So Many Changes....

Once again, as I sneak a few minutes away from my busy schedule to write a blog update, I am reminded of all the changes we have encountered. This summer has had a lot of transition for us. We've learned that life brings changes and with those changes we often see the cubs in our care move on in different directions. Several of our cubs have left our care in the past several months due to varying circumstances, and we've had the opportunity once again to begin care with some new little ones.

So, without further ado, let's get things up to date! First of all, Little Robin's mama found out they were expecting a second child, so in May she made the decision to be a stay at home mama and also nanny other children. We definitely miss this little spunky personality and hope to have visit's with her when we can! I am certain she will be a great big sister.

Next up, our little guys Chinchilla and Hamster are staying full-time with their Grandpa now. Although they were only coming once a week, we definitely miss their personalities and adorable smiles. We were so glad to care for them this past year and enjoyed our time together.

The month of August brought the most change for us as we said our goodbyes to three of our daycare kids.  Two of them, Bullfrog and Butterfly had been with us for 2 1/2 years! Bullfrog ventured off to a new adventure in preschool and Butterfly's departure was a bit unexpected, but it worked best for her mom to have a daycare closer to Bullfrog's preschool. It was a sad goodbye considering we've had so much history with these two, but our hope is to stay in touch and still make it to their fun birthdays and other visits since they are like family now.

 

 

The third cub, Dove, who also left in August was only with us for 6 short months. Her mama's plan all along was to be a stay at home mommy, so we knew initially that we would only have her for a little while. We had the privilege of watching her grow and learn so quickly! She was almost walking when we said our goodbyes at only 10 months old and her vocabulary was also starting to blossom. It was a bit mind blowing to see how smart she was! Dove will also be missed, but we are so glad she can be with her mama now.

We miss you already Robin, Chinchilla, Hamster, Bullfrog, Butterfly, and Dove. We hope you will be blessed in your new adventures and pray God's continued protection over you as you grow up.

To be continued with all the new faces......

Year-End Update

As 2016 is nearing an end, I thought I would use my day off to catch up on the blog. So many changes have occurred since August, so I'm well overdue for an update on our cubs.

When Pony headed off to preschool, we gained four part-timers! Teddy Bear Hamster and his brother started care mid-August on Wednesdays and Fridays so his mom could go back to school and earn her teaching degree. It's great having Hamster back and seeing how much he's grown over the past year. We've named his brother Chinchilla since they look alike but are unique in their own personalities. They bring lots of smiles, busyness, and laughter to our home. Bullfrog and Caterpillar love to push trucks around with Hamster and enjoy having their buddy back. Chinchilla recently started walking everywhere and celebrated his first birthday. He is just as sweet as his brother, and we love his cuddles!

In August and early September, we began care with Fawn and Robin. Fawn is a very sweet 3 year old who loves Paw Patrol along with all the boys. She loves to giggle and when you ask her to take a picture, she sticks her little tongue out and makes a goofy face. She fits right in with the crew and is super helpful when it comes to clean up time or helping someone with a need. Unfortunately, her dad lost his job in October, so Fawn's 3 days per week have changed to drop-in care. We sure do love her visits though!

Robin is our sweet and quiet little toddler who is now 18 months old and comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is very laid back and very mellow around all the kids. We are told by her mom, one of KylieBird's childhood friends, that she talks all the time at home, but here we are lucky to catch a few words from her. She tends to be shy yet very interactive with us. Her first few days were an adjustment for her in leaving Mama, but now she gets dropped off and loves to jump into playtime with the others.

So, our crew has grown. Our part-timers join our full-timers, Bullfrog, Caterpillar, Butterfly, and Ladybug. They are all learning a growing each day and building some special memories with each other. They especially enjoy puzzles, toy cars, building activities, singing and dancing, and train tracks on a daily basis.

