Introduction to the Family Circus

Ethan, my 8 year old is usually Mr. Serious but every once in a while he lets loose and gets a little crazy.

Alaina, age 6, is the artist.  Paper, paint, pencils, crayons, clay, or in this photo, some body art.  I forsee her tattooed later on in life.  Not quite sure how I got that assumption...

Gwen, my monkey, is 5.  I knew she would be wild and spontaneous when she was only one.  She stripped naked and somehow scaled up the kitchen counter, sat in the sink, and hosed down the kitchen with the sprayer.  Still not sure how she accomplished that feat.  Scary...  And she is still keeping us on our toes!
She will someday be embarrassed by this I'm sure...

Jocelyn, my 3 year old, is fragile yet full of life.  She has a quiet elegance but at the same time is eccentric and sneaky.  She does hair, too. 

Little Ani, my miniature 2 year old, is the boss.  She runs the house by walking around initiating orders to everyone around her.  Her sweetness and comical personality can make even the most grumpy days entertaining.  

The love of my life.  That's his "I'm gonna get you" face.  Usually it is the prequel to a bear hug and passionate kiss, which is then followed by "Ew" and "Gross" from the older kids.  If only they knew that someday... 

This is Kitty.  Well, his actual name is Ramsies but we call him Kitty.  I unknowingly misspelled his name in the beginning.  He's an Abyssinian, once bred for Pharaohs in Egypt, and named after Ramesses (notice the misspelling)

 

The Beast

Gunny, our American Bulldog is our massive horse-dog.  Not really a horse-dog.  I don't think such a creature exists but if it did, he would be a likely candidate.  He thinks, though, that he is a lap dog and that is fun for a short time, until our legs start to go numb...

This is our newest addition to our family.  Gretchen, the Minature Pinscher, is an actual lap dog that doesn't cause our legs to lose feeling.  She gets way more cuddle time than Gunny and knows it.  She probably sits there eyeballing him trying to get a reaction - on purpose - but he will never show her how irritated he is.