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Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the desire to give thanks remains. We are feeling so fortunate to be able to celebrate the holidays, and every other day, with loving families and friends (and this year even a furry friend). Of course, seeing Matt healthy and thriving feels like our greatest blessing this year.

We started our holidays early, on Wednesday, when Keegan got invited for a sleepover after school, to celebrate his friend’s Quinn’s birthday. Love, love, love these sleepovers! This is definitively something I was thankful for: a nice free afternoon, and a date-night with Matt, and of course a quiet, sleeping in morning- cat notwithstanding. We had a mellow time, with breakfast outside and relaxing.

Keegan came back in the early afternoon, as we were getting ready for the feast. We celebrated the holiday, as always, with a nice dinner at our house, with Daniele and her daughter Gaia, who is growing so fast, and is now a lovely pre-teen.

Matt cooked an amazing dinner, as always. A new entry, this year: corn bread shaped as the Millennium Falcon. It definitely turned out better than the ice cream we tried.

The evening was very nice, and we all had a good time.

The rest of the weekend was relaxing but fun: napping, reading, movie night, boys play at Belmont park, catching up, and we finished strong with a birthday party at Shelter Island, for one of his classmates. It turned out that his mother  and I have a few common friends: what a small world!

It was hard to go back to work, but we had a wonderful weekend, with lots to be thankful for. Now, on to the next big (stressful) thing: Keegan’s special day. We got this, we will make it through, I know it. Oh, well, in the vein of being thankful, I publicly admit I am aware that ours are just First World Problems…still the week that was waiting for us loomed large!

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So…we caved, and we got a kitten. I know…I can’t believe it either. Keegan has been asking for a pet for as long as I can remember (as an alternative to a sibling), and we have been always postponing the pet issue. Obviously we did not want to be stuck with a pet WE have to care of (like the fish). However, our little Dart met an untimely death, probably due to chemical shock, and rekindled all hopes. In fact, when we broke the news, Keegan actually cheered. R.I.P. Dart.

We started researching, since I have never really owned a pet, and definitely not a kitten, and tried to get familiar with adoption rules, which pet are the least allergenic (Matt is slightly allergic to some animals), which ones are the more cuddly, and of course, what kind of modern, designer accessory I can buy for a kitten. That’s the best part, right? Of course, just like babies, they usually do not like your cool accessories…

An awesome littler box, a cool tree and a fancy cat bed

We had just started our research, when, on the fateful day of October 24,we took Keegan to get a haircut.

As we were having lunch afterwards, we decided to visit the Humane Society shelter, to see what we needed to do to adopt. We got to see lots of adorable kitties, and we asked to speak with an adoption counselor, who could hopefully stir us in the right direction…well, stir she did: as we mentioned we wanted a young cat to grow up with Keegan, she immediately took us in the kitten room, where many adorable little furry balls were playing. She helped Keegan play with them, and interact with them, and…it was all over. How can you spend time with kittens and not bring at least one home??? Keegan immediately liked an adorable orange tabby, which was exactly what he wished for. It was very outgoing, friendly, and at 2 months old, irresistible.

We rushed to buy a couple of toys, and food and litter, as I ordered my cool accessories, and took him home. His name was Mandrill (which I found hilarious, especially because he had been neutered 5 day earlier. Go look for the meaning in Italian) and his estimated date of birth is August 23, 2015, exactly two months old.

first close up

Despite his constant mewing on the car ride, he felt quickly at home, and loved the toy we got him. Keegan promised to take care of him, feed him, clean his little and sleep with him. So far, so good. We kept him confined in Keegan’s room to give him time to adjust.

playing with Keegan

 

But our little guy adjusted quite quickly. He was already potty trained, and we only had one accident, when we bought the wrong litter for him.

We gave ourselves a day or so to choose the perfect name, and boy did we choose right! We named him Fireball. Very quickly we noticed how appropriate the name was. He has boundless energy, he is stubborn, and loves to play. No wonder his personality was rated orange at the shelter. We also noticed so many similarities with Keegan: he is amazingly curious of everything around him, he is super friendly and loves to cuddle, he needs lots of physical contact, he loves to wedge himself in between us, he is stubborn, and defiant: often he would look at me and then go ahead and try to eat my plants, or drink from a pot or toilet…

He also loves screens of all kinds, again, just like Keegan, and would often perch on my desk when I am trying to work. He needs company and attention at all time, so he often keeps me “company” in my office.

He loves chewing on cables (thanks for destroying my keyboard) and walking or sitting on the keyboard, as long as it is connected to he screen. We set up one keyboard for him on the floor, but it does not satisfy him. It is way more fun to walk on my keyboard, so if you receive a weird email, with gibberish, you know where it came from.

did you notice the irony of the title??

He seemed to be a Martha Stewart fan as well: he is transfixed watching Martha explain how to make a cat toy.

Fortunately, after being a pest for a while, he usually crashes and takes a nice long nap, so I can actually get some work done.

Of course, as soon as he wakes up, he is fully ready to play.

However his favorite sleeping spot is Keegan’s bed, even when Keegan is not there. Maybe all the soft stuffed animals make it particularly interesting. He obviously totally ignore the cool bed we bought him…

He is also keen on sniffing, and eating any food WE are trying to eat, and drink from any container, except for his food bowl.

