Meet Dash and Lightning

Here are our two new Christmas blessings dash and lightning. Poor things have had so many names until Bradley and Alayna are now settled what their kitties will be called. We had plans this year to surprise the kids with two kittens. After Ashley died last year we didn't have any plans on getting another pet....a least for a while. We had our other 2 cats for 15 years so they really didn't grow up with the kids since we had them way before kids and they weren't really attached to each other however, when Ashley started getting sicker Alayna had such a sensitivity towards her and was more and more drawn to her and would sit with her and talk to her and read her stories and pet her. Even though it was a sad time it was a sweet time. After she was gone Alayna just couldn't figure out why she was gone and would always say "it's just taking Ashley too long to get back from heaven and when will she be back" along with all sorts of random off and on comments. A few months ago she really started talking about wanting a puppy and a kitty and how fun it would be to have them to play with and follow her around everywhere. It just really touched my heart to hear her say these things. It seemed our hearts were all ready to enter the kitty world again. It started the talks of how we were going to pull it off for Christmas day. Craig called me in the middle of one day wanting me to meet him at the Hope Center on his lunch break and see what they had. I told him I just couldn't come "look" and not take them home:) but I so wanted to pull it off for Christmas day as well. It ended up being that I couldn't meet him at that time so we met there the next day. I walked into the kitty room and sat down and about 4 of the 10 started climbing on me and taking turns. It was just so stinkin cute!! I had 2 on my shoulders and 4 on my lap and thought "oh how could I choose?" I stayed in there and played forever. Only one was allowed in there at a time so while I played Craig and the kids played with the other bigger kitties and cats. The hope center couldn't hold any cats or kittens until Christmas and since that was going to be a big part of their christmas present we didn't want to take the chance of waiting so......long story short as we were discussing what to do and one of the ladies told us to pick out any 2 cats we wanted that day and she would just give them to us......in the mean time we believe God was leading Alayna's little heart to 2 other older kittens that we bypassed right when we walked in because I wanted 2 baby girls and these were 2 bigger boys. There were triplets, but Alayna kept going back to 2 of them saying these are the 2 that we should get and that she loved them ones. It took everything in us to not get the 3rd one and talked about it for the next few days after, but decided we were settled on the 2. So needless to say that is exactly what we did and definitely know those were the two kittens God wanted us to have and we are so thankful for them. He has been so faithful and good to our family. They have been just the little loves of our family and perfect additions. They are so affectionate and can definitely handle alot of love and craziness. The kids take them to bed with them at night which is such a sweet time. Bradley and Alayna make forts with pillows and blankets for them. Sarah and Alayna dress them in baby doll outfits and play house with them. Alayna keeps saying everyday how much she loves her kitty and keeps saying "thank you so much for getting these kittens for us" The love you see in her eyes for them is just so priceless. Bradley loves his kitty so much too and just the way he totes it around and talks to it is pricess as well. I found him in his room one day with his kitty on his bed and he was showing dash his new football cards. I just sat and watched him and he didn't know I was there. When I walked in he told me he had read his book to him too. As for Laura....in the beginning once she learned the word kitty that's all she would squeal was (TITTY!!!) and it was with a purpose and on a mission she would chase them around and try to pick them up by the neck, but has now learned to say ni titty for nice kitty and has learned gentleness with them. One day she sprayed one of their heads down with 409, (which isn't too funny, but it happened and had somehow found a stray bottle) she has picked her nose and used the cats as tissue because she's the chronic nose picker of the family and I've found boogers on them. Now that she's learned how to treat the titties and learned that they really do only have 9 lives we're good to go. We still make sure they get the breaks they need. They sure put up with alot of lovin, but they keep coming back for more. Once again we are thankful for these little guys.