Lifesong

The Three Fur Babies at {Close to} a Year

Our little family has certainly changed in the past year - we went from having one pet (our cat who died in March) to having three - two kittens and a puppy. Now, the kittens, whom we always call Juju and Moky (even though their names are Julius and Smoky) are approaching a year, and Finnley the pup is ten months. There has certainly been lots of work (Finnley), lots of laughs (Juju and Moky), and lots of love (Finnley, Juju, Moky).

I could say they've kept me so busy I haven't been able to blog, but I don't think that's it. I blame it on Instagram. I love being able to take snapshots of our day, and write a little blurb and have the memory captured. But I can capture a lot more on the blog, if I'd keep up with it, of course.

Even though Finn is still a puppy, he sure doesn't look it. He weighs 85 pounds now, and is very strong. He loves to go for walks, and he has lots of energy. While he doesn't look at the kids as "alphas" by any stretch, he loves them and enjoys playing with them and following them around. If they are outside playing and he can't go out, he will whine. So sad! He also loves to chew on things, and thankfully for the most part that has been his chew toys. We have lost two shoes, a few little toys, and several cat toys. But he's learning! We have done a lot of training with him, and he has come a long way! He is my first puppy, because I wasn't around when our other dog was a puppy. Lemme tell ya: puppies are a LOT of work, but I can finally see all that work paying off. He is obedient, and listens when we ask him to do something. We are even starting to work on some fun commands, like clean up all his toys! Wait, where's the obedience class for kids to learn that?

In all the training classes we have been to, the trainer says to put him in his crate when we can't watch him, because he will get into trouble. So, he still spends a good bit of time in his crate, especially during the week when we are working on school, getting chores done and there are toys and games everywhere. I'm sure he will get to the point where he can be out more, but we're just not there yet. But by the afternoon when school is done and things are put away, he is out and about among the family. The kids enjoy playing with him outside, and when the weather is nice, Ansley will take him for a walk or play fetch with him to give him some exercise. Dogs don't sleep nearly as much as cats do, so he is pretty much wanting entertainment non-stop when he is out. Thankfully, he's also very good natured, as the kids are constantly pulling, tackling, playing, running, or jumping on him.

He can still get a little frisky for the kitties, but at this point for the most part, they interact with him very well and have adjusted to each other wonderfully. Juju is particularly tolerant, and rubs against Finn and loves on him quite a bit. If he gets a little too rough for them, the boys let him know and he backs off. Finn likes to go up to them and nose them, like he's doing in this picture.

Bathing Finn is sometimes a family affair. This was after a hike, and he was getting kinda stinky, so everyone helped get him clean. And by everyone, I mean John, Ansley and Christian. He loves to go on hikes with us, and we will usually let him off his leash and he will stay with us. Every once in awhile, he will get ahead, and the kids think it's hysterical to hide from him!

I do love Finnley, and I am learning to appreciate his dog-ness, but my heart belongs to these boys. I am just a cat lover, and I think at this point in my life, there's just no changing that. And I'm okay with that. They are just the sweetest, most easy going, loviest boys ever. Ansley loves how good natured they are. These boys are such family cats. They literally love every single person in our family, including the dog and the three year old. And they are so loving!

See? What kind of cat lays next to a crazy, unpredictable three year old? This one does. Juju is definitely more playful, and he likes to follow me around throughout the day. He's very curious and into what we are doing. If we are in the schoolroom, so is he. If we go to the playroom, he's not far behind. Moky is playful, of course, but he has a more loving nature. He sleeps with Ansley every night, on top of her, and he loves John like he's covered in catnip. Except he's not.

Moky loves to be where we are, usually on top of what we are doing. He is so soft, and super, super loving.

I really love having two cats. They love each other, entertain each other, and keep each other company. And I really think they don't get into as much mischief because they are too busy playing with each other! I really love the way Juju's paws are wrapped around Moky's feet. Brotherly love!

It has been a big change for us this past year, but I just can't imagine life without animals. They fill our hearts with joy, love and laughter, and make our family complete!

5:37 pm

You have not met a better cat.

10:33 am

School is always improved with a little Moky love.

Finner, Finner, Chicken Dinner

If you live in this house, you're going to get a nickname. Ansley was calling for Finn one day, and I called out "Finner, Finner! Chicken Dinner!" and it stuck.

But what's crazy is the sheer amount of growth in this puppy. CRAZY.

Here is a one month span of time.

He's basically gone from a newborn to a toddler in one month.

He is a sweet, playful, funny pup. He's doing well in his obedience classes. He's very cute, but puppydom isn't really my favorite. At his obedience class, the trainer brought his full grown golden, and man was she ever sweet and calm. The kids interacted with her so well, and I sighed a sigh of relief thinking one day, we will get there. The kids will be able to have fun and play without us saying "No biting!" or "Finn, leave it!" or "Off, Finn!" Puppies require lots of discipline. Finn is the first puppy I've ever had, so we are learning together. As you all know, meeting the needs of my feline boys comes more naturally to me, but I'm getting there. It's a learning process for everyone!

Meet the Crew

Life sure is different around here nowadays. It is busy, and everyone is happily dividing time and attention between our three new family members.

The kids stay pretty occupied giving lots of love to each of them. Avery loves pulling a string around for Smoky and Julius, and she gets this silly laugh that makes us all laugh!

These guys are just the cutest. They get a lot of playtime with each other as well, and keep us all entertained with their antics. They love to play, but they also sleep well. Julius goes up with Ansley every night and sleeps with her all night, and Smoky waits up until I go to bed, and sleeps with me all night. They are both snugglers, and love to lay near your face and purr loudly.

