Auntie Cathy & Marlee's Visit: Part One

I think all of the house finch babies have spread the word and our feeders have become the hangout where all the cool birds go. I counted 17 house finches and 1 goldfinch at the feeders Wednesday morning. I couldn't believe it! I also caught Jasper, our cat, stalking the hummingbird feeder. Maybe she thinks she's Tom from Tom and Jerry. We don't have any mice, so birds will have to do. The hummingbirds don't mind.

Auntie Cathy (John's little sister) and Marlee (Cathy's daughter) are here to visit us for a week! It's a great treat for me, Emma Rose, and Anabelle. All of us are enjoying the company.

Tuesday, Auntie Cathy and Marlee arrived. To pass the time before Auntie Cathy and Marlee arrived, we played in the yard. I finally got a shot of Anabelle's super cute, chunky legs from behind. Emma Rose had a great time bouncing, looking at the flowers, and watching for Piccolo. She was so excited all day that she sounded like a broken record: "When will Auntie Cathy be here?" I had warned her already that Uncle Eric wouldn't be here this trip, and she was pretty disappointed. Cathy told me that Emma Rose's first question to her is always "Where is Uncle Eric?"

The girls played together and made friends again very quickly. I thought Anabelle was trying to bite Marlee, but then I realized she was trying to kiss her. Her aim and speed aren't so great yet, so kisses landed on Marlee's shoulder, belly, etc. Emma Rose wanted to hug Marlee and still does. She's also been trying to help feed Marlee and make sure she doesn't get hurt. Emma Rose has even extended her poop patrol duties to cover Marlee as well.

Yesterday, Marlee tried to teach Anabelle to climb up the stairs and tease the cat. All the while, Marlee kept saying "cat . . . cat . . . cat." Although Anabelle wasn't too impressed with the lesson about stairs, she did start saying cat again. Marlee and Auntie Cathy also helped Anabelle to learn to clap for the first time!

We braved a trip to the store with all three girls and almost missed nap time. Cathy and I took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood before dinner. We even had a couple of stretches of time during the meal when it was quiet! The girls had baths, went to bed, and Cathy and I were able to sit and talk like civilized people. Ahhhhh - what a glamorous life.