Cindy

Caitlyn has been saving her money for quite a while now and really had her heart set on buying a guinea pig.  She researched how to care for them, and one recent afternoon I took her to the petstore to see if any were even available.  We both fell in LOVE with the little tan and white girl guinea pigs!  They were SO cute!  But, they cost $38.  The most basic cage we found for them was $45, and the combined expense of a water bottle, feeding dish, chew toy, food, hay, and bedding was an additional $50 (approximately).  She was pretty discouraged.  We decided to wait a while and think it over a little more.  

Fast forward about a week.  Darren is in line to buy cat food and dog food out at work, and strikes up a conversation with the lady behind him.  "Oh," she says, seeing the items he's about to purchase.  "You have pets?"   

"Yes," he answered.  "Two dogs, four cats, and now the kids want to buy a guinea pig!"

"Really?  A guinea pig?  I have one that needs a new home!"

What crazy perfect timing.  They arranged a time and place to meet, and Darren and Caitlyn brought "Cindy", along with her cage and all accessories, plus extra bedding and hay, home on Saturday morning.  Completely free.  The kids think she is just the cutest thing ever, and I have to say, I think  they might be right.  :)

Kristen's Sixth Birthday

I can't believe she's already SIX years old! I've been wanting to return to blogging, so instead of e-mailing these to my mom I'm posting them here instead. :) Maybe some day I'll actually get around to catching up on everything else that's been happening, including the birth of our sweet new baby girl! 

Little Dancer

Stations of the Cross Kit for Children

Several years ago, our family began the tradition of saying the Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings during Lent. Some years we had the stations hanging in our hallway, or along the mantle, or sometimes we just used a book. But one idea I've been wanting to try for the past few years is a hands-on Stations of the Cross kit for children, with items representing each station that can be held and matched by little hands. I wish I could remember where I first saw this idea!  It seems to have gained popularity and I have seen several variations now, including one with Easter eggs, but I chose to simply gather our items together in a clear, plastic purple box.

We already had some beautifully illustrated cards that I had printed and laminated a few years ago, as well as a Stations of the Cross book by Fr. Lovasik that we use every year.   (I'd link to the cards, but they don't seem to be available online anymore!)  Using these and some other ideas I found online, I collected all the items we needed for our own stations of the cross kit!  Most of these were things we already had, and the rest were not very expensive.  I'm so excited to use it tonight with our little ones during our Stations of the Cross!

My little Valentines

Since I devoted an entire post to my littlest sweetheart a few days ago, it seems only fair to share these photos I took yesterday of my big sweethearts. :) 

Little Sweetheart