Riley

One day we noticed a kitten that seemed weak and tired.  It worried me a bit.  The next morning we found that kitten had passed away.  We imagine that it was the initial kitten that had been pushed aside on the day of birth.  In researching kittens a mother cat often will reject a kitten that it knows will not survive or a kitten that the mother knows she cannot care for if there are too many.  I believe that Mittens knew from the beginning that this kitten would not make it.  Our "saving" it helped it live for a couple weeks, but Mittens knew all along that it would not survive.  So of course this experience led to discussions of death and why and where and what.  We did not know whether it was a boy or a girl, so the kids named it Riley and we buried it by Bella, our dog.  Rest in peace, Riley.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

The kids made lots of decorated hard boiled eggs for Easter, but of course no one wants to eat them.  So I decided to make egg salad sandwiches for lunch, something new to all the kids.  It was so fun to see how each kid reacted differently to the egg salad sandwich option for lunch.  All were required to take at least 3 bites before choosing something else. 

Child #1 chose to eat his grapes and put the egg sandwich in a baggie in the fridge for later saying that he was "not really hungry."

Child #2 chose to take one bite and then finish lunch later after her classroom zoom online meeting.

Child #3 chose to throw a full out tantrum with screams and cries so loud we couldn't hear each other speak throughout the entire house.

Child #4 chose to eat most of the sandwich and then opened it to lick the insides of the bread till there was no trace of egg salad left.  Egg salad remains were all over his hands and face.

Child #5 chose to grit his teeth and take a bite and then smiled and ate the rest of the sandwich.

Child #6 chose to cautiously take the 3 required bites and then ate a banana to fill his belly so he could have a piece of candy. 

I say that is egg salad success!

Kittens

Our stray cat who comes around all the time because we keep her fed just had kittens on our back porch.  We knew she was pregnant, as no cat could possibly be as fat around her belly as she was.  It seemed like we were waiting and waiting for something to happen; and then one day it did!

One evening she laid on our back patio porch and began to meow loudly. Nate and Jaxton quickly realized what was going on and they recorded it.  She began giving birth on our porch!  As each kitten emerged, she licked that kitten clean and cleaned up all the evidence of birth.  Once 2 were born, we carefully moved the newborn kittens and mom into a small kennel on our porch for safety and shelter.  We let her continue doing her thing as several more kittens emerged.  One small kitten seemed pushed aside and unable to find its way to its mothers' milk.  Even Mittens did not help it find its way over.  She tended to push it further.  It was so strange.  We picked up the kitten carefully and laid it on top of the litter of kittens so it could find a tit for milk.  It found one and stayed put.  We saved it!

By morning, we realized there were 5 kittens in that kennel!  We couldn't believe it.  All afterbirth evidence was gone; just these tiny kittens feeding on their mother.  What a miracle of nature!  It has been so neat to witness this miracle of life!

Easter

Easter was somewhat different this year for more reasons than one.  Easter in Coronavirus isolation is definitely unique for one thing.  No family dinners, no visiting Grandma Great, no visiting anyone, and no going anywhere.  We were just home.  Nate cooked a yummy meal and we did an easter egg hunt outside in our backyard around the pond and property.  We spent time outdoors in the sunshine, rode bikes, played in the sand and with our kittens. 

Easter has brought some new meaning for us too. This springtime has brought more life to our outdoor environment than ever before. Well, maybe we just are noticing it more than ever.  

Dawson found a large spotted turkey egg randomly at the farm amongst all the chicken eggs. 

We have baby birds that chirp from their nest in the ceiling vent of our basement. We hear them every time we are in the craft room/spare bedroom.

We have had baby ducklings following their parents and swimming around in our pond.

We’ve had baby bunnies and baby chipmunks around the yard, some of which have unfortunately been targets for the neighborhood cats.

We’ve had our own litter of kittens be born and have watched them open their eyes for the first time and be cared for so tenderly by their mother.  

All of this new birth and new life has been so fascinating this spring, this the Easter egg has become more alive and meaningful for our family in a real, concrete way.