Biggest Update Ever! 2025 - Early 2026

Hello from Lion's Pride! Things have been very busy over here watching littles and keeping up on everyday tasks, but we wanted to give a long update about what we've been up to. Let's get started with the cubs who have left care for various reasons...

Goodbyes 2025

We said goodbye to Dalmatian in February 2025 due to his mom having an unexpected career change. He's been able to spend more time with his mom as a result and the family got two new kittens, which was super exciting for him. We miss his joyful, infectious spirit and the way he would help with the little ones, especially Roly Poly.

Trout also went home to be with his mom over the summer because his family welcomed a new addition. We miss his laugh and his wiggly dance moves, but we are so happy he's getting to bond with his family and spend time with them. We are grateful for the time we got to have with Trout and hope he has fun on his new adventures!

In August, we said goodbye to Hippo after four years as he went off to full-time preschool. We welcomed him as a newborn so this was a big goodbye, but we are so happy for him as he learns and grows. Thankfully we still have his sister Porcupine, so he will pop in for visits and drop-in care now and then. We always know it's him by the sound of running feet and his voice saying "Hi!" We're glad we still get to see him, though we miss having his inquisitive mind and rambunctious personality around here on a regular basis.

Also in August, Fox went home to be with his mom after they welcomed his little sister and switched care options to no longer need us on Fridays. We're so glad he gets that extra day to spend with his family. We will always remember his devoted love for his blankie, how exceptionally good he was at counting, and how much he loved watching the Curious George pancake story.

One difficult thing we faced in February 2025 was saying goodbye to the family and daycare dog, Ace. Ace joined our family in 2012 after being born to one of our previous daycare families. He grew up around all the kids, shepherded them, greeted them and their parents in the morning, and ate their snacks. He was a constant fixture around the house and it's been an adjustment to not have him around under our feet all the time. We will deeply miss his presence around here, but he served the daycare well and was a very good dog.

Goodbyes 2026

On January 5th of this year, Roly Poly left our care as she moved with her family to California. We are so grateful for the time we had with her. Her cheesy grins, mischievous attitude, and curious mind made our days extremely joyful, and we have missed her dearly. We did get a chance to spend time with her brother as well, for a very short time, which brings me to...

New Arrivals 2025

Grasshopper! We named him this because he hopped into our care and hopped right back out! We held a spot for him excited for his arrival and then right after he started care in December, staying with us just a few short weeks, he followed Roly Poly and her family for their next adventure. We are so grateful for the chance to get to know him and enjoy his sweet smiles, even for the short time we did. 

Backtracking a little bit -- in February 2025, we welcomed Pigeon to the coop! We have her three days a week, and she's already grown so much in the past year, learning to walk and talk while she's been here. She has the best smile and we think she'd make an excellent gymnast someday because she has a great core and loves to jump and do tricks.

 

Goat started in July 2025, joining his brother Alpaca! He's a very giggly, smiley guy, and it's been so exciting watching him hit his milestones over the past few months. He is now walking around just after his first birthday! We love his rolls and snuggles, and are so thrilled to be able to continue watch him grow.

And now, some cubs who returned...

Returns/Visits

Sea Horse spent time with us last summer due to unique family circumstances and needing time with a familiar place over the summer. It was good to be able to have her with us again, spend time with her, and love on her. We've had her in the winter as well for the occasional snow day (though there hasn't been much of that!) and we always love our visits with her. She's back with us for drop-in care this summer as well, and we are amazed at how tall she is getting these days!

Polar Bear and Seal were back for a quick visit in June 2025! We also had a visit with Platypus and Moose in July 2025! It was great to see them all and see how they have grown. We always love getting visits from old cubs in the pride!

New Arrivals 2026

Sea Lion and Porpoise started care with us in January 2026. They are only a few weeks apart in age and it's been a joy to watch them grow up so quickly over the past several months. They both come part-time and have entirely different personalities. We love both of their smiles, giggles, and snuggles. Porpoise loves to cuddle for naptimes and sit up on her own, and Sea Lion is already on the move with crawling and starting to pull herself up. We think she will be walking well before she turns a year old!

Orangutan is our most recent easy going addition to the den arriving in May 2026. She turned a year old in April, and loves to say "Hi, ya" to everyone. We chose her name because she loves to be held, especially when it's time for her nap. She lets us know when she is tired and loves to snuggle right next to us while sleeping. She also makes us laugh often with her daily interactions. 