A few more changes are coming in January with Hamster and Chinchilla coming on Fridays only and another family potentially starting care on Wednesdays with their two little girls. We also hope to have a new little one starting care in February. It's been a lot of work but also a lot of fun having all of these blessings in our care! We are thankful to be a part of each families lives and look forward to what 2017 has in store for us.

Meet the Cubs - Season 8

It's fall, and we've had some changes in kiddos, so we thought we'd put together another slideshow to show you what's been going on lately around the den! It captures our last year with Pony and our time with Bunny, Wolf Cub, Horse, Giraffe, and Starfish. We love each and every one of you and are so glad we got to make some fun memories with you.

Mid-Summer Update

Well, we had our last day with Giraffe and Starfish on June 1st. We will miss having our little friends around but are very thankful that they live not too far from us. In fact, KylieBird has babysat for them a few times, and it's fun to hear all the great stories of their adventures!

On June 3rd, Caterpillar returned to our care! He was with us for a month last year for temporary care while his sitter was on leave. He's now joined us for long-term care, and we are so thrilled to have him back. He's grown quite a bit and is now a happy, cute, and chattering two-year old. He fits right in with the other kids, and Butterfly just loves to give him bear hugs. He also enjoys watching Little Einsteins, AKA "Wocketship," and now all our little cubs enjoy chanting "blast off" with him during snack time!

On June 10th, we had the privilege of having Wolf Pup join our pack! He is 18 months old and reminds us of the little wolf pup from the newest Jungle Book movie and looks a little like Mowgli with his dark hair and complexion. He's been coming two days a week for the past month, but unfortunately he's had a lot of sickness lately. His doctor is advising he waits on being in daycare until his immune system can get stronger and healthier. So, we just found out this week that Grandma will watch him awhile longer until he can return in the near future.

We've had a great time this summer playing with water and trying to beat the heat! The kids have really enjoyed getting wet and have even discovered the joy of playing in mud. Our hope is to do a slideshow soon to capture our season with Bunny, Giraffe, Starfish, Pony, Bullfrog, Butterfly, and Ladybug, and we look forward to the adventures ahead with Caterpillar joining the crew.

Lady Bug and Bunny.... Lots to update!

It's been awhile since we've updated the blog.... After our last slide show we've had many life events occur such as a surgery, the holidays, goodbyes to loved ones, our anniversary, and birthdays!

As usual, life in the den does not always stay consistent. Little ones come and go. We've had to accept the hard fact that for every hello, there will someday be a goodbye. We will only remain in each child's life for a season. That is the hardest part of caring for little ones that are not our own, yet we love them as such. We have to remember though, that we do create memories with the cubs and hopefully, somehow, these little ones will know in their hearts that they were very special to us.

In December 2015, we started part-time care with little Bunny, who was born in August. In April, her family's circumstances and needs suddenly changed, so we had a very short season with our little friend.

The four months we spent with her were very special as we watched her grow and learn to crawl! We gave her many cuddles, and she will hold a special place in our hearts! I didn't get a chance to introduce her on the blog, but we will fondly remember her little grunt/growl she gave each time she was hungry or tired. She was one of the most easy-going babies we've known. Most importantly, she gave smiles instantly with her little tongue hanging out. It brought us so much joy and made some more challenging days much brighter! We will miss her dearly, but we do plan to keep in touch with her family so we can keep up with her journey.

    

In January 2016, we started care with another little one, also born in August of last year. Lady Bug has been a joy to care for as well since she came to the den. She is very dainty, with long delicate fingers and great big eyes. Due to personal preferences, her parents do not want to post pictures of her yet, but we can give you a hint of her sweetness at least. Lady Bug had a rough time when Mama first went back to work and had some fussy days. She has made  a lot of progress in adapting to her home away from home. We've grown to love her little coos and fascination with faces. She recently started saying "bye, bye" and loves to be cuddled. We are very thankful for her sweetness and the blessing of having her here three days a week.

