Francis, Age 4 and Sherman, Age 3

Francis and Sherman recently celebrated birthdays:  Shermy Bean in early May, and Francis Pants just yesterday (or so we say).  Here's to the birthday kitties!

We met Francis nearly four years ago in late July 2006 after we had some really terrible storms in the area.  You probably know the ones I'm talking about.  Joe and I were taking an evening walk in Tower Grove Park, his neighborhood at the time, when I spotted the tiniest of shadows scurrying across Shaw Ave.  Worried that he would get hit by a car, I insisted we rescue him.  It wasn't difficult to get ahold of Francis.  He was so tired and hungry that he let me scoop him up in my arms without a fuss.  I remember thinking how docile he was.  Boy, was I wrong!  Fast forward past the night we fell in love with a tiny gray kitten picking at a plate of vegan sloppy Joe's (and easily naming him after one of Joe's favorite historical figures, RFK) to a couple months later when I had to constantly walk around my apartment with a squirt bottle to thwart off the slightly larger gray kitten hiding behind a piece of furniture ready to attack my legs.  I was so glad when he grew out of that...I love Francis!  Or as Dave Lodewyck calls him: Frampton!

Always a helper:

Ever moody:

A pensive little man:

A lover of nature:

And a good friend:

Nearly a year after we met Francis, we decided he needed a friend, so we went to the Humane Society to find one.  Sherman (or as the Humane Society mistakenly called him, Walter) immediately stood out among the kittens.  Maybe because he was the only orange guy, or maybe because he was the largest and we were afraid no one else would adopt him.  Either way, we fell in love yet again as soon as we  started playing with him in the check-out-this-kitten-and-hopefully-take-him-home-with-you-room.  And there you have it.  Sticking with the history theme, we renamed Walter after another figure, William Tecumseh Sherman (side note, if you haven't seen WTS's grave at Calvary Cemetery you really should).  Francis hissed at Sherman once, but then they became the best of friends.  I love Sherm!

So innocent:

Such a snuggle bug:

A lover of naps:

Interested in the outside world:

An expert groomer:

There would certainly be something missing from our lives if Francis and Sherman weren't a part of it.  They're the best!  Happy birthdays, boys!