bed, and Thomas, so far, is the one child who needs very little sleep so even though I put him down at 7ish, he is still awake at 10 and coming down the stairs whining that he can't sleep for any number of reasons, one being- Mom, but I love you and just want to give you a hug and kiss because I need to. So, of course, when I tell him-No, No you have to go to sleep right now!!! - I become some mean mom who doesn't want to kiss her kid.

Meg is a mess all by herself. If you tell her no she cries. Period. It has gotten to the point where I hear  myself saying to the brothers--Don't tell her no. Just don't say no to her. Let her do it. Great parenting I know. The best way to raise your daughter is by never telling her no and letting her fits win. Man, she is just so loud, it is instant, and she throws herself on the floor. I don't have the energy to deal with her. If she wants that Hot Wheels Car then sorry brothers, you are giving it to her. She doesn't want to drink water or milk and when I say no and she sobs for 30 minutes, I say fine have your juice I don't care. She is stubborn, she may be more so than me, and that is saying something. I stuck to my guns two days in a row about the whole not just drinking juice stance, and she barely drank anything for two days, and barely peed too. What?!! Really?!! She is also a dare devil, wild, crazy, and has already hurt herself more than her brothers ever did. She has chipped both her front teeth, she has fallen off the patio chair and had her nose catch her, she climbs up and over everything. When she is tired she pulls her hair, slaps herself, and always manages to position herself in a place where she is tripped over and stepped on. If anyone has food she will cry until she gets it too. So, now I say - if you are getting food you either have to give some to Meg or get her some too. She is too much.

Rob is still good. Lovely baby. He just has crazy hair. We have decided the best way to dress him with his crazy hair is to put him in onesies with suspender or bow tie pictures. It seems to work.

That is life here, and what life here will be like for at least a month more.

Suburbs

Living in the suburbs is a new experience for me. I have heard of the suburbs and figured it couldn't be much different than living in a small town, which is what I have done most of my life. I will say that it is much like that and also different. I have posted on Facebook a lot of pictures of the pond that is basically part of our yard, the geese who come into our front yard to eat the leftovers from the mulberry tree, and the abundance of trees (and weeds) that are in our backyard. These glimpses make the city or anything associated with the city seem so far away. Yet, we are reminded of the city because every few minutes we see and hear airplanes (though you do get used to the sound, so you eventually tune it out, am I right UofL folks?) Often we will even see two overhead going in opposite directions. We live near O'Hare.

A new sound to me is that of a regular train whistle. I have lived in towns where there are railroad tracks and you get the occasional train, but here the Metra comes and goes on schedule all day. We hear the whistle while playing in our backyard, and to go most anywhere in town you drive by train. Thomas was very excited because one day there were a few John Deere cars being pulled. We also drive Pete to the train station and pick him up daily. He has stories about life on the train: conductors, tickets being punched, drinking being allowed, missing the train, taking the wrong train and ending up in places you never meant to be, Blackhawk fans, and enjoying not being stuck in traffic while being able to reliably get where you need to go. Right now, Jack's biggest wish is to ride the train.

Jack also has seen a new form of advertising floating above our backyard- the blimp. This was a blue DirectTv blimp that was right overhead but had already gone quite far by the time I could get a picture.

While driving in the suburbs you drive 10 minutes in any direction and you have driven into a new suburb but continue on or turn down a different road and you might find yourself back in your suburb. The names all jumble together Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, Downer's Grove, and Oak Brook. All the same and yet different. I have only been to a few of these, and currently my favorite is Glen Ellyn- it just looks so quaint and picturesque. In Downer's Grove and Villa Park we have eaten at Portillos, which is now Pete's favorite food place outdoing Skyline and Qdoba. In Glen Ellyn we tried malts and ice cream at Oberweis- the best malt I have ever had. I heard they delivered milk still and they totally do- see Glen Ellyn is so Mayberry. We had pizza from a couple places, no deep dish pizza, but still delicious, but too expensive to be something that we do regularly. We went to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, and Jack loves it there. He loves animals anyway, and wants to work in some capacity as a scientist with wildlife animals. There was a young man volunteering, and Jack has decided when he is old enough he will volunteer there as well.

