Kylee – 9 Months

Sweet baby endured her Aunt’s photo-shoot long enough to get a few good ones! 

 

Lindy and Sweet Baby Kylee

Lindy has been smitten with Kylee since she was born.  Not that it’s hard!  She is so cuddly and cute.  Now that she’s nine months old…she’s getting more feisty and developing her little opinions.  It’s been fun to have a niece to snuggle with.  We sure love having her around!

These are some pics from about a month ago…

 

Dear Jo,

Oh Jordyn.  You are so much more full of life than a mommy like me knows how to handle.  I’m naturally much too controlling, traditional and…boring to accomodate your energy!  I am sure hoping you can keep teaching me what areas I should change/grow in, and what areas you need me to stand my ground in…so I can be the best mom for you!

 

I know as you keep getting older…I will need to start embracing bedtime as your time to “open up”.  I don’t know that we have ever, EVER put you to bed where you didn’t call out for either me or Dad within 7 seconds of us walking away. Ever.  You always have one more thought, one more need, one more question, or one more idea.  I try SOOOO hard not to be bugged at this because that is so selfish.  But by the point that I walk away after saying “Goodnight I love you”, I am so ready to have a mommy-break.  So my patience is thin.

 

But I’ve had the feeling that I need to start embracing this time.  This is when you’re most willing to open up (and to listen).  I think this will become crucial over your tween years.  So mommy may need to start having a nap or a time-out during the day so I can keep that stamina up longer!

 

I can’t believe you’re going to be 9.  We are halfway done having you officially a “kid”.  I don’t know how in the world that can be. I’m still trying to figure out how to combine such motherly feelings of deep love mixed with deep inadequacy.  Maybe it’s something I’ll never figure out.  I do hope you always know how much I love you though.

 

I recently started helping you girls design your own wooden sign to hang in your room.  You always see me make a million signs for others, and I want to teach you how.  I love what you came up with…all on your own.  You wanted yours to say “Draw your own personality”.  So I cut the vinyl, you painted the board…and then we put it together.  But then here is where you get frustrated.  You didn’t like the finishing touches on the details you were painting.  You are very hard on yourself.  I want to teach you how to handle those feelings…and really learn to take a detour and try a different route when frustrations come up…rather than give up and walk away.

 

You are a beautiful girl, with a beautiful personality, lots of energy and idea, lots of spontaneity, a beautiful voice and lots of love to give.  Keep “drawing your own personality”, Jo!

Love,

Mom

Bunny Update – 9 days

 

 

So we have officially had our bunnies for 9 days.  It’s been great so far.  Definitely not effortless, but it’s worked well.  They are definitely adorable!

A few things:

-they have grown dramatically in 9 days!

-their personalities have blossomed and they often run to the door of their cage if we even talk to them.

-they are scratching way more as their nails grow

-the liars breeders people at the market who sold these underaged rabbits to us (I had no idea) said they were two months – no way

-the girls have not lost interest in them, and Pey gets extra time since sisters are at school!

-we still call them “the white one and the grey one” for some reason, no names

-they eat TONS of hay, pellets and handfuls of lettuce.  Apples are an occasional special treat.

-so far they get along great with each other

 

Now, to give some tips on getting a bunny.  Don’t make the decision lightly.  They are VERY delicate pets.  I am often grateful that Pey (who is 4 1/2) is my youngest because much younger may kill it without CONSTANT supervision (and get beat up with scratches).  I don’t know that bunnies are a perfect fit for every family.  I hope they continue to be a good fit for ours?  Who knows. 

Also, bunnies are one of the most adoptable pets because people jump into getting them and then realize NO, doesn’t work.  So there are lots of bunny shelters.

 

Here is something helpful from a website:

Many rabbits do not enjoy being held and will kick and claw when picked up. Your child may end up with some painful scratches. Your rabbit may end up far worse. Rabbits are delicate creatures and struggling to get out of the grasp of a child (or adult) can leave them with broken bones or other injuries.

Rabbits are timid creatures. Loud noises or children running around can scare them. Your child may be disappointed that Bunny does not want to come and play when called. Bunny will be more inclined to come play with your child if he/she is sitting quietly on the floor. Rabbits sometimes want to be left alone to eat or nap, and children need to be reminded of that.

Adopting a rabbit is a very big commitment. Rabbits have a life span of over ten years. If you adopt a baby bunny for your ten year old, be prepared to care for the rabbit when your child has gone off to college. Many shelters have older rabbits that would love a caring forever home.

 

 

 

 

CTR 7 Class

These are somewhat scary pics of me, but this is me with my fun, difficult, challenging, great primary class.  I love being with Lexi.  She is an angel.  Not so much can be said for Izzy, Roman and Brendan, but I love them anyway!

 

Fire Department Fundraiser

Trinkets & Treasures is located directly across the street from our Kingsburg Fire Department.  So we’ve gotten to know the firemen fairly well and they like to stop over and say hi once in a while. 

 

About 5 weeks ago Wayne came over and said “I need your help”.  He proceeded to tell us ALL the many things regarding budget cuts and position cuts that was not being made public until AFTER the fact.  He was distraught and asked us if we could help spread the word to the community that this was happening, that it would effect everyone’s safety and to VOICE our opinions.

 

We said “sure”. 

But after he left, I felt perplexed as to how to adequately do this.  And then I had an idea.  A fundraiser using our store.  Perfect!  We have a big customer base, a facebook fan page and presence in the community.

 

So we picked a date and decided that 10% of our sales that day would be donated to the FD.  Plus we had lots of treats for sale that day, donation buckets all over AND left posters and donation buckets around town two weeks prior.  I had the UPS store donate the printing of the flyers and the local flower shop donate balloons that day.  I also had several businesses in town donate giftcards for our raffle.

 

It was a really fun day and we got to know so much more about the fire department, the amazing roles they play and the lives they save. 

We ended up earning $500, which will cover their new centennial patches they want to buy for next year.  Won’t save a fireman’s job, but at least shows them that we care and hopefully boosts morale! 

One of the things I liked most is getting my kids involved and letting them see what I was organizing.  They painted the poster, went with me to donation sites and hung out that day.

 

 

 

Daddy Daughter Dance

A few weeks ago, Tucker took the girls to a special Daddy Daughter Dance in Visalia.  It was more like a prom.  He said he was the only dad there with three daughters!  They had a blast dancing and eating – especially Pey, who knows how to boogie down.

 

Happy 30th Birthday Mike!

   

Love the Blossoms!

They only last a few weeks, but I just love the pink blossoms that are all around us this time of year.  I had to pull over the other day and snap some pics of the girls.