True Heartbreak

On Sunday morning the neighbor called over to Lauren who was playing in the front yard to come and look at something. There it was..... the Kitten. A 3 or 4 week old little grey mew mew. Landon came running in the front door say "MOM MOM MOM look at what Sissy has!!!!!" The second she walked in to door my entire day flashed before my eyes. Oh no. What am I going to do. "It needs food mom. She is starving!! She has been out in the cold all night!" So I made a little saucer with milk and the neighbor donated a can of tuna. I don't really know if a cat that age should be eating cow's milk or tuna but there were no other options. So now what? Lauren was in love. She snuggled the kitty and sang to it and love it and rocked it to sleep and made a home for it in a box on the front porch. She would wrap it up in the bottom of her shirt to keep it from shivering. Church was going to start in 1 hour. What do I say to her? She was determined there must be a way we could take it with us. I convinced her that the neighbor who found it that morning could keep an eye out for her. Then off to church. Lauren was unable to concentrate on anything because the poor kitty was home alone with no mommy. It must have seemed like and eternity to a 7 year old. When we got home she had me stop the car at the neighbors so she could rush over and see if kitty was still there. It was. Oh Great! How is she going to part with this little nugget. I had put an ad for a free kitty on Craig's List earlier in the day hoping someone could pick up the cat that day. I am sorry to say I was not willing to sacrifice a nights sleep listening to a kitten mew and cry all night long in the garage or outside. I was not going to keep it inside because I didn't want to hear it and Landon is very allergic. I was also not willing to have my sweet daughter cry herself to sleep because we ditched a baby kitty into an alley way to fend for itself in the cold for the night. I heard every argument imaginable on how and why we were going to keep this kitty all day and all night. My ears were going into numb, tune out Lauren mode. Since we are not allowed to have pets here, Lauren said that she would give me all her money she had saved, roughly $100, so we could moving into a house tomorrow. She was desperate. When Tim got home from his overnight in Boise with Matt Brady(another story), we discussed the kitty problem. I was nervous to think that Tim may be sorely insensitive to Laurens dilemma and throw the cat over the fence and walk away but I was pleased to find that they went for a walk and found a neighbor (a crazy cat lady) who thinks it may have been one of her cats babies, but who can keep track at that point, right? So I was in the kitchen and as the sobbing of a small child got closer I wiped my hands and sat down for a good long hug/cry it out fest with my heartbroken daughter. She could not even talk between the crying breaths and sobs. Fortunately for me the whole thing worked out perfect. We have no kitten and the neighbor said please come to visit the kitty anytime you want. Lauren still refers to the kitten as hers and was up first thing this morning ready to go over for a visit. What a long long happy happy then sad sad day.

The Photos and the Truth

We went to Orlando for a real family vacation.
1. After a 3 hour drive to See-Tac, got lost going to the Park N Jet.
2. Had no reservations for the Park N Jet and they only take them online.
3. After 3 online submissions. one by my dear mother over the phone and 2 more by Tim on his work phone, the employee (an Indian who speaks little English) could not understand our 4 digit confirmation number and said there were no reservations still, until his driver buddy came in to translate.
4. go to the Delta counter, wait in line only to be told we had to check in at the Alaska airlines desk,,,,,on the other end of the airport.
5. at check in, they were already boarding the plane. We were the last lame-o's to get on looking like the sweating, out of breath, crazy parents who can't get their act together.
6. a 5 hour flight with no on flight entertainment unless purchased for 12 dollars. I did have the kids DVD player and we did rent a overpriced video player and Tim had his laptop.
7. Upon arriving in Orlando. Tim's bag did not.
8. Exhausted, Thursday morning we headed to Universal Studios to find that Landon was very very sick with it coming out in both directions. It was so so so hot so we (meaning Whitney and I and all the kids) Tim and Matt stayed, went back to the hotel.
9. Before we even left the parking garage Landon, who was on my lap, puked into my hands which were formed into a bowl to reduce the damage. Whitney, who was driving, so she could avoid the stink left in Landon's shorts from an earlier episode(we did throw away the undies and rinse the shorts but there was residual stink anyway) stopped the car and opened the door so I could throw out the throw up. Then back to the hotel.
10. Tim and Matt went shopping to get clothes and other whatnot's, so I ordered pizza and the mean mean man tried to charge me 60 something dollars instead of the 33that it really cost. Jerk
11.Landon threw up the rest of the night and next day. Tim stayed at the hotel with Landon and the rest of us went back to Islands Of Adventure. It was darn hot but we stayed wet and went on several rides. Not such a bad few hours. Tim's bag arrived at the hotel front desk.
12. Friday Kaylin got sick. She was a very very sad girl. Landon was practically comatose.
13. Went to Universal Studios but it was to hot. Went back to hotel to go swimming. Tim and Matt went back to Universal Studios.
14. Had to switch Hotels on Sunday. We had 5 hours to kill between check out and check in so we went to Pirates Cove mini putt putt. Lauren almost passed out on the 16th hole. I had to run down and get water to put on her. The babies were melting so we decided to go to a big indoor mall but Tim called the hotel and they said we could come now(1:00) thank goodness. Landon and I and baby napped and Tim and Lauren went swimming. I think the Brady's napped to but I was so out I don't know what what was going on. I hadn't slept more then 3 hours at a time in 4 nights. We went to dinner Sunday night. Landon still could barely sit up.
15. We flew out Monday. We had a 3:10 hr flight to Minn/ST Paul for a layover, then back on the same plane/ same seats for another 3:30 flight to SeaTac. I joked with Tim "wouldn't that be funny if the took our bags off the plane".......duh duh duh.
16. Only 2 of our bags stayed on the plane. One (the one with all the kids things) stayed in Minn. until the next flight. We had to pick it up in Yakima Tue night.
17. Lauren got sick on the first flight. She had a barf bag to her face the whole
time and all during the layover, all during the second flight (crying most of the time).. then she finally puked into her bag in the parking lot at the "^&;$*%" Park N Jet waiting to get our keys. Then the 2 and a half hour drive home. The kids were asleep. We got home at 11:00 p.m. that is 2:00 am in Orlando.
18. The happy version.--- We went to Orlando for our first family vacation. It was so fun, we actually did have quite a bit of fun. Landon did not have fun. Our hotel was amazing. It was warm and we swam and played the whole time.