new babies...kittens that is

Our kitten had kittens...is that possible? She's barely six months old...well, maybe closer to nine months. The plan was to have her spayed before this happened. Now we have learned our lesson. Kittys can have kittys. Two weeks ago, Kevin woke up around 4am because he heard a rattling noise. He investigated the hall and came back to bed. At 5am the dog started barking which isn't uncommon if he sees an animal...we didn't think much about it. About an hour later we were all up...a little sleepy...and getting ready for school and work. Twenty minutes before it was time for us to leave for school, Kaiya asked if she could feed the cats in the garage. I said "sure"...having no idea what the next twenty minutes would entail.
She was back in shortly stating that there was a "rat" in the garage. I said "no sweetie, it's probably just a dead mouse." The cats will occasionally leave them around for us to dispose of. I asked Kevin if he would get rid of the "mouse" before he left for work. As you have probably guessed by now, it was not a rat or a mouse...it was a baby kitten lying cold and stiff on the cold garage floor. Abby (the mama cat...well, kitten) had three kittens tucked inside a small little shoe cubby and there wasn't any room for this one I guess. Kevin told me to take it inside and warm it up. I freaked out a little "you want me to do what?" "how?" So I took the cold kitty inside, put it on a heating pad and dried it off until it started to move and cry a little. Meanwhile, while investigating the birthing scene outside, Kevin found two more stiff cold kittens on the driveway. In the house they came. By this time I was feeling a bit more confident and was in rescue mode doing all I could to help the poor little helpless things.

The kids were beyond excited and soaking in every little detail. By this time, it was time to go to school...so Kevin put together a box and we put all six kittys in it with their mama...not sure if they would all be alive when we returned. All six survived and are doing well. It has been fun watching the kids experience the whole thing, and for that reason alone I have to say it has been worth having them. Despite her age, Abby has been taking exceptional care of her babies. Caedmon commented "She's the bestest good mom just like you, mom!"

Kaiya is definitely our animal lover around here. She carries the adult cats around like they are babies themselves. She's always concerned about Abby being with her kittys 24/7. If Abby goes outside, she carries her back in the garage. I've explained to her that she needs a break sometimes and it's ok if she's outside...but, I'll still catch her carrying her back into the garage...sometimes even through the house. Oh dear. I'm not an "animals in the house" kind of person...although my mom will tell you I was the same when I was that age...sneaking a whole liter of kittys into the house while she was at work many times.

When disciplining the children, we try to explain that despite our disappointment in their behavior we will never stop loving them...that there is nothing they can do to stop us from loving them....just like God. This week I heard Kaiya telling the cat "I love you so much...even when you scratch me". And to the dog "I love you so much, even when you bite"...although Barkley has never bitten her even once.

We've explained to the kids that the kittys will need to find new homes when they don't need their mama anymore. They're free if anyone is interested. =)

Since school is out, we're always looking for things to do to breakup the week a bit. This week we traveled to Middlebury for a lunch at Grandma's house. There were other cousins there to play with and the kids had a great time.

Sister-in-law, Sarah was there with her boys. My cousins Jenny and Rachel came with their children and Aunt Dot joined us as well. So fun to catch up with them...thanks for having us mom!On the way home, the kids and I made a couple stops. I like to stop by the Fork's store in Middlebury for popcorn and odd items I don't ever see in Ft. Wayne. We also stopped by the cheese factory which was PACKED. The tour bus in the parking lot should have been a clue to me. We shoved our way in, sampled a few cubes of cheese and grabbed a bag of assorted cubes to purchase on our way out. Unfortunately they were not making any cheese while we were there either, but it was fun to stop by anyway.