The Tinley Family's First Full-Scale Evacuation

Yesterday afternoon at 4:45 CST our upstairs carbon monoxide alarm started chirping. The "alarm" light was flashing, signaling to us that we should "move to fresh air." Within ten minutes, the eight of us (myself, Ashlee, Meyer, the child inside Ashlee's belly, and the four cats) were in the gas guzzler on our way to Ashlee's mother's place.

To entertain ourselves during the twelve-minute drive, we played a few rounds of "Name That Cat." You see, our feline family members are much more vocal when they are in a moving vehicle, so guessing which cat is speaking is a fun way to kill time. Reggie, who is normally mute, actually meows in a voice similar in pitch and inflection to Naomi's. (Naomi is Reggie's biological sister.) While deciding whether a sound is coming from Reggie or Naomi was challenging, Curtis's Name-That-Cat skills were lacking. His already high-decibal meow became an amplified howl when we put him in the car; so we had no trouble distinguishing between Curtis's yell and Rivers's mouse-like squeal.

After Name That Cat Meyer decided to start playing "Kick the Cat." How many times could he put a boot to a kitty's head without leaving his car seat? The answer: several times, despite daddy's oft-repeated instructions: "No Meyer! Do not kick the kitties!"

To be continued