The kids are really enjoying playing outside with Finn. Can you see him lying in the grass? He just hangs out with them. Avery swings like a big girl now, so we got rid of her bucket swing and replaced with a regular one so they can all swing together now.

Finn is super sweet and laid back. He seems pretty calm most of the time, but he is still a puppy so he chews a lot. He seems to think Avery is another puppy, and nips at her often, so we are figuring out how to stop that. But overall, he has done very well. He sleeps in a crate in a bathroom at night, and he's done well. He's only had a few accidents in the house, and seems to be picking up on potty training pretty quickly. He loves to play and chase after the kids.

We are thankful for these sweet little guys that bring our family so much joy!

On the Life of Kota

If you know me well, then you probably know that I absolutely loved and was devoted to my cat, Kota. If you are just a casual observer (I don't even know what this means) then you may not have known that. And it's possible that I have downplayed the love that I have for her so as not to be seen as freakish. But since I made the gut-wrenching decision to put her down on March 28, I'm letting my freak show. I LOVED that cat. Not just a casual oh-yea-she's-my-cat kinda love, but a deep-down, deeply devoted I- love-that-cat kinda love.

When I met John, he already had a dog, and I really wanted a cat. So about two weeks after we got married, I called around and walked into a veterinarian's office one day, and there was this spunky white kitty that was laying on the counter amidst dogs barking all around her. Since we knew she had to get along with a dog, I knew she was the one. On our honeymoon, we went horseback riding and my horse's name was Dakota. I decided on our honeymoon that that would be the name of our cat. However, since Kota was a girl, I shortened it to Kota because I thought it sounded more girlie than Dakota.

That was almost 17 years ago, and it's really incredible how many memories are tied to one animal. She has been through every move (four total), and lived six years with no kids, and then almost 11 years with me as a stay at home mom. Especially since being a stay at home mom, she was a constant presence in my life. Kota was more of a one person cat, and I was pretty much her person. She loved me, and I loved her, and that was enough for both of us. She was very social, and wanted to be wherever we were. She followed us around the house - laying on school papers while we were at the table and following us up to the playroom when it was breaktime She hardly ever - and never that I can even recall - would be somewhere different than we were. She loved to curl up in my lap and would purr and purr. As Ansley got older and learned how to interact with her, she would often curl up in Ansley's lap as well.

She loved laying in the sunshine, as well as on the screened in porch. She had favorite spots around the house that make me and Ansley sad to see now. If I see something white out of the corner of my eye, I think it's her. For 17 years, I have watched her in our various homes, interacted with her, loved on her, and played with her. That is a long time! I think part of what I struggle with too is just how quickly time is passing, when I don't want it to. I can hardly believe that she has been around almost half of my life, and pretty much my entire adult life. My goodness, that's a lot of life lived together. I'm with Boyz 2 Men, it is very hard to say goodbye to yesterday. And when I think of getting another cat, that means I would be 55 in the same amount of time! That's crazy.

Some people lose some love for their pets after having kids, but that was not the case for me. I loved her before having kids, and I loved her just as much after. She was just a part of our family. She was so much a part of our daily routine - feeding her, petting her, the kids petting her, playing with her, finding cozy spots for her, making sure she didn't get outside, looking for her, loving on her. If I sat down for a minute and she jumped up on my lap, I wouldn't get up because I felt bad. She loved to lay in front of the fridge (because of the heat at the bottom) and if I needed something out of it and she was there, I wouldn't get it because I didn't want to make her move. I know. I don't know where this gene came from, but I can't help it. It is how God made me, and it's who I am. I just love cats, and especially mine. She was mine. It has been REALLY hard on me to say goodbye after so many years together. I'm pretty sure you either have the pet gene or you don't. Some of you reading this may be nodding your heads, and some of you are thinking that I'm completely ridiculous. But I'm telling you, it's seriously how I was made. I can't not be this way. I like to think that when I devote myself to something, I'm all in. My husband, my kids, my friends, my pets, homeschool, baking....that's just the way I am. And I rationalize that that's much better than only giving part of yourself. And it hurts to love something that way and then lose it, but it's the only way I know how to live.

I'm pretty sure I have passed this gene on to Ansley.

Kota had a pretty healthy life, with only a few major instances (eating lilies and getting a virus) but in November she stopped eating for about a week. This is not normal for cats, but especially Kota because she loved food. She was always waiting by the fridge and had this little chirp that she would do when you would come walking around the corner. It was so cute. Needless to say, the past four months have been extremely stressful on me, although I probably hid it well to most people, because again, I didn't want to let my freak show. It was very emotional, not really knowing what was going on and what would happen. In the end, it was narrowed down to one of two things, but she wouldn't eat and had gotten so thin and I could tell she was uncomfortable, so I knew it was time. I cried. And cried. And cried some more. I just couldn't fathom saying goodbye to my constant companion in my entire married life. It was heartbreaking. The vet came to our home, and Kota laid on my lap and it was very peaceful. I bawled my eyes out the entire day. Could not stop. Incredible sadness and a heavy heart. She was my first pet. I mean, I had cats when I was growing up, but they weren't mine. Kota was mine, and the loss has been real and personal and painful.

 

In the end, I wouldn't trade the pain for the seventeen years of memories. I have always loved the quote "Until one loves an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Having a cat for me brings such joy, happiness, companionship and laughter that I just couldn't imagine life without one. I will always remember my sweet Kota - Kota Bagota, Moosie, Luna - as my sweet, devoted, loving first cat. And I can't forget that. I have practically a half-a-lifetime of memories wrapped up in her. A part of me is sad to move on without her.

My soul has been awakened.