January

This month was mostly about animals, which the girls love!  They now each have an animal that they sleep with for naps and night.  Elsie has settled on this stuffed elephant from Aunt Emily so we quickly bought another one to have a spare.  You can tell how much Elsie has already loved on "Ellie"!  Fortunately she was unfazed by the extra fuzzy new Ellie when we switched them. Leonie takes an animal to bed as well but she is not set on one and has several that she will choose from.

 

 

The girls love to sit and watch the fish tank too.  They've always loved the fish but now I have one that plays peekaboo with them and that is especially entertaining.  Leonie on the left.

 

Leonie sitting in a bucket just because.

 

It doesn't matter if we have two of everything, they still often want the SAME thing.

 

Here's Leonie making straight for Peanut out in the pasture one day.  We were picking up pine cones for the rabbits but as soon as the girls saw the horses they were off to pet horses instead!

 

Rabi and Elsie.

 

 

Mow and Leonie.

 

 

Peanut and the girls.  They try to feed him bits of leaves and grass.  Leonie on the left.

 

 

One weekend the girls got their first chance to ride Rabi!  We used a saddle this time and actually walked them around the yard.  They had a blast and Elsie especially didn't want to get off.  Here's Leonie helping brush Rabi.

 

 

Do you think Elsie is having fun?

 

 

I led Rabi while Matthew carried one girl and walked beside the other.  Leonie wasn't as excited as Elsie but she still enjoyed it.

 

 

Although Rabi was great for giving rides, he was feeling a little under the weather later in the month.  He has had a few of these episodes of high fever (104+), lethargy, and loss of appetite over the last few years.  Typically he bounces back in a few days and although he took longer this time he is back to his old self now.  The vet ran a few more tests this time and we think he may have Lyme disease.  He didn't test fully positive but wasn't negative either.  I guess it is hard to get a confirmed diagnosis of Lyme.   It does explain many of his symptoms though.  Here is a photo of him and I laying and resting out in one of the pastures when he wasn't feeling well.

 

 

Also on the animal front, we've added another cat to the family.  Shere Khan has been hanging around for a while and now he has his neuter vet appointment.  Here he is hanging out with Louie and Bagheera waiting to be fed.

Some outdoor fun this month!  Twice now I've taken the girls to the park by myself and they did great.  Here they are watching a couple of geese swim by at a lake.

At home the girls have been helping me rake leaves ;)


















Their favorite part is going for a ride in the wheelbarrow while we dump the leaves.

 

 

Finally, a few videos.  Here Leonie feeds Peanut some snacks.

 

 

 

Nighttime sillies.  Leonie in gray.

 

 

 

Elsie going down the slide on her belly.