My Newest Friend & Pet: Meet “Bubbles the 3rd”
Bubbles 3 now comfortably at home in my kitchen!
Jake came home from doing errands one day and this little guy was there to greet me. The first pet we ever had as a married couple was a red and blue beta fish named “Bubbles”. He hung out on the counter top in the kitchen at our apartment. We have not had a beta fish for a long time because we have other tanks and they are the type of fish that really need their own space and tank.
I am a big fan of animals and little critters, however, I don’t enjoy the maintenance part of fish tanks. Thankfully Jake handles that piece for me. I make sure Bubbles is fed and entertained, but otherwise Jake does any tank cleaning. Yes, I have conversations with my fish while cleaning or cooking in the kitchen! He is hard to get a picture of because he is either hiding or won’t stop moving. He is a beautiful red and blue long fin beta. Bubble the 3rd has even learned my tap means “time to eat”! Bubbles is the only pet that I get to feed consistently, the girls all feed and care for the all the other pets in the family. Bubbles is my cooking and cleaning buddy when Jake and the girls are not home or around!
Travel & Vacation: Petting Zoo at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Petting Zoo at Animal Kingdom!
The girls were thrilled to find the petting zoo at Animal Kingdom! They had a section were you could brush, pet, and interact with a variety of farm animals. They had goats, sheep, pigs, and a cow that you could help groom. There were llamas too, but they were not out in the big pen, the kids could see and pet them, but they did not interact as much as the other animals. The kids loved brushing, petting, and hanging out with the animals.
We got there about 30 minutes before the workers took the animals into the barn for the night for their evening meal. The animals were very active and it was fascinating to watch them trot into their barn stalls. They knew when it was time to go into the barn and which stall contained their food.
They had an area in the shade that was roped off and contained a small jungle gym where the animals could go if they needed a break or didn’t want to be petted or brushed at that time. You would see a handful of animals in that area, but for the most part they would go in run a loop through the jungle gym and come back out with the kids. There were always plenty of animals out walking or laying around in the non-fenced off area that the kids had a blast.
You have to take the Wildlife Express Train to get to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and the Petting Zoo area.
Loved this part of Animal Kingdom!
Petting, brushing, and talking with the cow.
Brushing a pig
Giving this pig a good brushing!
Laughing at the animals being silly. Brina had a blast in the petting zoo. I think if they hadn’t taken the animals into the barn while we were there it would have been hard getting her to leave this area!
Karlie brushing a goat.
All the pets in this area were very well groomed, probably from all the kids brushing them every day. They were very tame and interactive with the kids.
You want to brush the goat Mom?!
A herd of sheep.
Walking with a new friend
Giving her a good brushing!
Finished brushing the cow now ready to find a new animal to groom!
The goat enjoying a face rub.
Waiting for the train to go back to the rest of Animal Kingdom
The train and our cargo have arrived!
Skipper Being a Good Sport
Skipper claiming a new bed on the back porch!
Earlier in the day the girls were out on the back porch coloring and drawing in a couple big boxes we gave them to play with. The girls get so excited about getting large boxes to play with around the house. Every time we get a box or a group of boxes of any size they usually ask for permission to use them for their play time. Jake and I try to give them as many opportunities to explore creative play, but sometimes the boxes hang around for longer than intended or can get in the way or make a mess with all the “decorating” paraphernalia scattered around.
Sometimes when the boxes are big, taking over the house, and it is going to be a sunny day we will send the kids with their goodies outside. They have been know to play with boxes building various forts and structures for hours. Skipper loves it any time the kids are outside playing. She usually hops right in the middle of everything and at times is in the way, but the kids and the dog love it!
Skipper snacking on a treat from the kids.
Even after the girls came inside Skipper decided to hang out in their box.
Waking up from a nap in the box. She slept in the boxes for several hours in the sun that day. I am not sure who enjoyed it most the kids or Skipper.
Flashback Friday – General KaDargo
Dargo sporting some Christmas wrapping paper!
Today we are flashing back to Christmas 2004! General KaDargo was the first dog Jake and I had together after getting married. We called him Dargo for short. His name was taken from a character on the Farscape show. We got Dargo a couple years after we had been married.
He was a big black lab, but a real sweetheart. In this picture Jake had wrapped him in Christmas wrapping paper. He was being good sport while silently begging me to help him get it off! The kids were pretty little when he got cancer, but we have a lot of great memories with this wonderful dog. It is amazing how quickly animals can become one of the family!
House Building, Ice Cream Floats, Birds, Cats, and Crab Apples!
Fluff was such a good sport and let Brina carry her around!
We had a grand time in Kansas visiting family. Our time went by too quickly, but we were able to pack in a lot during our time in the area. We spent time with Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins and more. Thankful for family and the moments we get to share.
We brought ice cream floats to the guys who were working on my brother Josh’s house! Ice cream floats are a rare treat for the girls since we have one that has a dairy allergy so they were very excited!
Karlie enjoying her ice cream float!
Brina relaxing and sipping her float!
My brother is currently building a house so we got to watch the process and help carry a few boards. He is getting married later this year so he has a deadline! It will be a nice place for the new couple!
Checking out Great Grandpa Verlyn’s birds!
They always love going out to see Grandpa’s birds!
Some of the chickens!
And a turkey!
