Percy Andrew Pursel

Mikki has a history of making changes as soon as I leave town on business - buying a dog, putting our house up for sale, painting rooms in the house, etc. Yesterday I returned home from the Philippines to find that we have a new cat. Our neighbors found it in their window well and despite the agreement Mikki and I had not to have any pets, she gladly accepted the kitten. I had every intention of returning the cat until I saw the note below from Jace. If the picture isn't very clear, here is what it says:

Dear Percy Andrew Pursel:

I hope you had a fun birthday on the 31st day of October. You are a cute little cat. I hope you idn't get hurt in the window well and in the car. I hope you like it here. I hope you weren't scared in the window well. I hope you didn't get hurt in the window well because of those tumble weeds. I like you Percy. I hope you like your name Percy, I was just wondering if you did. Frome Jace

He also managed to wake up a few times during the night concerned Percy might be cold and needing a blanket. He's a little attached already.

It's been a while since we've posted so here are a couple pictures of the kids. It's hard to believe it's already Thanksgiving. I am grateful for a wonderful wife who I don't always deserve and for wonderful kids who make me smile every day. I am also grateful for my amazing parents and the rest of my family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy Fall!

I do love me some autumn....so much. Yes...you are on the right blog...I know sarcasm is usually the road I'm on, but it is hard to be cynical when the weather is so beautiful, my major projects are basically finished (this does not include Kevin...he is still in the works), and I have such crazy monsters to keep me company. My sanity has improved at least a notch this past month, and for that I am SO grateful.

We had a wonderful Halloween and couldn't have asked for a better night. Here are my little vampires...Jace was dead-set on being a Star Wars something-or-other until he saw Hallie GOT to have vampire teeth. So, we GOT to throw him together another costume at the last minute so he, too, could be a vampire with fangs.

This is my oh-so-sad ladybug. She perked right up after she realized knocking on doors would reward her with candy. Following the first house she ran as fast as her little legs would carry her to the following homes and had no qualms approaching complete strangers. Don't even think about touching her candy bag, though.

I also celebrated the last birthday of my 20's in October and was surprised with a special homemade, tiered, birthday cake from Hallie. No, it was not edible, but it was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen, so I had to share it. She's my sweetheart.

And my next photo is for Natalie and Jean...here she is...don't be jealous of my beautiful landscaping.

I really am SOOOO happy we moved. It was a pain getting to this point and nearly drove me to the crazy house, but now that I have finally unpacked my last miscellaneous box this week, and the basement is basically finished I am really so thrilled to be here. It is a really good feeling to lose your kids in your house every once in awhile.

While we were finishing the basement rooms this was how my kids chose to entertain themselves...



Who needs store-bought toys when you can have framing scraps? They made all sorts of concoctions and enjoyed every minute of it that Emerie wasn't destroying their hard work. By the time they were finished each night they were covered from head to toe in drywall dust, but hey, it's the new dirt.

Things are looking up.

This, That and the Other

Well, as usual, it has been awhile, so here is a bit of an update since the last post...

We got a dog...Zeke...

Jace thought he was a dog....

Emerie thought SHE was a dog....

We sold the dog..... Although, I did beat my last record of being a 24-hour pet owner to 4 days! Wow! It only took me wasting money on pets twice to realize I'm not an indoor pet person.

Had a REALLY weird banana...

Attempted FHE...you can see how smooth that went...Emerie, apparently, has a bit more to learn about reverance.

Attended our first 4th of July family reunion in three years, had a blast and wore Jace out to the point of falling asleep in the middle of the campground.

Jace attended his first superhero baseball camp...oh wait...he just chooses to dress like this...still




Met my first trio of crime-fighting midgets...Jace is the super-cool one in the middle.

We moved.

Hallie turned 8....

Kevin and I went on our first date in a LONG time...caught the Secondhand Serenade concert...awesome...and came home to find our kids like this...kinda precious...love 'em

Emerie turned 2-years-old...