Giraffe and Starfish have been with us since August. They will be staying home with Mom starting in June since she will not be going back to work in the fall. Once they transition back home, Caterpillar will be joining us again for full-time care! Pony, Bullfrog, and Butterfly are also still with us. We've had a lot of fun playing with playdough, train tracks, tools, puzzles, bubbles, and all our outside activities. These little cubs keep us on our toes! We look forward to sharing another slide show this summer of all the great pictures and all the great faces in our den.

 

Meet Our Cubs - Season 7

We've been working on an updated slideshow in honor of the cubs that have moved on this year: Duck, Pony, Hamster, Caterpillar, and Bumblebee. We've enjoyed having you with us, and we'll cherish our time with you. In addition, we've captured highlights of the new cubs that have joined us. We've experienced some new memories, and we hope you enjoy watching the show!

Just Keep Swimming...

April and May kept us quite busy with the little ones around here. Bullfrog, Butterfly, and Bumblebee have all adjusted well since starting in February.

Our time watching Caterpillar in April went by very quickly. He is such an energetic little boy full of joy and smiles! We enjoyed being around his infectious laughter and the little way he gave us "noggin" by putting his forehead against ours (taught by his uncle based on the "Finding Nemo" movie).

Luckily, we still get some regular visits from him since his mama comes to our house and cuts our hair every few months.

In other news, Duck's mama made the decision to stop her teaching job and be a stay-at-home mom. We had the privilege and amazing talent of gathering all the kids together for a group picture on her last day in May. We also had a few hours to visit with her in June, only to discover that her daddy recently got a job offer in Minnesota. They have already relocated and are now expecting their second child! We've enjoyed caring for her for the past year and a half and will miss her goofy and fun spirit in our home!

Hamster will also be leaving the den in August since his mama is due to have another baby in October. So Pony, Bullfrog, Butterfly, and Bumblebee will hopefully have a new playmate soon. In the meantime, we just keep swimming and having some fun times together!

 

Springtime and New Faces

It's Spring 2015, and we have some new faces in our midst. We've had several months of interviews and facing new transition since November of last year. In February, things shifted for us, and we took some new kiddos under our wing.  So... let's do some proper introductions and give an update on all our cubs. 

First off, we have Butterfly and Bullfrog. They are siblings... can you see the resemblance? Butterfly is a new little life that is 8 months old and brings lots of joy and smiles to our home. She recently had surgery, and we are thankful that things went well in her recovery. Big brother, Bullfrog, is two years old and named after a famous bull rider by his parents, thus we thought his animal name would be fitting. He also is full of smiles, cuteness, and strength! We've enjoyed getting to know these guys on a part-time basis, and look forward to having them full-time in May.

 

Next, we have Bumblebee and Caterpillar. Bumblebee joined our crew a few months ago and comes a few days a week. She is 15 months old and a very, busy toddler. She's full of joy and spunk and loves to keep up with the two-year olds. She also gets along well with Hamster since they are close in age. Caterpillar also keeps up with the toddlers by crawling around everywhere and fits right in. He is here for a season, this month only, while his aunt is having a new baby. He is 10 months old, also very strong and cute!

  

Since all the kiddos are so photogenic and growing fast, here are some new photos of our other sweet cubs. Pony and Duck are the best of buds and look forward to seeing each other each week. They are both learning how to share and express their needs to each other as they face the challenges of being two.

 

Hamster joined us in December of last year and has made himself quite at home. He's adapted to a normal routine with us and is starting to be a busier toddler with new words, expressions, and discoveries each day. He especially enjoys being around all the other kids each day and gives lots of cuddles to the littler ones.

Puppy is going to school now, but she comes over when she can to hang out with Rabbit. They have developed a good friendship over the years of hanging out together, and we often joke that they are like sisters now. They share a birthday too, which is coming up soon within the next few weeks!

Once again... we are very grateful for all these little ones that God has blessed us with to watch over while their Moms and Dads are at work. Some days are very busy and full of challenges at times, but we enjoy each and every unique personality in our cubs. We most of all enjoy the laughter and smiles that each one gives us on a daily basis. We have quite the crew!