Happy 1st Birthday to Grayson!

"It was my brother Grayson's birthday on Sunday, June 20th.  He's one year old.  Technically, we're considering him an adult, but you know how it is (just think of human 18 year olds).  He still has some growing and maturing to do before I will grant him the respect that an adult cat deserves.  We had a party for Grayson.  Mom has been getting into celebrating our birthdays lately.  She never used to do this, but then again, I never used to blog.  There's a time to start new habits, I guess.  So, Grayson's First Birthday party was quite a bit more involved than the little family get-togethers we had to celebrate Willie's Birthday or My Birthday.  Mom sent an invitation to several humans through Evite.  I was surprised that so many people wanted to come over and celebrate Grayson's birthday, but they did.  Just look at them in the photo.  I guess humans will go for any excuse to have wine and cheese.  Mom told me she would like me to thank our guests Jan, Nicole, Angela, Christine, Adam, Kim, Tina, Phyllis, Sheri, Mike and Marcia.  There were even more people who wanted to come, but couldn't make it, including our cat sitters Carlos and Deb, and our Uncle John who lives out of state.  It would seem that Grayson has a lot of friends, but since he hid in the bedroom for most of the party, I know they were really here to see me.

The party went down like this.  People started arriving, and Grayson and Zorro started hiding.  Willie and I had a good time because we are much more social cats.  Willie got to run out into the hall a couple times, so that made him happy.  I got to be petted on my head, so that made me happy.  Some of the silly humans brought birthday presents for Grayson.  Willie got first dibs on some cool catnip mice, because he couldn't keep his nose out of the bag.  Willie also got to try on Grayson's new Harley Davidson collar from Jan.  He didn't like it.  Grayson looked good in it though, as you can see from the photo.

The humans ate a lot of cheese and grapes and drank a lot of wine.  They also talked a lot.  Hey, I'm a Siamese cat, and I talk a lot.  If I think a human is talking a lot, it must be so.  These people wouldn't shut up.  But it's completely OK, because they are my mom's friends and they were all good to me.  While the humans were talking, drinking and eating, mom brought out Grayson's birthday cake.  Don't worry, I have no stories to share of goofy human traditions like wearing hats, lighting candles and singing.  The cake was presented to us in a very causal way, and we just ate.  It was a two-layer cake crafted from three cans of Fancy Feast and Laughing Cow cheese that mom tried to squeeze through a Ziploc, pastry bag style.  Mom's decorating skills leave a lot to be desired.  However, Willie (upper right corner of cake photo), Grayson and I ate.  Zorro was still playing shy boy at this point in the party, so no cake for him. 

After a while, some of the guests had to leave, so the party got a little more quiet, and Grayson and Zorro spent more time socializing.  Mom opened Grayson's presents, and we played with them a little bit (check out Zorro and  Grayson trying to get into the foam balls).  In addition to the Harley collar and the catnip mice, Grayson got a new dangly toy (fun!), a chirping chickadee toy, Temptations treats, and some other assorted goodies.  Mom's friends were very generous and all of us cats benefited! 

As the party started to wind down, I collected my thoughts.  (I'm happy to be a big sister to Grayson, even if he is still a bit of a pest.  I'm thinking that in a few more months he'll be fully grown and hopefully pestering me less.  I'm also happy mom has so many nice friends who pet me, talk to me, and let me smell their hair.)  When the last guests left, mom gave Grayson a big hug and told him how much she loves him.  She tells us this all the time, but it's always nice to hear it.  So, happy birthday to Grayson.  The next birthday is in July, and it's Zorro's 8th.  After that, no more cat birthdays until April!"