JuneBug

She is here! We've had this kitty for 3 days now and it is going so well.
I was a little nervous to bring a kitten home because I've always been a dog person and I know what to do with puppies.
I have learned in 3 short days that kittens are much MUCH easier than puppies and I had nothing to worry about. We showed her her litter box and put her in it a few times. That took care of the potty training.
There is no crying or howling at night, no outside potty runs at 3 AM.
I'm a little tired because I am getting up with her once or twice because she is so tiny and gets a little lost sometimes. And the claws are definitely something we will have to think about, as I can see household destruction in our near future. :)
Other than that... piece of cake. Abby loves her and is gentle as can be which I had counted on.
Lucy considers her a new playmate which is nice, but still needs to be supervised as Lucy is still a young pup herself.
Kayla is a new mommy and it is very cute. She carries the kitty everywhere and cleans the litter box and does about 70% of the care. The kitten meows for Kayla when she isn't around and follows her everywhere. She definitely considers Kayla to be her Mommy.
I feel that our brood is complete here and my life is almost exactly as I had always hoped it would be. The only difference is that I thought I'd have a husband, kids, dog at my feet, dog in my lap and cat up by my shoulder on the couch.
Turns out that the cat sleeps in my lap and Lucy sleeps up on the top of the couch by my shoulder. But hey- not too far off the plan!!!

Horses

Kayla started horseback riding lessons today and it was an absolute dream for all of us. I love those moments with kids when you see them totally light up... when they are at their absolute happiest. For Kayla that is when she is on stage in a play or now, on a horse's back.
I think her face must hurt after all that smiling she did today!
Buster Brown is the horse she'll be riding in lessons and he is such a gentle guy.
What I love about this particular instructor is that she believes in teaching the child absolutely everything about a horse and it's care.
Kayla has to bridle and saddle her horse (with some help because the saddle is as big as her) and brush and clean the horse, right down to his hooves.
On days that will be too hot to ride, she will spend her lesson time bathing the horse and mucking out his stall.
The goal of this particular instructor is to teach the child to be totally comfortable and efficient at not only riding a horse but caring for one.
Some of her students have gone on to become proficient enough to buy their own horse which she then boards for them on her property.
It was a cool and overcast day here in AZ so it was a treat for all of us to sit and watch Kayla during her first lesson!

Buddies

I absolutely love the friendship that has blossomed between the kids and our across the street neighbors. Kayla and Bailey are such good buddies and even though Ethan is older than Collin, they spend a lot of time together too.
It's so nice for Collin to have a boy buddy to hang with. He loves his female friends for sure, but every now and again he likes to pretend to have sword fights and shoot-outs or vampire fights. What a great summer this has been so far with these kids! (And yes I do believe that Kayla's friend, Bailey is destined to be a super-model) :)

Meet JuneBug

Coming soon to an animal loving household near you.
Another animal to adore, hold and oooh and awww over. Another animal to annoy us. :)
Yes, we will have quite the menagerie here and we love it!
That's how we roll.

Collin's haircut

I love Collin's full head of blonde hair, so months often go by before I realize he probably really needs a haircut.
And then I watch, sadly, while they chop off his beautiful hair.
I didn't plan to take pictures of his haircut today but when I saw how much hair was actually being cut and how long it had really gotten I had to document it! :)

Tug O-War

Kayla's teeth

She now has two teeth missing!
Her teeth were obviously more than ready to come out as the adult
teeth were clearly visible upon the little teeth falling (well... being pulled by me)
out!