The girls wanted to help Grandpa collect the eggs, he had already done it that morning, but they had laid some more!
A few more eggs, some big ones too!
Grandpa Verlyn gave the girls some of his Crab Apples! He warned them that they were tart, but they insisted that they wanted to try them anyway!
Karlie thought the crab apples were great!
Brina loved the crab apples too! I thought the crab apples were a little too tart, but they both thought they were awesome! There are very few food items especially fruits and vegetables that they don’t like!
On the Farm: Sand Pile Creations, Games, Hay Bale Climbing, and More!
Four kids and a pile of sand results in multiple interesting creations including a huge sand jacuzzi!
While staying at Grandpa and Grandma’s house this summer the girl’s cousins came over to spend a couple days with us. The kids had a blast coming up with a lot of fun activities to do together. It is amazing how long a big pile of sand can keep them occupied. All the kids played well together and had a grand time at Grandpa and Grandma’s house!
Grandma played several games with the kids. We have a lively game of Skippo going on this time around.
Oh my….they found a praying mantas in the yard.
Who knows what cool bugs you will find in Kansas!
Karlie, Midnight, and Nathan hanging out on top of the hay bale.
Brandon and Brina trying to the dog to look at the camera, ha!
Fun times at Grandpa and Grandma’s house!
Thankful that the girls had some time to hang out with their cousins!
Brina loves carrying around the dog!
The kids running around the yard for 3 minutes to vent off some extra energy. They were good sports and the dogs joined in on all the running around fun too!
Snow Animals!
Skipper jumping up to catch a snowball that was tossed into the air! She was having as much fun as the kids!
Our outdoor pets were not quite sure what to think about the snow at first, especially the goats since the snow covered all their delicious leaves. They did enjoy having the kids and the family outside more often this week to play! The goats and Skipper followed the kids around the yard joining in the fun as much as they could. Sometimes it was a little crazy riding a sled down the hill and having goats and dogs almost hopping into your lap, but it gave us a good laugh!
Skipper trying out the sled as Oreo watched. She wasn’t overly excited about being on the sled by herself!
Our South Carolina dog enjoying the snow!
It was amazing the amount of snow that piled up on these two! It showed up better on Oreo, but Snowball definitely had a thick layer too. They didn’t see to mind the cold from snow at all!
Snowball hanging out with the family! He was more camouflaged this week!
We always had a trial of critters following us through the woods. The goats especially liked it when we rustled up some good leaves for them!
Snowball peeking around the tree at Skipper
Skipper still guarding the front porch!
Heart Reflections: Conversation Starters
There has been so much that has happened over the course of the week its hard to know how to sift through all that is going on and use those moments, sometimes even times of heartaches to start some tough conversations with our kids. Conversations about life and yes, death too. While it is my preference to focus on the happy and fun moments sometimes God allows something that brings tears to mold my heart as well as the hearts of my kids.
How we handle those conversations can be key to reaching the very heart of our children. As they deal with the death of a precious pet, loved one, or something else they will want to know answers and find peace amidst the heartache. While circumstances (like in our case the death of a family pet) will prompt conversations it’s never easy answering the questions when your child’s heartbroken.
Another great way to start some good conversations with your children is through devotionals. One of the best parts about reading through a variety of devotional books with them is that it really seems to initiate some good conversations. Some of the conversations can extend over several days too.
I pray that Jake and I will seek God’s wisdom so that we know what and how to explain God’s goodness even in the sad moments as well as taking opportunities to share truth during those happy times. May we always cherish the times we have with the ones we love even more.
Travel & Vacation: Visiting Our Grandparents
Playing in the sun room
We recently had an opportunity to go to Vermont and spend some time with Jake’s family. The girls had a blast playing games, doing puzzles, reading books, and more! They thought it was awesome having a dog in the house too and loved leading Irish around as well as learning how to give her various commands. It was a nice relaxing weekend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents. Thankful for a chance to spend time with them and have fun.
Brina hanging out near the stove with Irish. Hmmm….seems like Irish should be the one in that bed? She thought Irish’s bed was a soft place to sit. Irish was a good sport and didn’t seem to mind sharing.
Craft time! The girls loved doing crafts and were often found at the table cutting, gluing, coloring and more!
Jake and Gramps – Wonder what they are up to now!?
We made a stop by Eatons Sugar House in South Royalton, Vermont
Glad to see the bridge is back up and working again. It was taken out with a flood over a year ago
The river looks a little icy today, don’t think anyone wants to go tubing this time
PopPop looking great
Travel & Vacation: Snow Days
Jake walking through the woods with his girls. This area had changed a lot since we had been there last (besides the snow) there was a clearing were the loggers had been.
The girls had a grand time exploring the area. We took several walks that let to the river or other places nearby. A couple times we stopped to take a break or they got pulled on the sled but for the most part they kept up. We even built a snowman this year which was a lot of fun. Little pieces of the snowman (mouth, nose, etc…) started falling off throughout the weekend but he remained standing even as we were getting ready to leave.
Grandma Kay and Irish leading the way
The river looks a little chilly! The last time we were in Vermont we were swimming and splashing around in it.
Daddy and Karlie chatting
Daddy and Karlie working on a snowman
Brina decided she was too cold so she went inside with Grandma and watched from the window
Karlie being silly!
Daddy and Karlie by the snowman
