Meeting Our New Cousin

The girls are all healthy now (finally!) and were able to make a trip to see little Bailey this afternoon. They were all enamoured with her!

And to think that she was once my baby!


Such a big girl!


Meg was probably the most fascinated of the 4. She kept sticking her head in everytime we were trying to get a picture and at one point exclaimed that "She's beautiful!"


And to think that she is my baby!

A Much-Needed Day Off!

I feel like my entire body has just been put through the ringer! We have just had an exhausting weekend . . . complete with Columbus presentations, kids with fevers (Emma's was gone on Saturday morning, but Meg and Julie have gotten them as well), Dr. Appts (check-ups) for the 2 little ones, a new Baby Niece and all the fun that comes with that (shopping, hospital visit, etc . . . ). My Dad was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening. It looks like he has a gall stone and pancreatitis. Then yesterday Aaron was gone all day - he went to Kansas City for a spur-of-the-moment Chiefs-Vikings game (I say spur-of-the-moment b/c Mike was the one who was supposed to go - but I guess having a baby 4 weeks early messed with those plans!) He came home last night at about 9:00 to a rather messy home and his wife vegging in the bathtub!

So, yesterday afternoon I decided that today was going to be a school holiday! Ahhh . . . the beauty of homeschooling! Before school started, I planned 6 weeks worth of lessons. Well, last week was week #6, and here I am needing to plan again. Science and history are planned for the next 5 weeks, but I haven't touched Language Arts, Math or Art. I was planning to do all of that this past week, but that didn't happen. Then I planned to do it this weekend . . . nice idea! So here I am today : ) We had a nice leisurely morning (Usually we start school at 8:00, no questions asked) This was a nice change of pace. So, I have just put the kids into roomtime and it's time to get out the Math books. Here goes . . .

Sweet Little Girl . . .

Today we welcomed a new niece/cousin into our family . . .

Bailey Nicole Thebeau

September 22 - 12:25pm

5 lbs 6oz 19 inches long

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She was 4 weeks early and was C-sectioned due to some health concerns with Lydia (who, for those of you that don't know, is Aaron's sister). So, she is a little peanut, but is doing great.

All About Christopher Columbus

Alison and Emma

Jonah and Karis

Last night we had our first school "event." The kids have been learning about Christopher Columbus (My friend Amber's kids as well), so we decided to put on a Columbus presentation night. We invited Grandparents and local Grandparent-figures (as the Alligood kids have no grandparents living locally) and each kid gave their presentation. Of course all 4 put together took maybe 10 minutes . . . but their audience was watching through rose-colored glasses. As far as they were concerned, their presentations were well researched, thorough and informative. Really, they were completely adorable. It was cute to see what stood out to each kid. It was also funny to me how nervous they were. Poor Emma kept telling me how she was scared, her tummy hurt, she didn't want to eat, etc . . . Well, just as people were pouring into our home I felt her and knew that something was wrong. I took her temperature and sure enough . . . 103 degree fever! But the show must go on. She was a champ and did a great job. Ali, Emma and Karis each made a poster to go along with their presentation, while Jonah made a Lego model of the Santa Maria.

We also had a display table showing off some of the work they have done. The kids were all proud of their stuff, but were really more interested in the cat!

Problem Solved!

Well, we have managed to fix our litter box problem. Praise the Lord for that! We started out just adding some baking soda - I know that baking soda is known for it's odor controlling abilities, but I was shocked! It really made a huge difference. We also moved the litter box into the laundry room, which is in the basement as well, but is a bigger room and also has the dehumidifier in it. Lastly, we bought an Oust room deodorizer. I love Oust for taking care of odor problems and this thing is just a little diffuser style thingy that cost $3.00. It has very little scent to it, but it really helps. This morning I came downstairs and actually thought the basement smelled nice. I'm thrilled!

Litter Box Woes . . .

Dear Abby-

So, it's a good thing that Polly is sweetest little critter ever! Her litter box is about to freak me out! We have it in our basement in the bathroom and it is making our entire basement stink! (And our basement is where we have school - so we spend a lot of time down there!!) We are currently using Tidy Cat litter for Small Spaces and Multiple Cats (For one teeny little kitten!) - It's what my friend Amber uses and I've never smelled anything in her home. I think that part of the problem is the fact that our basement tends to be rather damp (We always have a dehumidifier running) I'm sure that's just compounding the problem. I have been emptying the litter box daily but that doesn't seem to matter, Ugh! Any suggestions?

Sincerely,
Stinky in St. Louis

Life with Polly

We have all fallen in love with our little Polly. She is such a sweetie. So far she is really very friendly and we're hoping she stays that way . . . that's the problem with cats . . . you never know whether you're getting a friendly one or not! Obviously, she gets loads of attention. It's not uncommon for her to run and hide when all four girls are around (and let's face it - who could blame her! - Especially when Meg and Julie start jumping!) but she's getting braver when it comes to that.

Right now, Julie has very little interest in her - in fact, she still calls her a "goggy" or a puppy. She'll get it eventually! : ) If she sees Polly she says "Hi goggy" and will sometimes walk up and pet her, but that's really it.

Meg would hold the cat all day long if I'd let her. She likes to hold her tight so she can't get away . . . we've been working on that with all three of them. The first time I told Meg to let her go b/c she wanted to get down, Meg picked her up by her neck to put her on the ground. When I saw her I said "Oh Meg! No! You don't hold her by her neck! Put her down!" Well, apparently I startled her. She sat there frozen with poor Polly dangling by her neck. She was rescued quickly and no harm was done.

