Missing Iguana Already

 After being with us for a year and a half, this little guy headed home last month to be with his Mamma and baby brother. She unfortunately was laid off, so we had to say our goodbyes to Iguana. We have enjoyed the joyful and exuberant spirit of this energetic little guy. He spent his last day with us playing playdoh with his buddy, Owlette. They had such a good time and couldn't stop laughing together. He will definitely be missed and hopefully can come visit for some drop-in days down the road. 

Love the curls

Playdoh fun

Hanging with the girls

Owlette Returns, Quarantine... and Kinkajou

 As always, there have been more changes around the den! We've had our share of chaos, even though it's only been three months into the new year. By far, the biggest change was that Owlette, much to our surprise, came back to the den on January 18th! Her transition to preschool did not go as well as planned, so her parents decided to come back after a week and spend more time at Lion's Pride. 

Her return was very welcomed considering we missed having her around, and she missed us as well. We've been implementing preschool activities into our weekly routine, complete with hand-drawn worksheets by my daughter, Rabbit. She thrives on attention and one-on-one learning, and we're so thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to experience that growth alongside her. The other cubs are also so glad to have her back, especially Snow Leopard. I love this picture that her mom took recently in front of our house before daycare. She's growing up fast and, as you can see from her smiles, glad to be back!

A short time later on January 29th we had an unexpected closure due to my son getting Covid. The next three weeks were a bit stressful as he isolated and we quarantined. Thankfully, the rest of us did not get sick! Some days were pretty challenging as we waited things out. We really missed all the kids, but did our best to stay busy with various projects around the house. My taxes got done early and our closets are a bit cleaner. We re-opened on February 19th and had a joyous return with three of our cubs. The rest of the crew reunited on February 22nd, and we started care with a new part-time cub the following day! (More about our new cub below.)

Let me introduce you to Kinkajou! I called her Honey Bear on the first day she was here because of her sweet and adventurous spirit. In searching for an animal name, I discovered that a Kinkajou is also nicknamed a honey bear because of its cute big eyes and love of honey. Well, this little one has gorgeous, bright eyes and is very sweet. Her love of the outdoors and exploring is also a big part of her personality, so this animal name seemed to fit the best! We are enjoying getting to know her.

Even though the past few months have been busy with a baby, two toddlers, and several preschoolers, I am so grateful for the daily opportunity to serve these little ones. Our quarantine was a bit of a break from the busyness and definitely a different pace, but my heart continues to enjoy the blessings and laughter that little ones bring to each day. We are also glad to be back!

New Beginnings and New Chapters

The start of  a new year often brings new beginnings!  It's only been a few months since our last update, but we've turned the page of another year with some new changes. Some of our chapters have ended and new chapters have begun. The last few months of 2020 were definitely busy with the holidays, and we experienced a few more transitions to round out this very unique year. 

We had Shark come back to visit us for a few weeks over Christmas break and also watched a very sweet and special, little guy named Beaver, who is very focused when it comes to using his fine motor skills to put things together. Both were here on a short-term basis while we waited for our newborn Hippo to begin care in December. We also had a delightful visit with Lady Bug over the Christmas break which was a lot of fun!

Two month old Hippo joined our den on December 16th. His name fits him pretty well. Even though he wasn't a big baby like his dad predicted, he's got a pretty bald head with cute little wrinkles. He is a very easy going baby so far and loves to eat, sleep and cuddle. All our other cubs have adjusted well to having a new baby here and often give him loving snuggles.

Last, but not least, our biggest change occurred last week when we said our goodbyes to Owlette. She has been with us for three and a half years, but ventured on her own new chapter to begin preschool. She was very excited about it considering her long time buddies, Piglet and Tortoise, already began their journey last year. She was such a delight to have in our care and was extremely eager to be our BIG helper all the time. She'd assist with getting Mr. Lion his yogurt or lunch, help the babies with their needs, and often wanted to be the one in charge, lol!  We miss her terribly already, but look forward to some future visits with our little leader and snuggler. We were able to get some great group pictures with her before sending her off with goodbye hugs. She wanted to make sure we included everyone, even Kangaroo's girlfriend.

We pray blessings on all these little ones and look forward to a new year!

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"!