Fall Fun and A Snow Leopard

 Here are some fun pictures of our annual leaf pile that the kids always enjoy! Luckily, I was able to get it all bagged up before our snowstorm last weekend. I also love how my daughter Rabbit is not too old to join in the fun by laying in the leaves and Sea Horse's attempt at trying the big kid swing. Owlette was so proud and cheered her on! I really enjoy this season of the year and the memories it brings!

Fall also tends to bring new cubs into our den! On October 19th, we began care three days a week for a 2 1/2 year old little Snow Leopard. She is a big fan of our animals and gets so excited when she sees them. She often says "Ace out?" when our dog is resting in his kennel and also loves to follow the cats around when they come downstairs for food at the end of the day. We recently had our laser pointer out to play with the cats, and she tried catching the little red light just like a cat would. It's for this reason and the very light color of her hair that we came up with Snow Leopard. We had several animal names picked out as choices, but her parents liked this name the best. We think it fits well, and she is a very sweet, lovable new friend. Owlette has enjoyed having another playmate. We enjoyed the nice weather outside on her first day and were able to capture a group picture of all the cubs together.

This is our crew! Our newest cub was born on October 14th and will be joining us in December. His dad has already requested that we call him Hippo, lol! Looking forward to experiencing some new adventures as we near the end of this crazy year!

Beluga's Short Visit

We had the wonderful privilege to care for a little 22 month old in September. Her time here was very short, but it was also a very rewarding and special experience for us. We began care for little Beluga on September 14th knowing she was a foster child and her time here would be temporary. We named her Beluga because she had a full head of black hair, and her foster mom had to pull it up into a pony tail which she called her little whale spout.  

We expected to have her a bit longer than we did, but things unexpectedly changed and her care ended on September 23rd. She went to live with her biological aunt and sister. Our two weeks with her were a gift to us since we were able to care for and bless a little one who has faced some challenges in her short life. It was very eye opening and heart breaking to have a small window into the foster care system and what little ones must face. It also makes me appreciate so much more those who choose to be foster parents.

 We connected well with Beluga's foster parents and were able to work together with them to help her with some of her little challenges and give her a safe place to play each day. She blossomed here in just a few short days, learning how to say, "yes" instead of "no" and knowing that she was being understood, heard, and validated. Her foster mom said she got so excited each morning when she knew she was coming to Miss Karen's house.

We are unable to show pictures of her face, so we tried to capture some candid shots of her time with us and the way she interacted with our other cubs. They all got along so well and welcomed their new little friend each day she came.

It's amazing how you can bond with a little one in just a very short time. We were very saddened to see her go, but know it's for the best to be with her family members. We pray many prayers of blessing and protection over Beluga as she embarks on a different journey. She will be missed and hold a special place in our hearts.

Tortoise Treads On

We've had some more changes around the den recently. Our cub Tortoise, who we've had since he was two months old, recently started attending preschool this past August. We have so enjoyed getting to have him in our care for the past three years, and we will miss him dearly! His last months in our care were especially wonderful as his vocabulary exploded and he explored a love for doing puzzles with K-Bird. We talked to him a lot about going to preschool, which he embraced and talked about often as his "new adventure"! There are so many fond memories we have of him. We love how he said "my" instead if "I" or "I'm." He is so empathetic and attentive to people and how they are feeling, especially if someone is hurt or isn't feeling well. We taught him how to take deep breaths when he is upset, which was a great reminder for all of us as well, especially this year. His laughter is absolutely contagious and so is his cheesy grin! His personality is so bright and special, and he is so very loved!

After he went to preschool, we visited him at his house and got to see his two new kittens, Mochi and Kimchi. We also got to see all his toys, which he was thrilled to show us, and K-Bird got the chance to do puzzles with him again. We also had the pleasure of babysitting him recently over a weekend, and it was wonderful to have him back and spend time together! We hope to continue to have visits in the future, and we can't wait to see where Tortoise's "new adventure" takes him! We hope this isn't goodbye, but only "see you later"!

Little Shark

Just thought I'd post an update! We've had a little friend visit us the last two weeks of July while his regular provider was on vacation.  It was fun to get to know him during our short time together.  We named him Shark because he he wore a lot of outfits with sharks on them while he was here. He loved to play with our ball tower and trucks, had a Blippie snuggle doll, and loved to eat fruit, especially berries. We especially enjoyed the way he would belt out in laughter over the most random things. He grew quite fond of little Sea Horse while he was here and loved to sit next to her or give her hugs. I love the group pictures we were able to capture while he was here. The kids all got along well!

