Kids and Kittens

As you can see, we have a couple little companions for our family!

We had been toying with the idea of getting a kitten for the boys, because if we were to get any pet, a cat would be the easiest to care for. You don't have to find it a babysitter if you leave for a day or two, you don't have to hide its food away for fear of it eating the whole bag, you don't have to take it outside multiple times a day, and it handles apartment-living well. Plus, you still get the fun of cuddling and playing with it, and it doesn't have to live in a cage like a gerbil. (Because, as everyone knows, a pet that has to spend all of its unsupervised time inside of a cage isn't quite the same.)

And so, when a girl from the neighborhood came running up to us with two tiny fuzzy black kittens saying that her mom told her to find new owners for them that very evening, we were very tempted. So tempted, in fact, that we took them both. A little bit crazy? Perhaps. But how much harder can two be than one? And Josh, a huge cat-lover since childhood, claims that two are more fun because you can watch them pounce and wrestle together.

One night I found them both curled up with blankets and kittens.

Building buddies.

The boys are in heaven. Misha knows how to gently hold his kitty (the sweet, skinny runt of the litter), stroking him until he purrs. Sebby likes to carry his fat, fluffy kitty a bit too much, so we are trying to teach him that cats need their personal space sometimes. Sebby is starting to get a little better at just sitting next to his cat without suffocating him. At only two months old, they barely realize that they have the option of running away and hiding, though once in awhile they disappear behind the couch. Misha named his cat Teegr (Russian for - you guessed it - tiger); we're still thinking of a name for Sebby's.

Making friends.

A game of tag.

Hiding spot.

The kittens love to chase string.

As Josh predicted, they playfully chase each other around the house all day with a flurry of little pitter-pats, pouncing on each other like Simba and Nala. But most of the time, they sleep curled up in tiny balls for hours. Whether active or passed out, they are adorable. 

"I'm snuggling with my cat," Sebby told me.

*   *   *   *   *

More photos to preserve the good memories of summer:

Out for a picnic and coloring session.

Train watching on the way home.

Acrobatics before bed.

Dr. Sebastian now taking patients.

Out for pasta!

Daddy and boys at the Italian restaurant.

Outside the restaurant.

The looong walk home.

Walking downtown.

Soccer with Vladik.

Misha taught Erika, our kitten donor, how to play our homemade Sorry game. 

Tree-climbing lessons from big brother.

Making some important notes while on his perfect perch.

He can scale trees like a monkey!

Climbing with Dassia.

This photo reminds me so much of Calvin and Hobbes. However, Sebby really does enjoy baths - he is just worried that the water is hot!

My little boys running back to our apartment.

A family walk.

Helping. 

A park stroll with Naiil.

Out for pizza!

Painting our homemade baked dough creations. And rocks.

Concentration.

Sebby loves to paint. Afterward, he always needs a bath.

Creating pictures with beans, lentils, and other kitchen finds.