As you all probably know, Hudson used to have two cats – Bo and Luke.  (after those Duke boys you know)  As you can tell, Luke was the obvious favorite.
  A couple months ago, Luke the first got hit on the road, and we promised Hudson that he could get a new kitty when it got nice outside, and we when we found someone giving kittens away.
  Well, Sunday evening we brought TWO kittens home from Lynn and Ronda’s.  Luke the second and Boss Hog.  We get home, and as Clint and I are in the house talking, Hudson comes in and announces, “Luke fell down and there’s blood on his nose.”  We go outside, and there is this precious little kitty laying motionless under our pine tree – dead, or almost dead.  And he hasn’t even been at our house for an hour!  I’m about in tears, because for some reason, I’ve decided that these kittens are at the same “kitty age” as Cline, and somehow, it makes me all emotional.  Clint obviously doesn’t get it, and is very frustrated with Hudson.  (poor guy!) 
  While Clint is outside taking care of the situation, (to put it nicely) Hudson and I are having a conversation like this:

Me – “Did you throw the kitty”
Hudson -”No”
 ”Did you step on Luke?”
  “No”
  “Did you hit him with a rock?” (I mean come on, they don’t just fall over dead, do they?)
  “No”
 ”Where did he fall from?”
  “From his legs”
  “Did you put him in the tree?”
  “No, he climbed up with his sharp things”
  
Well, we still haven’t figured out what happened…but by now I’m feeling VERY responsible for the little, helpless, remaining kitty.  Clint said he couldn’t spend the night in the house, so I made him a little bed in the garage.  (I know this isn’t at all like me, but I really was getting all sappy about the Cline/kitty thing – I even thought they had the same eyes!)
  I didn’t want Megan and William (these were their kittens) to feel sad, so I said, “Hudson, lets just not tell people that Luke died because it might make them sad.  Lets keep it a secret.” 
  That really made an impact of Hudson;  problem is, I don’t think he understands the meaning of the word, “secret.”  Hudson kept walking around and saying, “I have a secret, a BAD one.  Luke DIED.” (lots of emphasis and volume on the word died.)  Oh lands, this was going great…..
In the morning, little Boss Hog was crying and crying, so I fixed him milk, washed his eyes, and was carrying him around in my pocket.  I officially felt like I had another baby, and I’m convinced that he knew I was, uh, lactating, because  when I would put Boss Hog down, he’d chase after me on wobbly legs, and meow and meow, and try to climb up me!
  Tuesday morning, I couldn’t take his crying outside our door any more, so the boys and I made another kitty run to Ked and Joanne Gerber’s.  Big Surprise, Hudson named it Luke.  But the good new is, both kittens are now outside, in the kitty house. I might survive this whole ordeal yet!

hudson and i had fun making homemade s’mores over the weekend.  they’re really not hard to make, very tasty, and fun!
*a note to the practical, (i.e. my husband) “why on earth would you make ‘em when you can buy them?”  for the experience!  the memories!  that “homemade” goodness…  you get the picture

Marshmallows
2  1/2 T. unflavored gelatin                                       1/4 t. salt
1 c. water                                                                          1 T. water
1  1/2 c. sugar                                                                  2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. corn syrup

Lightly coat an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.  Heavily dust with powdered sugar; set aside. Stir unflavored gelatin and 1/2 c. of the water together in large bowl of a sturdy mixer; let stand about 25 minutes while preparing the syrup mixture.  Meanwhile, mix remaining 1/2 c. water, sugar, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture boils and reaches 244 degrees. (about 15-20 minutes.)  Slowly pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture with your mixer on low speed. Increase to high speed; beat 15 minutes.  Add 1 T. water and vanilla; beat until combined.
Spoon mixture (it’s sticky) into prepared pan.  Let stand, uncovered, overnight.  Loosen from pan by gently lifting around edges with a knife. Invert onto a cutting board dusted with powdered sugar.  Cut into squares with a knife dusted with powdered sugar.  Makes about 40 marshmallows.

Honey Graham Crackers
1   1/4 c. flour                                          1/2 c. butter
1   1/4 c. whole wheat flour               1/3 c. coconut milk (you find this in a can in the asian section of the store)
1 tsp. baking powder                           2 T. honey
1/2 tsp. baking soda                            2 T. molasses
1/2 tsp. salt                                             1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. packed brown sugar

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; set aide.
In a saucepan, warm butter, coconut milk, honey, and molasses just until butter melts; stir to combine. Add vanilla extract.  Pour milk mixture into flour mixture. Using a fork, stir until mixture is gathered into a ball.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 12-15 strokes. Divide dough into smaller pieces; roll each piece between 2 sheets of waxed paper to 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut with desired cookie cutter and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 40 crackers

Obviously, I’m a little behind, but here are some of the pictures of Deacon the we took last week.  Jane and I quickly learned that we were no competition for Hudson, hence all the “gazing into the distance” posses.  Hard not to look when there’s a running, rock-throwing, roaring like a lion boy around!  (that’s Hudson, not Deacon)
When Jane was unloading some things from their car, she suddenly SCREAMED!  Now we all know how hard it is to make Jane scream, (ha ha) so I didn’t panic, but was rather curious what on earth had scared her.  Turns out that she had caught two frogs for the pictures, and one of the little fellows managed to get loose – in the car.  What we don’t go through for fun pictures.  Seriously though, we had a great time taking Deacons 1 year portraits!

between the rain and the, ummm, “cow pies”, it’s a wonder that we got any pictures of Adler at all…..but then again, with a little guy that cute, how hard can it be?

Alex:  “If adler tries to walk in those boots, he’s going to fall…..”

Alex to Shauna: “honey, i really don’t want him to put his hands in the……………..”

Alex: “just don’t let him eat it!”

i can’t believe how time flies – cline is 6 months already!  i love him so much; he is a miracle from God.

oh, and don’t forget to enter your guess in my previous post for a chance to win a gift card