I recently realized she is not some crazy monster, but only a regular two-year-old after spending time with a variety of friends and family who also have two-year-olds demonstrating very similar misdemeanors.

Emerie wore this birthday lei and carried this balloon around for a good two days no matter where we went.

Lastly, a documentation of me being bored...

VERY bored....

Happy Summer!

Top 3 Reasons I’m Barely Updating the Blog

1. Jace has two distinct modes...compulsive DS gamer or "what can I do to annoy the ladies in my life?" (a.k.a. Mom, Hallie & Emerie...no one is safe). I was trying to do some sit-ups the other morning, but didn't get far because I first had Emerie climb on my stomach and then I was rewarded with Jace continually banging me on the head with a video game box. Can you say, "super fun!?!" So, I have to continually ask myself, "Do I want to foster a gaming, social reject in order to have some quiet time or do I suffer through the wiles of my sinister 4-year-old?"



2. Who needs conditioner when you can use cheese soup, cold cereal or really anything that comes in a bowl and can be dumped on one's head? These options, unfortunately, do not rinse out quite as easily.


3. Heaven help me if I happen to leave open the pantry doors or leave something in chubby little arms reach of my little tornado. She's dumped all the good stuff...multiple times...cocoa, powdered sugar, m&m's, etc. If it's a super pain to clean up, well, then that's what she's looking for. We watched "Marley and Me" this weekend, and we decided she is the toddler form of Marley. I'm sure she'd poop in the ocean and tear up the couch with her teeth if we gave her the chance.

So, between running around trying to keep up and finding time to mend my mentally unstable self, I haven't found a whole lot of time for blogging. I’m guessing you probably thought I would list ALL three of my children, yet I only mention two…well, let me clear it up for you…when it comes to destruction and mental stress, Emerie delivers as if she were two individual monsters. She is the most devious 20-month-old I’ve ever met….or should I say, “dealt with.” Quick example…while Kevin is working on his laptop on the couch Emerie will pull out the power cord, so he’ll have to wrestle with her to get it back, but as soon as he gets the cord, she will hurry and put her finger over the hole where he needs to plug it back in. Seriously, no lie.

I keep asking myself why she can’t say anything more than “uh-oh” when she has such advanced scheming skills. She has definitely drained me of any feeling of control I thought I had. I think by sheer mind-power she willed my first crazy, gray hair to pop two inches out of the top of my head. What can I say? Children are amazing creatures.

Queen of Procrastinators

Soooooooo, Jean took our pictures in August...that's right, I said August, and I've finally gotten around to sharing some of my favorites. She did a fabulous job, so it was hard to narrow down which ones to share. Oh, and to answer the question in your mind, no, that is not me in the tutu.

You may notice Kevin is missing in the picture...well, he is still in "the picture" but just couldn't make it for "this picture." Like I said before, Jean did a FANTASTIC job...I really do have the best sister-in-law in the world...you may now dry your eyes.

Instant Collagen Effect

If you are feeling like you need a little more fullness in your lips but don't have the extra cash to spend on collagen injections right now, you can just follow Emerie's example and smack your face on a hard surface floor.

If you don't think you can bring yourself to do it on your own, I'm sure Jace would be happy to help. He didn't seem to mind too much in this case.

Finally Walking!!!!

Well....kinda.

Emerie is now 14 1/2 months old and this is how she opts to get around. We have been able to get her to take a few steps, but I believe she may be a bit bull-headed like her daddy. I'm so mild mannered I know it couldn't possibly be from me. She gets around fast enough, though. As soon as the pantry is opened she's there dumping out cocoa, powdered sugar, knocking cans over, etc. Then to top it off, she takes things, like boxes of jello, from the pantry and dumps them in the garbage if the lid happens to be open. It's like she's in a slam dunk contest, and from the looks of things, she'd smoke the competition. It's a good thing she's so squishy and cute...I just have to forgive her.

As for Jace, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.