Whoever said cats are aloof has never met Fireball. Of course he is a kitten, and can completely change his personality, but for now I enjoy the sweet snuggling when he is sleeping in my arms, and petting his fur, that is getting softer every day. Do not worry, I am not tuning in crazy cat lady, and after this post I will restrain from posting adorable picture of Fireball, but let me indulge at least once.

Keegan loves to cuddle with him as well, and he is learning the hard way not to grab him roughly or hold him when he wants to get down and play. Interestingly enough, Keegan usually talks to him in Italian when he wants to cuddle him.

cuddling with mini Joda

cuddling inside Joda’s robe

my handsome Jedi struggling to choose between the dark side and the light side

Fireball discovered the pleasure of warm laundry

Fireball is really funny to watch, especially when he does his acrobatic, and crazy running, or when he is chasing his tail, or playing in his tree.

He seems to really like us all, and we are all smitten (despite the many scars all over our bodies). We enjoy watching his antics and looking forward to seeing our two babies grow together. Welcome home Fireball!

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This year, Halloween really sneaked up on us. Maybe it was because Keegan is growing up and he is too big for the rides at the pumpkin patches; or maybe it was because we had multiple heat waves back to back, and the hottest October in history: great for hanging out in the pool but not as good for getting in the Halloween spirit. In fact, this year, we did not even carved a pumpkin: I guess that if you try to get one the night before Halloween, there are no pumpkins to be had. Oooops.

We compensated by visiting the Rise of The Pumpkins, a great “art exhibit” of more than 5000 pumpkins decorated and lit up by artists. It was set up at the Safari Park, along a trail, and it was amazing. I really want to go back next year. Many of the creations used multiple  pumpkins to create complex figures, but there were also many, many single pumpkins scattered everywhere: a great source of inspiration…for next year I guess.

Most of the pieces where arranged by themes and there was also an amazing dragon, created by hundreds of pumpkins. It is the symbol of the event.

Can you guess what are you looking at in the photos below? Don’t peek.

an octopus

jellyfidsh

apatosaurus and a screaming Keegan (giraffe in the background)

triceratop

a tarantula and its web

Other creations were more “traditional”, carved directly on the skin of the pumpkin. There were famous movies characters, politicians, and of course The Star Wars pumpkin, a crowd’s favorite

It was really fun. I did some decorating in the house, and even at work. Yep, I get to do arts and crafts at work…but do not be fooled: creating the window decor was not as easy as it looks, and the window is about 4 feet in diameter.

Other than that, though, the only other pre-Halloween event was the annual Halloween Carnival at Keegan’s school. The biggest preoccupation for the Halloween Parade was trying to find enough tents to shield the kids from the hot sun! Only in San Diego… It started with the band playing music. Keegan was participating too this year, even if he just started band and he is in the lowest level, cadet. The cadets were responsible for playing a random, loud note, to punctuate the punch line of various Halloween jokes. He was very excited about it, and took it very seriously.

After the performance, each class paraded down the courtyard to show off their costumes. It is always nice to check out all these kids and their creative get ups. Keegan, this year, chose to go as Comm. Fox, head of the Clone Troopers.

typical Keegan’s expression…

After the parade, it is fun time for the kids – and a lot less fun for the parents – and the kids spent time at the various attractions, including the hunted house, and the various booths. Fortunately, they were a little more independent this year, and I did not have to safeguard them any minute. But…what happens when I do not check on Keegan every minute? He comes back with a HUGE teddy bear he won at one of the games. And I mean HUGE! Almost as tall as he is!

That, of course, did not stop him from taking it to bed with him, to join the ever growing collection of sleeping buddies. It is amazing he finds any space in his bed to sleep at at all.

We finally went home by late afternoon, and rested. The following day, Halloween Day, was a quiet one. We actually convinced Keegan to break with tradition and to go to some friends’ party instead of trick or treating in the neighborhood. It was a tough fight, but he finally agreed. The only catch was WE had to dress up too. I have not dressed up for decades, but I dusted off an old costume idea, the horn-y angel, and updated for my new body. Matt went as a devil, a quite popular costume this year…maybe because it is the easiest one to pull off?

So we all got ready, and headed over Ezra’s and Quinn’s (Keegan’s friends) house for the big night.

The party was fun, and it was nice, for once to be involved in the festivities, as adults. There was great food, nice conversation and great candy. Good thing we get along well with Shelly and Danny, the parents. Shelly was a devil too, so we made a good couple.

Matt and I make a better couple, though, don’t you think?

what a handsome devil!

We trick or treated in Ocean Bach this time, and, even if we did not get quite the loot we got last year, it was still fun. The kids played and we had dinner and relaxed. It was a really nice evening.

We capped the Halloween weekend and the Day of the Dead by going to the beach. It was sunny and warm, so it was a wonderful way to spend November 1 (yes, we are rubbing it in again). We headed to La Jolla Shore in the morning, so we found parking pretty easily, and the beach was not too crowded.

Keegan brought his wetsuit and body-board and he had a blast catching the good size waves with Matt. In fact, the water was so “warm” (72 degrees), that even I ventured in…and this makes it twice in a year, record! It was great, very invigorating (I did not have a wetsuit) and fun. A great workout too, right?

With Halloween firmly behind us, we are diving head first in my “favorite” time of the year: the Holidays. Wish me luck!

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