 

We also had an unexpected change with Red Panda. She was only with us for a few short weeks because her parents received a call that a daycare center, which they were interested in since she was born, had a spot open up for her. They really struggled with making the change so soon after she began here and adjusted to us, but knew for the long-term they wanted her to be there for her preschool years. We were thankful for the short time we had her here and enjoyed her special personality.

Little Miss Platypus resumed full-time care in August, and we have really enjoyed having her back. She is only 8 months old and trying to stand by herself and take some brave steps. It's amazing to see how much she has grown. Little Swan is moving to a drop-in schedule since her family recently hired a nanny to help with all three girls in their family so mom can help run the family business. She asks for us often, so they are bringing her on an occasional basis. Our little Tortoise friend has moved on to preschool, and we miss him so very much! He will always hold a very special place in our hearts. In the meantime, we are enjoying our time with all the cubs and look forward to welcoming them back after taking the past week off. We look forward to fall and the adventures it will bring us!

 

 

Reunions and Goodbyes

It's amazing to see how things have changed for us in just a few short months. With the onset of the pandemic back in March, things were definitely "not normal" for several weeks. We were thankfully able to remain open and stay healthy the past few months, but not all of our cubs were able to come since parents were heeding the stay at home order.

Several of our cubs went down to a part-time status for the summer and a couple of our cubs have given their notice since they will be heading off to preschool in the fall. Triceratops was our only cub that we were unable to say goodbye to because of COVID. His parents have been working at home this whole time and kept him home with his older siblings. We thought he would return over the summer, but their jobs have not yet transitioned back into the office. We will miss our little superhero friend and the sweet little way he would move his head from left to right.... not to mention his great, belly laugh too!

Triceratops our little Superhero buddy!

We will also miss Piglet's belly laugh!!! We have had her since she was eight months old, but her last day was June 2nd as she headed off to Florida for the summer to be with her dad before attending preschool in August. We were very blessed to have some quality time with her on her last day here. My kids all got some special moments with her to say their goodbyes. Keegaroo will especially miss her since they shared a special bond. We will always remember the way she was creative in play and decided that the mustard bottle in the refrigerator was a "baby". She kept having Keegaroo go check on Baby Mustard to see if it was okay.  Her vivid imagination kept us hopping each day as she played doctor, mamas and babies with Owlette, or buckling up to go to "Costo". We hope to stay in touch and have visits with her when we can.

 Piglet                                                     "Baby Mustard"

 Last Fall with Keegaroo                                   Last day cuddles

Saying Goodbye!

Platypus was with us for a few days the end of May while her mom packed up her classroom for the year. She's a bit bigger since the last time we saw her in March. She's off again for the summer months, but should be back in August depending on what the school situation looks like by then.

 

Platypus

 

Platypus and Rabbit

Iguana also was staying home for quite some time with his mom. He lives very close by, so we would have a few visits with him while Rabbit was doing her driving lessons around the neighborhood. He was so excited to see us and was finally able to return to care last week. He's coming part-time over the summer and hopefully will return full-time if schools open back up. We were thrilled to find out that his mom is having a baby in January, so we are hoping to have a new baby cub next summer if things all work out.  We've learned though that things can happen unexpectedly at an time, so we are learning to take things a day at a time.

 Iguana

Tortoise, Owlette, and Seahorse have been with us pretty regularly and little Swan has picked up some extra days this summer. Also joining us for the summer is Ladybug since her parents have returned to work in the recent weeks.

  Ladybug                                                    Sea Horse

Swan

Owlette

Tortoise

 Cooling off on a hot day!

All the kids with Puppy, Rabbit, and K-Bird

Last but not least we have a new little cub, Red Panda. She joined our cub family on June 11th and will be coming three days a week. We decided her touch of red hair and need for continuous snuggles are quite fitting with her cub name. She's been a bit fussy on her first few days day while trying to adjust to her new surroundings, but she's getting used to us the more often she comes.. We look forward to getting to know her personality more as she grows, but so far we love her little wavesd, smiles, and the way she clicks her tongue. We love her already and enjoy having her here.

Sweet little Red Panda

Now.... let's see what the last half of the year brings our way....