I want to draw smile faces

I do love my little artist.  I even love that her smile faces look a lot more like haunted potatoes.

Welcome Kitty Felix

On Thursday, we welcomed new baby kitty Felix into our house!

Felix is a little ball of craziness – so perhaps he fits in perfectly.  So far he has spent most of his time under the end table in the living room.  He is slowly feeling more comfortable and will venture out to say hello or play wildly with little toy mice. 

Elayna of course loves him – she calls him ‘her kitty’ and would like him to be her baby.  She’ll wrap him in make-shift blankets, coax him to eat or drink, and orders him around.  I’m enjoying watching her nurture another living creature and only a little gleeful that she’s learning a valuable life lesson:  people and animals don’t always do what you want.  I just hear her scold him that he had ‘hurt her feelings’ when he scratched her.

Aaron and I are loving this new little creature too.  Although he’s not much of a snuggler, he’s started sleeping with us at night.  I’m loving the late hours of the evening when he’ll play while I read or when I can feel his little body pressed against my legs. 

We’re reminded almost constantly of Parker.  We remember bringing him into our apartment 10 years ago and the fun little kitten that he was.  I hope we have just as many memories with this little kitten – he’s a cutie.

One last Montana memory

Our time in Bozeman over, we headed to Winston for one last night on Friday.  It was a long day for us – both Aaron and I worked, we packed and packed and packed, and stopped for one last visit with Chrissy Fenno and the boys on the way out of town.  However, we still had enough energy for a great evening at the ranch with my family!!!  Thanks everyone for such a great dinner and memorable time.

A few highlights:

Feeding the baby calf with Uncle Nate and then stomping around the barn in spurs!

 

Giggles with Grandpa Cliff and then riding Gonzo!

 

We are home now after 2 days of driving…  It does feel like another life being back in Phoenix as we try to return to normality:  make hair cut appointments and dig out the swimsuits and plan meals for the week.  So ends our Montana month-long adventure … but I know that other adventures are sure to follow.

… I think we’re going to get a kitty!

For the love of my daughter

A long month ago on our drive up to Montana, Elayna had this conversation from the back seat of the car:

Elayna:  Dear Jesus, I would like a new mommy.  Amen.

Me:  ELAYNA!

Elayna:  <snickering> Hahaha….  Sorry.

I’ve told this story multiple times over the last month – mostly to highlight Elayna’s sassiness.  Or that she’s a daddy’s girl.  Or to pretend that it doesn’t really bother me.  Or a combination of all.  It’s a funny story and I enjoy retelling funny stories.

But I can’t deny that it doesn’t hurt my feelings just a little.  I know that Elayna loves me – I see it in her late night kisses or her early morning hugs or her running greetings after work is done.  And I know that I’m the least favorite parent – I know this when I brush her hair or wash her face or set her in time-out or turn off the television – the million things mothers do to infuriate their children. 

And yet, I do believe a miracle happened while we were in Montana.  The three of us spent most of five weeks together – albeit working and exploring and spending time with family and friends.  The three of us hiked and fished and napped and snuggled.  And after five weeks, Elayna spent less time shrugging off my hugs.  She spent more time telling me she loved me.  She asked me to lay with her at night and didn’t protest when I read her a story instead of Aaron. 

It was a special time for me – and I know that I’ll always treasure our August.  We saw a lot of people and enjoyed spending so much time outdoors and in Bozeman.  But most of all, I’ll treasure the memories that Elayna and I had together.  It was a great month…