A Messy Morning

This is what happens when a friend asks me to watch their child :)

First a little slime...

In case you are interested in the recipe/method here it is.

Empty 1 bottle of glue into a large bowl.

Fill the bottle with water, shake and add to the glue.

I mixed 1 t. of borax into 1 C of water for each girl. 

Add desired food coloring.

Dump into glue/water mixture and get messy!

Sofia missed the bowl a little.

Next, we "washed" the car with shaving cream...

Then we had to actually wash the shaving cream off, nice and time consuming for little hands :)

How else would you end the morning except for a water balloon fight?

Whoo, go team!

Grief

We are still muddling through this whole idea of grief and permanent loss with the girls. Missing their kitty is currently their "go-to" sadness when they get too stressed or tired. I have been asked repeatedly if Tony can come back and play yet or if they can visit him in Heaven... just to say hi.

So I thought to myself how can I make this idea sink in and maybe also offer a little comfort. Last week I headed out on a mission to acquire stuffed animals resembling a certain little orange tabby.

After striking out at 5 stores I found a winner...


I headed home and snuck them on to their pillows while they were in Sofia's room enjoying a story with Craig. When they came into their rooms and saw their new soft friend they hugged him and then immediately asked me where they came from...

I asked them "where do you think it came from?"

and they said...

"God?" and then quickly settled on the idea that Tony had sent them a present from Heaven. A soft friend they could look at and love when they were feeling sad. When I checked on them a short time later they were both in their beds whispering to their new friend. They were telling stories about Tony and discussing with him what they did that day and telling him they loved him.

Now, I know that they would have gotten over him on their own and in a few short months Tony would be a distant memory in their ever changing lives... but I kind of don't want him to be.

I hope their new stuffed animals can be a reminder of a furry friend they loved when they were little girls.

I also hope they know that someone is looking out for their happiness, whether it's mom and dad or God or even their kitty in Heaven.

Fairytales

Once upon a time there was a girl who told her parents she was moving to Detroit to go to college.

Two weeks later she met a boy.

Three years later she married that boy.

Six years later they were still in love a midst the chaos of a world filled with 3 beautiful children, lots of loving family and wonderful friends.... and a couple of crazy pets.

It's nice to live in a fairytale...

Happy Anniversary to the best husband a girl could ask for.

Butterflies

We recently welcomed some insects into our home... willingly. I even paid some money for them to come.

We ordered 5 caterpillars online. They arrived in a small cup with all of their nutrient necessities looking rather lovely....

After about a week of hanging out and living life as caterpillars they curled up in their cocoons to transform into something a little less wiggly.

When they are all hanging like this....

They need to be carefully transferred to their butterfly home.
After another week or so they emerge as beautiful painted lady butterflies.

We kept them for a couple of days, following the directions to feed them orange slices and fresh flowers/milkweed and then headed out back to release them back to nature. Which prompted this discussion...

"They can't go, they're ours... we bought them."
They have to go, they are not ours to keep, they belong to nature.
"Why?"
Because they love to fly and enjoy the sunshine.
"Why?"
Because they have big beautiful wings
"Why?"
Because that's how God made them.
"Why?"
Oh look, there they go!

I love when we come to a mutual understanding... or see something shiny.

One took a quick dip in the pool on his way out but he recovered nicely and flew to safety.

The girls were in awe, and admittedly so was I. What a special transformation to witness.

I was also a little impressed with my own restraint in using the words "eeew, gross, slimy and yuck" when viewing and transferring the caterpillars. A fun summer project we will surely repeat, adding more scientific basis each time. I love hands on learning.

Goodbye Tony

There are few things in this world that make me go "aaaaaww!" more than a puppy, kitty or baby. A few months after Craig and I were married we weren't ready for a puppy or a baby BUT  when I saw this little face I just had to take him home...

After nearly six years, we had to say goodbye to Tony yesterday. He was our baby before we had babies... He was the only cat I have known that played fetch.

and then loved (and tolerated A LOT of affection) from the girls. He was a seemingly permanent fixture in our beds and laps, never turning down a chance to snuggle.

This was the first experience with grief and loss for the girls. It broke my heart to watch them sob the loss of their furry friend but I felt it was important to explain to them that it's OK to be sad.

We talked about how loved Tony is and how lucky we were to be able to care for him and have him in our family.

We talked about where Tony is now and the girls enjoyed discussing what Tony was doing in heaven, trusting that he is in good hands there and enjoying himself, even if he does miss them.

Love is important and grief is an important and inevitable part of love. I hope the girls will always know that being sad shouldn't stop them from loving.

I have to add a special thanks to friends in our life that made this day and process more manageable for our family... Craig and I were able to say goodbye to Tony knowing our girls were being cared for which was a great relief.