Meet the Hogan-Kramer Crew

Meet Baloo.  He was the first pet to be added to our household.  Adam actually adopted Baloo from the Humane Society in Columbia, MO during his last semester at Mizzou, almost five years ago (I still can't believe it's been that long).

This picture describes Baloofus's personality perfectly.  He is a straight up cuddle bug. When Baloo wants to cuddle, he won't leave you alone until you give him his attention. However, if you pick him up and try to cuddle when he doesn't want to, he will let you know.  As you can also tell, he pretty much owns Adam.

On a side note:  Some of you may be wondering how he got his name.  If any of you have seen the Jungle Book, you will remember one of the main characters, the big gray friendly bear, was named Baloo.  Well, we thought the name was perfect and thus, our little kitten went from no name to Baloo (nicknames: B, Balooberry, Baloofus). 

This handsome cat's name is Truman (nicknames: Truman-o, Trumes, T-Money). Knowing Adam and I are big Mizzou fans, you can probably guess the inspiration behind his name.  We actually adopted Truman from the Cozy Cat Cottage in May of 2006, while we were still living in Columbus, OH .  I was watching the movie, One Fine Day (oh how I love that movie), and there was this scene where the daughter of George Clooney's character sees this kitten she wants, then asks her dad if she can take the little guy/girl home with them (of course he said yes).  Well, at that moment I turned to Adam and said "I want another cat."  Now, it wasn't just the movie that made me want another cat; Adam and I always felt bad leaving Baloo home alone (remember he is a cuddle bug) so we decided a brother was just what he needed.  I remember when we first brought Truman home, Baloo was not too pleased with a new kitten around.  However, Mr. Truman was persistent and eventually he won over Baloo.  I knew this because one day I went looking for them and when I looked under the bed I found the two cuddled together asleep.  It was so cute! 

Unlike Baloo, Trums is not as much a cuddler.  Instead, he likes to spend his days watching CNBC, making lots of money, managing our money (he didn't get the name T-Money for no reason), and lounging in front of the window.

Did your heart melt when you saw this sweet girl's face?  She has the most ridiculously cute puppy eyes.  This picture actually really conveys Lucy's personality. She's a wonderfully sweet dog who had to endure a rough first few years of life (I think that is why she tends to have that expression).  Lucy is the third and last (I know some of you are starting to wonder) pet we have adopted.

We brought her home from Operation Kindness in January of this year.  I found her on Petfinder.com and when I saw her picture, my heart melted, but also broke at the same time.  See, a Mixed Breed Rescue group in East Texas found Lucy tied up with no food or water and ten pounds underweight.  When they took her in, they found that she was in very bad shape. However, this wonderful organization was able to nurse her back to health.  In December of 2008, they transferred her over to Operation Kindness here in the Dallas area.  A month after that she came home with me on a Tuesday night (Adam definitely thought I was crazy at the time).  In eight months she has made tremendous progress, but we are still working on her fear of people (we have a trainer helping us out with that).

She is a pretty happy dog these days (aside from the fear of strangers).  She loves her mama, daddy, and two brothers a lot.  Truman and she get along really well (I'll post pics, don't worry); Baloo is a little more shy, but he's getting better around her all the time.  Adam and I will sometimes just look at her and we can tell how much she loves her new home; it gives us such a great feeling, but it also makes us a little sad because we realize that she endured a lot her first couple years of life (she is 3 years old now).

Like Baloo, Lucy likes to do her share of cuddling (or at least be right by my side).  She loves to run (although she hasn't been able to much since it's been so hot down here), eat cat food when she's not supposed to, rough house with Adam - we call her the Tasmanian Devil, and protect me when we are home alone.

Lastly, Lucy also has her share of nicknames, which include Lucy Bear, The Goose, Sweet Bear, and Sweet Rice.

Of course, I haven't forgotten about the other member of our household!  I think I will actually create a separate post just for him :o)

For now though, I am off to bed.  Goodnight all.