Jack, Pete, and Uncle Danny went to a Cubs v Cardinals game at Wrigley Field.

Jack and company rooted for the Cardinals, and the Cubs fans jested and joked, but welcomed the new and young baseball fan. I heard it was an awesome experience for all 3, and I am glad they got to share it with one another.

When leaving the suburbs you get to drive into the city, and the city looks like this. We were very excited that we received our I-Pass and did not have to get all the way over and scrounge around for change.

Since we just moved and didn't want to overwhelm the kids with moving and lots of summer activities we have just been slowly driving around checking things out when we get the urge, and eating popsicles on the patio.

So far we like it here, and we haven't even made friends yet. I take that as a good sign. There are only a couple things we don't like: Mosquitos and allergies!!!  The mosquitos are HORRIBLE!!! They are everywhere. Poor Luke and Pete - all over their face, neck, ears, arms, legs, and back!! Allergies are bad for all of us, but Jack tends to get bloody noses, and since we have been here he has had one bloody nose episode almost daily. Luke says, despite this, he loves this town and wants to raise his own kids here. Jack says, he loves it but doesn't want to raise his kids here because there are too many bloody noses involved. Thomas says, once we have all the adventures there are to have here it will be time to move someplace new with new adventures.

Imported to Illinois

I just finished the cycle of getting all the kids down for nap/rest time, and as it goes, Meg woke up just as I breathed a deep sigh of relief at having a few minutes of quiet. No fighting, no yelling, no one-upping, no crying- just silence. My stubborn, strong-willed, loud daughter whom I am sure I will enjoy the pleasures of sharing many a shouting match with one day just sat in the chair opposite me in silence. In the quiet I opened the refrigerator, pulled out leftover nachos and chips, put them on the table, and we sat there not making any noise other than that of eating. At one point she dropped her nachos on the floor and looked at me like I would yell or even speak, but I didn't, I just picked it up and smiled, and she smiled back. It was lovely.

I am ever so anxious. I have many worries, but Pete says there isn't a whole lot I can do about it, and in time it will all work itself out. Of course, being me, I say- What if it doesn't? So without focusing on the stresses, here is a bit of our life in Illinois.

Our living room doesn't have a couch. It is pretty empty as you can tell. It does have a lovely large window though.

 Our couch is in the tv/kids room. This is totally fine because it is about the size of our whole downstairs at our last place, so we feel more comfortable sitting on top of each other.

 

One day we will have a couch in the living room, and we will be able to sit on it and enjoy this view, which is pretty awesome.

We decided, that in order to help the boys have a bit of fun in our new city, we would explore the Morton Arboretum, which is only like 10-15 minutes away. It turns out they were having a Cultural Festival that day so our time was accompanied by music, story-telling, and face painting. We spent the whole afternoon there and truly enjoyed it.

We have enjoyed our backyard. Having a backyard where the boys can run around without the police showing up to ask if I know that my boys are running around is a blessing. *Yes, the police showed up at our front door more than once in West Lafayette.

We found out that there is a really huge park area in town. It has the water park, basketball courts, tennis courts, frisbee golf, playground, baseball field, soccer field, dog park, and what Jack calls the cool rock with flags. While, I think we are all eager to make friends, none of us really wanted to just be surrounded by strangers, so we decided to go to the park quite early to avoid everyone. It was all ours and just as we were leaving the cars started pulling in. So perhaps, when we are ready to face the strangers we can go a bit later.

 

As I am writing this Meg is actually sitting in this location where she was sitting a few nights ago. I guess when there are no chairs, a toy box will do. 

Oh and since I have no pictures of Robbie on here I figure I should just throw one in. Not a great one- Sorry Robbie. He is really interested in his hands, he stares at them for minutes. He is just now starting to get interested in toys in front of him. He will grab at them and stare at them. He is still a super good baby. So chill and laid back.

 That is our life in Illinois so far. Just taking it one day at a time.

