Another one about the baby!

Will, Kassie and I went in for an ultrasound today and found out what the baby was. I have tried so hard to convince Kassie that a baby boy would be just as good as a baby girl, but when the Ultrasound guy asked her about it (before we got it done), she said with all certainty, "It's a sister." Needless to say, I was a little worried what would happen if this spoiled little girl did not get her way. So we got looking at the baby on the monitor and she had all kinds of comments about it kicking and asked what part of the baby we were looking at. Tom (that is what he shall be known as from hence forth) said, "What do you think that is?" To which Kassie replied in an almost disgusted tone, "It looks like it's BRAINS!" Of course she was right...we were in fact looking at the head, and that wasn't all she was right about. It is more likely a sister than a brother (I only say this because Tom would not tell me that it was a girl, without a doubt). Yay!! Now we won't have to find out what happens when she doesn't get what she wants!

Flying Saucer

It can get windy in Saratoga Springs. During a storm the other day (September 2007) it was up to 60 mph.

Normally we keep our trampoline staked down but... yeah... as you can see it was not on this particular day.

I am happy to report that is now back in it's appropriate position in the back yard and properly secured to the ground.

We're lucky, I guess, that our "flying saucer" didn't take down any cats, dogs, small children, or storage sheds that night. When I chased it down and drug it back to the photographed position, it was 9/10 of the way to the house in the background. Fortunately it didn't figure out how to "bounce" itself or I would likely have been pulling it off of someone's roof.

The Reaction

Kids have got to be the funniest creatures on the planet! If it weren't for my goofy little kids, I would be the grumpiest person on earth. But how can I possibly have a frown with them around?

Will and I told them about the baby last night and they all had very different reactions than I expected. Kassie's first words were, "Dad, we need to get a baby swing." Probably indicating that she wasn't going to share her new swing that we hung from the deck a few days ago. Mason and Christopher started spouting out names. Christopher wants to name "him" Chris Jr. and Mason suggested we name "him" Mom Jr. I can see it now! These are my sons: Christopher, Mason and Mom Jr.
I kept pushing the subject on Kassie throughout dinner, because I didn't feel she was adequately excited and I got nothing! Then, on the ride home, in one last desperate attempt to get her revved up, I said, "Kassie. Did you know that mom has a baby in her tummy?" To this she repeated with a scrunched up nose, "You have a baby in your tummy?" My reply, "Yep." Then she looked at me as if she had new understanding and said, "Oh." and put her head phones on and continued watching her "mermaid movie" like there was nothing else going on in the world. She'll come around...righhhhttt?
On the other hand, Mason's overexcited. He was spouting off all kinds of pregnancy scenario's on the way home, which makes me wonder what he's really learning in Public School! He told me about a woman that was trying to get away from a flood so she climbed a tree and had her baby up there! Hahaha! What a weirdo! Mason that is...and also the tree woman was kind of a weird story too.
Christopher is excited too! He experienced a natural sugar rush that made us all fear for our lives. Then he started a stroll down memory lane, reminding us how him and Mason said they were going to marry Kassie. Then I remembered Mason explaining to Tammy (one of my mother in laws) that he had to marry Kassie, cuz his mom was already married to his dad.
Funny, Funny kids!

Another little Munnkey

Yes...There is soon to be another little Munnkey jumping on our bed. Hugh Jack Munn is due to arrive around the 10th of April next year. (If you don't get the joke, Hugh Jackman is my favorite actor. Get it? Hugh Jack Munn!) We are so excited! And no, I didn't lie to you Sue! I started getting sick the day after I got back from the Miss Elko County Pageant (Yeah Brit!!), and that's when I began to suspect I had the flu, and after it didn't go away, I began to suspect Hughie was causing it. I've had a really bad cold on top of my morning sickness so all my neighbors just think I have the plague, because of my hacking, puking and paleness. It has been a fun last four weeks!
It has been so hard not to tell Kassie! She absolutely loves babies! The other day we were in McDonald's and this woman had a teeny, tiny newborn and Kassie just went crazy! This is how our conversation went:

Kassie: Oooohhhh! Look at that baaaabbby mom! It's so tiny and cute!
Me: Oh! It is!!
Kassie: Ohhhh!!! I want a baby!
Me: I do too!
Kassie: (with a thoughtful expression on her barely 4 year old face) We should tell dad to get us a baby!

As you can imagine...I almost snorted Diet Coke out my nose and it sent me into a coughing fit in the middle of Mickey D's! It was so funny cuz she was sooo serious! That's my girl!! I mean kitty!

....It is official now! We went to the doctor and heard Hughie's little heartbeat today (9/11/07). He is supposedly going to make an appearance on the 7th of April.

The Beatdown

A couple weeks ago, I bought HeroScape to play with Mason and Christopher. I set the board up on the table upstairs but didn't have time for a game. Having never played before, I didn't realize the there is a lengthy set up involved and also a choice of several different senarios



Day after day Mason would ask, "can we play the game today, Dad?" Day after day I would respond in the negative. Finally, I had time to play the other night...

I had set up the board in a 2-versus-1 game that was recommended in the instructions. The object was for the 2 players to achieve a certain goal in 8 turns or less or else the opposing player wins.

With my adult brain and superior strategic skills I decided to take on both of the boys in this scenario. Should be a piece of cake right? "Maybe I'll let them win", I thought.

