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.

Pony's Off to Preschool

Seasons continually change around our home. Some kids we care for are here for a short time and others tend to stay a lot longer.  Aside from Puppy being with us for six years so far, our little Pony friend holds the next steady record. He has been with us for three years, and we started caring for him when he was just 13 months old.

 

It's been fun watching him learn and grow over the past few years. One of my favorite little sayings of his is how he calls daddy long-leg spiders a "daddy-daughter dance". Pony has been our biggest adventurer and often led the other kids on a new mission each day. Sometimes they would find worms or catch grasshoppers. Other days were filled with pretending to make sand pies or watch a "movie" in the clubhouse. His creativity will definitely take him places! 

August 12th was his last day with us, as he now begins a new adventure in preschool! His sister, Horse, spent his last week here with us, and we were able to capture some highlights.

 
You will be missed big guy, and we wish you the best in your new stomping grounds! Can't wait to find out what kind of leader you will be in your future!

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!

Meet Our Cubs - Season 6

I'm so excited to be posting this new slide show the week of Christmas! K-Bird and I have been working diligently on it for awhile in hopes of sharing it with all our families. It has been an eventful year with some very special kiddos. A lot of our cubs have moved on to new adventures (and states) recently, so we wanted to highlight our fun times and good memories with the cubs of 2014. Pony, Duck, and Puppy are still around (and Rabbit of course), and a new cub started December 1st. We've finally decided on an animal name for him, so we'll be introducing him very soon! We hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas! Thank you for the honor of letting us watch your little gifts!

Wallaby's Farewell

Wallaby's family moved to Missouri the day before Thanksgiving. He's been around here for over 2 years, so things seem a bit different with him gone. We will treasure the special times we had with him, his smiles and laughs, playing ring around the rosy, and his most recent desire to for us to draw "Daddy, Mommy, and Baby" dinosaurs. Here are some fun pictures of his last few days with Pony and Duck (his buddies) and a goodbye picture with our family. We will miss you sweet boy, especially your dimples and hugs!