No, No, Brody!

These are 3 words heard all over our house on a regular basis. My kids have turned into the Brody Police, announcing everything he is doing wrong and yelling at him to stop! Brody has been a part of our family for only three weeks, but he has definitely become the lord of the manor! We have always been "cat people," so it was just natural instinct for us to get another cat after Gilbert died. And Judd would only let us have one cat at a time, in fear that people would start calling us "crazy cat people." I never fully understood his reasoning until we got Brody. I grew up with cats, but my parents had one simple rule. NO CATS INSIDE THE HOUSE. I did my best to sneak them in when it was raining, when the weather was too cold or too hot, or when I just wanted the cat in my room. They always said that I could have as many cats as I wanted when I had my own house. So here I am, Momma and Daddy. These pictures are dedicated to you! As much as you will cringe at the sight of some of these, you'll be glad that I'm being repaid ten fold for having an inside kitten. Brody's favorite place to nap is in the bowl on my dining room table. Electrical cords have become his favorite chew toy. He brings tiny swords from Cole's pirate collection and little accessories belonging to MC's Hannah Montana playsets down the stairs so we will play with him. We end up digging the toys out of his mouth and taking them back upstairs. What a fun game! He has fallen into the toilet, landed in a bath tub partially filled with water, jumped in the fridge, and has tried to climb in the dryer. He has stolen my ear plugs from the bedside table and knocked my glasses under the bed. He behaves like a toddler, so we had to "kitty proof" our house. Brody is such a friendly cat, following us everywhere we go. When we sleep, he is right on top of us. When we shower or take a bath, he sits right beside the tub. When we tuck the kids in bed, Brody is the first one upstairs waiting in their rooms. The kids have fallen in love with him and keep reminding us that Gilbert is ok and that we will one day see him in Heaven. It's almost as if Gilbert sent Brody to take care of us. So while we are having to get used to a "newborn" crying for his food at 5:30 each morning, we will adjust! Our house is full of laughter, fun, and cat hair...all over again. What a wonderful way to live!