A new state means new adventures

Hello from a new state. A new state means new adventures. We have been mostly just unpacking boxes and realizing we need new furniture like a couch for instance. Um... really about the couch. Oh well, in time. Still, we have made time here and there to see a little bit more of town, besides our house and backyard. Oh, did I mention we have an actual backyard now?!

The moving crew came to Indiana and helped load up that big old Uhaul and then they even followed us to Illinois to help us unload. A big family means lots of love and muscle. Thanks guys and gals!!!

They moved stuff through thunderstorms, a flooded driveway, and no AC!!! Bravo!!  We did see a rainbow on the way to Illinois, so does the mean good luck on our new stage of life? I hope so.


Let's see. Things about our new house. There is no central air. Something we didn't really realize until it was really hot in the house. There are a few window units in the basement we can install, but after two hot days it has been really cool actually. I am wearing jeans right now and a little cardigan. There are these awesome skylights in the, we will call it the kid's room or tv room or some such thing, but it has been raining and we noticed there is a little drip drip happening. Not a lot and we just stick a pan underneath and that is that. We had super bad flooding and it only dripped a little so not worried. One thing to be worried about or at least cautious of is the flooding that occurs in our driveway when it rains. I walked through it two days ago and it was past my ankles. It pools but then it does drain away to the storm sewer. Our landlords and their maintenance guy know about it, but it seems that it isn't an easy thing to fix so maybe best to avoid driveway when it rains heavily. So those are the uh-ohs we have come across while settling in. It isn't all bad news because we have an awesome view of this pond, which also has a walking path.

We have a nice big backyard with a nice big patio. It came with a little table and chairs for us to use immediately- awesome.

We went into town to get a library card and sign up for summer reading-a must for the kids. The library is located next to Lilacia Park. The town of Lombard is nicknamed the Lilac Village because of the lilacs, they do smell really great. So we were able to check both of those things off our list.

Then after the library/park visit we went to the old-timey Dairy Queen. It was great. Blizzards are always a win.

Then home again to hang a few things up and unpack clothes from suitcases. Unpacking and organizing when you have little kids making a mess isn't great. Meg has already found a marker and written on the door. Luke decided to lock the bathroom door and close it when no one was in there. I had to get a paper clip out and unlock it. The toilet downstairs was running, and that noise drives me bonkers, so I decided to fix it myself and I did. Thank you very much You Tube. The stupid whistling arrow came out again and once again Tigran went MIA. We checked the gates and they were all locked, we checked the doors and they were all closed, but still no dog. Finally, we found him. It is a tight squeeze, I don't even know how he got in there.

Pete has been having a few adjustment issues as well. I guess riding the Metra isn't as straightforward as he thought. He had one day where he actually went into downtown Chicago and ended up having to take the L to work from there. There have been other adjustment issues that come with just getting used to a new work environment, but here's hoping everything gets smoother from here on out.

Today we went to the public school to register Jack and Luke. It is within walking distance so public school it is. It is a lot bigger than their old school--so it might take some adjusting.

I suppose more getting used to the city is in order for the near future as well as getting an Illinois driver's license so I can stop carrying our lease around with me as proof of residency. Still, we are well on our way to calling this place home.

Fun in Florida

We were able to go to Florida for a week, it was the celebration of a graduation completed and a rest before a new job. Of course, I wouldn't say rest, we have 5 kids so as much as the adults wanted to rest just getting us all to the beach was a lot of work and had to be promptly rewarded with adult beverages. In the end it was quite a success. We hadn't been to Florida since Luke was a baby and before I was even pregnant with Thomas. Overall, I would say success.

 Jack was so brave and went boogie boarding and body surfing everyday. He would go out so much further than I was I comfortable with, so I just tried not to look and had to trust Pete was paying close enough attention. Luke's favorite part was building a sand dalek and watching movies with Granny. Thomas loved just running around the beach. Meg did not love walking in the beach or getting very wet, but she did love digging with the sand shovels. Robert loved sleeping.



Almost all of us took a turn getting buried in the sand. I think Thomas loved it the most!

We enjoyed beach walks and beach finds

Everyday beach fun was also enjoyed

Robert had a lovely vacation sleeping almost the whole time.