Departures 2026

In our final updated news, we have had two recent cubs head off to preschool. We are sad to see Mouse and Monarch go, but know that they will have some very grand adventures ahead of them. We have had both of them in our care for several years, and they have many special memories of playing together on a weekly basis. Both girls are so very smart and ready to begin their learning experiences. It will take some time for us to get used to having these lovely ladies not around, but we know their families will stay in touch!

Last on the List....  Our Current Weekly Cubs Check-In

                                                 Manatee - turned two in May!

                  He's a climber and sings "Be Thou My Vision" and the "Doxology"

                                               Porcupine - turned two in June!

           She helps with the babies and carries around stuffies, blankets, and baby dolls.

                                                   Pigeon - turned two in May!

                   She follows me around, loves music, and is quite the little gymnast!

                                               Alpaca - Turned three in March!

               He loves books, trains and construction vehicles and is a big helper!

                                                  Goat - Turned one in March!

                  He is in toddler stage and loves to keep up with the other boys.

                                              Orangutan - Turned one in April!

                       She is almost walking, a bundle of joy and expressive with others.

                                                Porpoise - Turns one in October!

                        She loves to smile, babble, giggle, explore, and snuggle at naptime.

                                              Sea Lion - Turns one in September!

                    She is on the move all the time and may walk before her birthday.

If you've made it to the end of this update, I am very impressed!!! If anything, it gives you an idea of who keeps us hopping and how much fun we have around here with all the kiddos that have walked through our door. Looking forward to more adventures ahead!

Year-End Update 2024

Hello from the current crew: Roly-Poly, Monarch, Hippo, Dalmatian, Mouse, and Fox! We have had several transitions and changes since our last post in July! Let's start with the goodbyes:

Polar Bear and Seal moved away to South Carolina with their family right after Labor Day. 😢 They are very missed, and we enjoy seeing family updates of their new journey and also their precious, sweet smiles on Facebook. They are very special kiddos, and we are thankful for the season they were here!

We had an unexpected and very short time with our little friend Guinea Pig. Her mom found out that she was expecting twins and made the necessary decision to stay home with all her girls. We had our last day with her on November 21st, and the twins were born 10 weeks early, right before Christmas! We will miss the fun-spirit and imagination of sweet Guinea Pig! She was a great, little friend to Monarch, Hippo, and Dalmatian.

We also saw Sea Horse off to school in August. Now that she's 5 she's started the new adventure of Kindergarten. We have had a few visits with her since then with snow days and holiday breaks, but miss seeing her big grin and adventurous, creative spunk on a daily basis. Once again, we are thankful for being able to keep in touch with them and do drop-in care. She's growing up so fast!

After saying our four goodbyes, we said four hellos to new friends beginning in August through the month of December! Let me introduce all of them:

Our first addition to the cub family is Alpaca! He started care at 18 months old, in August, shortly before Polar Bear and Seal moved away. Their families are actually good friends of each other, and we have him in our care on Wednesdays. He is a sweet and fun toddler who loves snacks and playing with Monarch and Mouse every week. His vocabulary has picked up since he started care, and he asks for his special buddies even when he's not here! 😆

In September, we started care with Porcupine, who is the little sister to Hippo. She has joined us three days a week, along with her brother, and has a head full of spikey, dark hair. Her brother is super sweet and protective of her as well. She is now 6 months old and a petite, sweet snuggle baby. It's been a lot of fun to have a little one again. Roly-Poly is now 10 months old and walking, so it's fun to see them grow up together with such different personalities.

Trout is another new friend who started care in November. He is now 20 months old and a very smiley guy! He also loves to dance and starts flopping his arms and body around whenever we play bouncy music. He's starting his 2 year-old stage already and just lays down on the floor if he doesn't want to go along with someone's direction or plan. 😂 He's a busy toddler and we've enjoyed having him here!

Our most recent addition to the crew, Manatee, joined us in December. He is a big and very strong 7 month old who comes on Fridays. His family is also friends with Polar Bear and Seal's family, so we are very thankful to have him here! We are still getting familiar with his schedule and personality traits, but he's definitely in the process of getting teeth and scooting around more each time he comes! He had a bit of tummy trouble right before our Christmas break, but we managed to capture this cute picture of him shortly beforehand. 

As we close out this year, there is one last thing I'd like to share. We applied for a grant in May of this year to help replace our old deck which had several rotting boards. We were approved in July and able to have the deck completed in October right before our first big snowstorm this year and also before the busy holidays. Our new deck is now a cozy and safer space for us to walk on as we transition to the backyard for our playtimes. We are so grateful for all this year has brought us, even through all the transitions. We look forward to the new year and all the new surprises it will bring!