Emma . . . my pathetic little Emma! She tends to be my . . . hmmm . . . how should I say it? My "intense" child. She has a hard time laughing at herself, gets her feelings hurt way too easily and takes life way too seriously. She has taken it personally any time Polly has scratched her, sometimes resulting in tears. (Not b/c it hurts, but b/c her feelings are hurt) Oh Emma! She's learning. When she's not bossing her to death she thinks Polly is wonderful and can't get enough of her.

Ali is pretty mellow with Polly . . . that's no shocker. She is learning the art of letting Polly come to her - realizing that the best way to get a cat's attention is to ignore it. She has drawn many pictures of Polly with hearts and stars and flowers and curly-girly handwriting. She cracks me up!

Polly experienced her first real bath on Sunday. The girls were in the tub and curiosity nearly drowned the cat. She jumped up on the edge of the tub to check it out and fell right in. She scrambled her way out (Scratching Emma in the process and, of course, hurting her feelings!) She was a pretty pathetic looking creature!

Aaron and I have enjoyed our evenings with her. She tends to be very playful and snuggly once the kiddos are in bed. It's sweet to have her climb up on my lap, snuggle up and take a nap. Our neighbor says she's "Andrea's cat." It's nice to have something in our household that prefers me . . . as the kids are all daddy's girls!

Our Newest Addition

A few days ago all 6 of us were walking out a Walmart and there was a girl there with a basket full of kittens. We oohed and ahhed and then left. We are currently renting and are not allowed to have pets, but those little cuties tugged at our heartstrings. Aaron and I chatted on the drive home (which is about 5 minutes) and thought maybe we should ask the Drewes (who are our landlords and church friends of ours) if we could have a kitten. We thought maybe they'd make an exception since they know us well. Aaron called them right away . . . they said a kitten is fine, but no dogs. Within 10 minutes we had the girls at Miss Sherry's house and Mommy and Daddy were heading out on a "date." Ali and Emma kind of grumbled to Miss Sherry, "I hope they're not getting ice cream without us!" They crack me up!


So we quick rushed back to Walmart, only to be disappointed. The kittens were not there anymore.


The next day we ended up contacting the Humane Society of Franklin County to inquire about the adoption process. I decided to take Ali out on a "date" and let her pick out the kitten, while Emma stayed home with Aaron and set up the litter box, etc . . . We wanted a young kitten and she had to be a girl (as my children would have no use for anything male!) Our eyes were quickly drawn to our little girly - Mommy monopolized the naming rights (purposely avoiding the "what should we call her" argument that I knew would ensue) and called her Polly. She is absolutely darling and seems to have taken a liking to her new home.


Emma knew that were were bringing home a kitten, but Meg did not. Here are all the kids crowding around her box as we opened it to Meg's confused exclamation of "It's a cat!"


Emma's first snuggles


Meg learning the ropes of how to hold a kitten

A Busy Weekend . . .

Jenny Schafer (formerly Lowe) is a college friend of ours who came with her husband (Kent) to spend the weekend with us. They recently finished language school with New Tribes Mission (Jenny finished in December, Kent in May) and were married in June. They are now preparing to go with New Tribes to Mozambique, Africa. There they hope to make their way to an unreached tribe, learn their language and bring the gospel to them. They will be coming back in October to speak at our Missions Conference and hope to head into the field in summer/fall 2008.

It was such a blessing to have them with us for the weekend! As I previously mentioned, the girls were all beside themselves anticipating their arrivial. It was really quite funny for me to watch them . . . they were so excited, but once the Schafer's arrived they (the girls) seemed a bit overwhelmed. After weeks of talking about how they would welcome them, they stepped back and looked nervous . . . Thankfully they warmed up gradually. Kent and Jenny spent plenty of time playing ball and reading to Julie (in response to "a wee, a wee!" trans: a read, a read!) All four enjoyed spending time with them and were sad to see them go.

Aaron and I really enjoyed our time with them as well. It was wild to hear about some of the training they have had and to think some of the experiences they could have as they go into the field. It's really mindboggling . . . the cultural obstacles they will have to overcome, not to mentions language barriers. When they leave the States they will first head to Brazil to learn Portuguese (which is the official language in Mozambique, though only about 30% of them speak it fluently). Then after immersing themselves in one language for a time, they will be off to Mozambique to learn another (and probably be exposed to many). It was awesome to see their heart for these people. We look forward to having them back in October.

While our weekend was great, it was also exhausting. We had two other families over to meet the Schafers, plus church on Sunday morning, not to mention the tasks of daily life. All 4 of us (adults) went to bed at 9:00 Saturday night and were still tired the next day : ) Pretty sad, I know! So, now I'm trying to jump back into my week . . . let's face it, I'd rather still be visiting with friends!

Preparing for Company

This past weekend we had some guests stay with us. The girls had been anticipating this for several weeks and were giddy and full of ideas on how to welcome them. Ali had many menu suggestions, including the lemonade seen here. Ali and Emma (and sometimes Meg) are at a point where they are really eager to help in the kitchen. (As you can imagine, it's a fun idea, but also tends to slow me down a lot.) They thoroughly enjoyed helping with the lemonade and were very proud to share it with our guests!