No need for that.

On the fourth turn it became apparent to my strategically superior adult mind that I was going to lose. Fast. On the next turn perhaps.

Definitely on the next turn.

Maybe I had better stick to Pokemon.

Somethin' Stinks!

No, it's not the litterbox.

Not me, I showered (sometime this week, I'm sure).

This is actually another feline inspired story so please bear with me.

We have a large feeding-trough-inspired cat dish because we have four cats and we'd have to be feeding them constantly if we didn't. We used to keep it in the garage and leave the door cracked open for the cats to get in and out but it started to grow exceedingly furry out there so we moved the cat trough out to the back porch. This seemed like an equitable solution at the time and at first it was working marvelously.

Then the trough in question started turning up halfway across the yard, knocked over, emptied. We thought maybe it was a fluke but then it started happening every. single. night.

So, we moved the kittenchowtroughthingy back into the garage and that worked out for a couple nights. But last weekend, while Meri and the kids were gone to Grouse Creek (and I was left at home alone to work) the cat trough turned up knocked over and empty again. To top it off there were multiple muddy tracks in the garage that looked like they belonged to raccoons. At least that is the conclusion I arrived at because I have actually SEEN raccoons in our garage on several occasions when going out to check on a noise at night. As further evidence the cats also peed themselves all over the garage which, if you know cats and raccoons, is how cats react when a raccoon invades their territory.

Simple solution: put the cat food in the house at night. Raccoons are nocturnal right? So, I dutifully filled said feeding trough so the kitties could eat for the day before I put their food away for the night.

11:59pm.

Bedtime.

Time to bring the catfood in.

Open the door to the garage.

Walk down the stairs.

Run RIGHT back up the stairs and SLAM the door because as my foot reached the second step a pointed black and white face peeks out right next to my foot and OH MY GOSH IT'S NOT A RACCOON IT'S A SKUNK!!!

I do not do not do not do not want to be sprayed. I carefully peek out the door. The skunk is high-tailing it for the garage door and Mr. O'Malley (our tabby) meows at me playfully from the top of our car. Good thinking, Mr. O. Close proximity to a skunk makes me want to climb on top of something as well.

Guess we'll be putting the cat food in a little earlier from now on...

Kassie Is A Kitty

Kassie is a kitty.

Just ask her. Go on... I'll wait.

Over the last year or so our daughter has been gradually been transforming into a feline entity of cute and cuddly proportions. Until now.

We have had various stages of cats/kittens for the last year or so. When we moved to Saratoga Springs last August we were very thankful for them because there is a huge vole problem out here. Voles are nasty little burrowing mice that mess up the lawn and whatnot. Having cats turned out to be a real boon because we hardly have any voles digging up our lawn thanks to our furry friends.

Anyway, Kas has always loved our kitties and she is generally responsible for various functions important to any kitten: naming, cuddling, snuggling, wrestling, strangling, mauling, etc. She goes around the house on all fours as often as not and if you ask her a question you are likely to get a meow and nod or shake of the head instead of actual words.

Now, time for cat geneology. We originally picked up two free farm kittens a couple years ago. One disappeared when we were gone for an extended weekend and the other (dubbed Splotch for her pretty black fur with orange and white splotches) became the mother and later grandmother of all future generations of Munn cats.

When we moved to Saratoga Springs from Lehi, Splotch decided to go a little wild and left her kittens with us while she roamed the neighborhood hunting and killing. Soon, after her kitten Kiki had kittens of her own, Grandma Splotch showed up to teach her poor neglected grand-kitties to hunt. She had a surprise as well a couple weeks later: a batch of half-feral kittens of her own. Most of them were very shy and would run away as the first sign of a human. But, not all of them.

One of Splotch's new kittens was quite vile. This kitten, we'll call him Heeeeee, did not run from humans. Christoper and Kassie were trying to catch it in the garage and I decided to give them a hand. The kids cornered it and I made the grab much to Heeeee's (and soon my) dismay. Heeeee lived up to his namesake and hissed mightily while turning into a veritable tornado of fur, claws, and teeth. I was the proud recipient of no less than three kitten bites and numerous scratches. We had a cat carrier nearby and I decided that would probably be a good temporary home for Heeeee until the children were out of sight and I could deal with him "properly". I went in the house to tell Meri about the goings on and when I returned to the garage I was in for a surprise.

Kassie was standing in front of Heeee's cage and they were having a competition to see who could hiss the loudest at each other! "He heeeeed me dad! He heeeeed me!" We laughed about that for a long time.

Heeeee went off to animal control to be tested to see if he was rabid (or rabbit as Mason says) and Kassie has added a new kitty behavior to her repertoire. She now does scary kitty impressions for all and sundry so BEWARE.

P.S. Luckily no one is rabbit.

Purpose

Ready.
Set.
Go.

Going to try to use this site basically as a family journal. I'll be keeping it for my own purposes but welcome friends and family to view anytime to keep up to date with our happenings.

Believe me, I know what you're thinking: booooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnngggggg...

I'll try to throw in a little humor to keep things interesting. For example, I'll tell of my experience with a skunk last night and give the details of Kassie's infatuation with "heeee-ing" cats and kittens.

Pictures will be included more often than not and hopefully that will be entertaining to anyone who dislikes reading. You know who you are.

Signed (once and only once),

-William Loren Munn