Vici

Surprisingly, we’ve never posted about our cat, Vici.  He’s a Himalayan and former show/stud cat.  His name—frequently mispronounced “Vicky”—comes from the Latin saying veni, vidi, vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”).  Vici was a gift from Mimi Pauline during Elise’s medical residency.  Bryant has something of a love/hate relationship with Vici, simultaneously plotting his removal from the house while slipping him treats from the dinner table.  The kids (especially Vivian) love Vici, but their rambunctious ways have shattered his nerves.  He’s now on a daily dose of Prozac to help keep it all together.  In younger days, Vici would bound around the house, chasing toys and nuzzling against your leg for attention.  Now he mostly sleeps—all day and a good part of the night and always at the head of Henry’s bed.  He lost his teeth a few years back and (as posted earlier) had his beautiful mane shaved for easier grooming.  He’s a shadow of the champion he once was (see vintage photo below), but still a winner in our book...at least until the next vet bill arrives.



Vici in younger days -- with hair, teeth and claws

Hair Cuts

We knew it would happen eventually.  Henry got creative and decided to cut several large chunks of hair (his own) to make “clouds” for a school art project (see picture below).  Fortunately, he was due for a haircut, so we were able to minimize the damage (the barber assured Bryant this sort of thing happens all the time). Concidentally, we decided to have Vici (our pet Himalayan) shaved.  In his old age, Vici has stopped grooming himself, so we opted for a “lion cut” to make life easier.  The result was one fairly ridiculous looking—but much cleaner—cat.

 

Thanksgiving 2012

One stubborn bird

 Mimi and Paw Paw drove up from Alabama to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.  Mimi made her usual spread of family favorites: macaroni-and-cheese, rice casserole, lettuce salad, sausage balls and charlotte rouge (or, as Vivian calls it, “charlie rouge”).  We tried roasting a turkey for the first time this year (in the past, we’ve had HoneyBaked Ham or purchased a smoked turkey from Rocklands).  We’ll never know whether it was our oven (which has been acting up) or the bird (which may not have been fully thawed), but despite following Mimi Pauline’s instructions to the letter, our turkey would not cook.  Eventually, we decided to stop waiting (Paw Paw was getting anxious) and eat without it.  When it eventually finished cooking (hours later), it was actually quite tasty.  Ah well, better luck next time (with a better oven).  At least the stress of trying to cook the bird gave us a good excuse to have some extra wine at dinner.

Below are some pictures of Vivian's birthday trip to the American Girl Store in Tysons Corner on Black Friday (see Vivian's 3rd Birthday).

 

Vivian’s 3rd Birthday

Vivian had four (4!) separate birthday celebrations this year.  The first—her official birthday party--was at MoBu Kids, an indoor play facility in Falls Church.  Vivian’s birthday falls over Thanksgiving Day week, so we had to schedule the party several weeks in advance.  Vivian and her classmates (and special guest Sara Powell) enjoyed romping around the “play studio” and participating in the special party games (like bouncing plastic balls on a parachute).  Interestingly, the little boys in Vivian’s class were reluctant (at first) to enter the play studio—it was the girls who took the lead with running, jumping and climbing.  Afterward, we had cake  and snacks in the party room.  Vivian surprised us by requesting a “fairies” birthday cake (we were sure she would want Cinderella).  Henry seemed a little lost during the celebrations but kept himself occupied by climbing the rock wall.

Vivian’s second celebration was closer to her actual birthday and at school, when we brought cupcakes for her classmates and teachers.  Then there was the third celebration when Mimi and Paw Paw visited over Thanksgiving.  Elise, Mimi Joanne and Vivian went for lunch at the American Girl Bistro in Tyson’s Corner, and afterward, Vivian had her new Bitty Twin’s hair styled at the American Girl Salon and shopped for doll accessories.  Actually, Elise did most of the shopping.  Bryant has decided that the American Girl store is a very, very dangerous place.  Finally, we had our own private birthday celebration on the 24th, with just mommy, daddy and big brother Henry.  Vivian got so accustomed to having parties, she seemed a little sad and confused when we explained that there would be no more celebrations until next year.  Below are some pictures from the party at Mobu Kids.