Joshua's friend The Count

We moved into a house, and we realized that we can get animals. We decided to get cats this year because they are a fairly low maintenance animals. We dawdled some until we found a dead mouse in our basement. Then we quickly got these kittens. The Count:and Tiger:

Tiger was really shy at first, but warmed up to us. He does avoid Joshua probably thinks that he is too crazy. The Count, on the other hand, loves Joshua. He cuddles with him and plays with him all the time. The Count will even come on walks with us like a dog without a leash. Joshua will run out on our deck just to play with him, and I love the entertainment the Count provides Joshua.

Last week I took the kids on a walk and the Count came along. Now that I am not pregnant he has a hard time keeping up, but on the way home from the walk he joins us again. On the way home a dog appeared and chased the Count up a tree. The Count chose to climb a tree without branches. After a minute he fell out of the tree, and then the dog chased him off. Joshua and I were yelling at the dog, but the Count was gone. We live in the middle of a state park, so it was impossible to really go look for Count.

We decided to pray for Count to come home. He didn't come home that day, and I was starting to get worried. Joshua didn't really know he was gone. He was praying for Count, but I think he just thought Count was out and about. That night Tiger cried and cried for Count to come home, and I was hoping that Count would hear him and come home. The next morning he still wasn't there. We continued to pray, but I was starting to worry an animal got him. Brian and I talked about getting another cat from an adoption clinic that weekend. I was so sad, whenever Joshua would see a picture of a cat in a book he would say "Count" it made me want to cry. We didn't know if we could find another cat so great as Count.

The second morning I got up and fed Tiger and Count was still not there. Two hours later Joshua was looking for a toy I had seen on the deck, so I went to get it and Count was just laying there chilling. He was hungry but fine. We said a prayer of thanks for Count's safe return.

Since Count has come home Joshua and him have had a lot of fun together. Their new favorite game is to have Joshua push Count around in the umbrella stroller. Count will just lay there and go for a ride all around the yard.

We are so glad that Count came back home.