we are never getting a puppy

We like animals. I've always wanted animal companionship, learning the responsibilities and having fun with the family pet(s) to be part of my kids' childhood.
So, for now, we decided to get the kittens. Easier than a dog at this point, we thought. Just feed and change litterbox right? No walking or grooming or training or chewing or any of that puppy stuff.

Well, let me just say that if cats are supposed to be the ones that are low maintenance, we are never getting a dog in this house.
These kittens are more trouble than they're worth.
They hide out all day and sleep. Well, most of the day... as I type, they are chasing each other around like crazy, running and crashing into things right and left.
But then they run around all night. Sounds more like galloping. Up and down the stairs, sliding around on the hardwood floor, tearing around the carpet. Playing with the blinds, getting into any plastic bags they can find, climbing on things, wrestling under all my area rugs, climbing on tables and counters, hiding socks and little toys everywhere, playing with their food and wrestling in their water bowl. Need I go on?
We tried gates; they already jump over them. We have to remember to keep all the chairs pushed in at all times or they're on the tables. I had to take the stools away from the kitchen island because they climb those and get up on the counters. They are all over the place!! And I hear them playing all night long! Ryan's ready to throw them down in the basement. I would be too, but I'm afraid there's too much for them to get into down there and waaay too many hiding spots.

Saturday they went missing. There was a brief window (extremely brief) of opportunity for them to have gotten out in the garage as Ryan and the kids left for the video store. I found it hard to believe they would have both gotten past the kids and Ryan and into the garage and then outside. With no one noticing. But after not seeing them for awhile, and not finding them anywhere we began to wonder. Ryan and I searched the whole entire house... all their known hiding spots, under and behind every piece of furniture, and in every closet. No kittens. For over six hours. Neither of them had been at their food or litter box and no one had seen them. I was starting to think they really had gotten out.
Then after dinner, Oz comes sauntering into the kitchen and nonchalantly makes his way over to his food. Then along comes Ruby. It took us a whole nother day to figure out where their new hiding spot was. Get this: I had looked for them behind our big dresser, and assumed there was no "under" our dresser, as the front and sides are flush with the floor. Well, apparently they are small enough, that if they climb behind our dresser, they can then climb under our dresser from the back and hang out in there underneath the drawers. Crazy cats.

This morning Sawyer dumped a small bowl of dry cheerios on the kitchen floor. He started picking them up as I was busy with something else, but of course he probably got no more than three cheerios back in the bowl before he was on to the next big thing. A few minutes later of course, the kittens are in there skating around on them, batting them back and forth and snacking here and there. So I come in to sweep it up. The cats both sit close by and watch me. I get it all in a nice neat pile and then Sawyer needs help getting his pants off to go potty. As I turn around and spend all of 5 seconds taking off Sawyer's diaper, one cat jumps right into the pile, batting cheerios across the floor to the other one. I smack him with the broom and sweep it all up once again. One of the cats is now climbing up on the kitchen table. They of course don't listen, so I have to take the three steps over there to chase him off. Meanwhile, the other one slides through my cheerio pile again. I sweep it up a third time. They're both laying at the edge of the living room carpet watching me. I realize my dustpan is across the kitchen by the garbage can. Great. I literally run over to grab the dustpan and the cats likewise, make a run for the pile once again. Ah-ha! Luckily I got there first and defended my pile with a big swat of the cats with the broom. And finally got the cheerios off the floor and into the garbage. I'm telling you, these guys are trouble!

Ryan called me into the dining room the other night to ask me about this new table arrangement. He said he could have sworn I only had one vase of flowers on the table, and when did I add the other Halloween decorations???:

Seriously. Who do these guys think they are???

Driving me nuts is what they are.

But then moments like these help a little...