Charis spent the night last night and the day today. What a fun day we had! After Didi cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast (he didn't know Charis doesn't like eggs--or bacon, as it turns out), it was time to get dressed and go outside. That was when we played our first game:
The "Peekaboo Hide 'n Seek the Shoes" game, trying to find Charis' shoes which Peekie had carried off.
We also learned Charis' new word which Jim taught her, "Shooss!
After Didi carried her while I led the horses down to the pasture, it was time for the next game:
The "Watch Charis March 0.2 Mile Uphill" game! I wish I could bottle her energy and sell it--my fortune would be made!
Then it was time for the "Play With Aunt Kara" game, which involved digging in the garden, a nice long walk, and a wagon ride.
Next was the "How Fast Can Charis Pull Her Hat Off" game. This was the only time I was quicker with the camera than she was to rip the hat off! Good thing the sun went behind the clouds while we were out in the garden.
Zephyr wasn't quite as fast as Charis, mainly because she had to shake the hat off her head (not having hands to yank it off with!) I managed to get three shots!
Then we played "Let's Fetch Eggs"--and we didn't break one! This, by the way, was a four-egg day. Gypsy is such a nice chicken--she actually held still for Charis to pat her. Monique has taught her to be gentle, and she pats the animals very nicely.
Right before supper, she finally got into the "Gardening Game," although I think if we need grass actually dug up, we're going to have to ask Hero!
And when Jim and Monique got back, Charis played the "Look at the Fun Things I Learned to Do!" game. I had helped her ride my old rocking horse, but when she showed Daddy and Mommy what she could do, it was so much more exciting! We think she's just about ready to try out for the Olympic equestrian team!
One of the sweetest things, which I barely caught from the corner of my eye, was when we prayed before supper. Charis actually put her hand in mine for the first time while we prayed to thank Jesus for her food. As I said "Amen, thank you, Jesus!" I opened my eyes and saw that she had scrunched hers up tight during the prayer and didn't open them till I said "Amen!" You'll just have to enjoy the mental picture.
Thank you, Jesus, for a beautiful day with our precious Charis!
But first, thank you Jenny and Jean-Marc for doing Saturday evening chores! The chickens penned up, Sara fed out in the back pasture, and the horses on their way up before we even got out to the barn! What a nice surprise! And after working hard in the garden all afternoon! You guys are so sweet!
And now for some Saturday evening fun on the farm . . . Can you tell what's wrong with this Kleenex box?
Go on, make a guess!
I knew you'd ferret out the answer if you tried hard enough! Peekaboo invented a new game last night called "Saturday Night Kleenex Fight Club." (Note the teeth marks in the plastic!) Jean-Marc, I think we've discovered the next rage in video games. You get several Kleenex boxes filled to different degrees with Kleenex and you have to see which one you can fit your ferret into, and then you see how many contortions you can make him do inside it in three minutes! Whatcha think??
Charis got to enjoy the food as her "second supper" before going to bed, and she kept asking for more. But the highlight of her evening was playing with Peekaboo. She was suddenly into Peekaboo kisses. Waiting to be kissed . . .
Giving Peekaboo a kiss.
Peekaboo loves Charis kisses, too!
Can you do this?
Keep your balance.
On a roll!
You gotta stay on your toes!
The past two days I've taken the horses out to graze, but they are still full of pent-up energy. With the thermometer at 24° this morning plus snow flurries and a freezing wind, I knew they'd be full of it. If Brandy looks mean and crabby instead of exuberant, the next picture explains why.
Hero considers it his duty to chase the horses, barking wildly, if they run when I turn them loose. Neither of them likes dogs anyway, and he is certainly no Canine Goodwill Ambassador!
This amazing frozen puddle was too intriguing to pass up.
And last, but not least, my sweet little Peekaboo. He has had a thing about these books for quite awhile now, knocking them out of the bookcase every chance he has. I have joked about his literary tastes, but when I looked at the photo fullscreen on my computer, I had to laugh. When I quipped that he thinks he's a vampire, I had no idea how true that was!
Jenny took this picture of me and Precious, actually early Sunday morning before we went to bed. After a night's sleep on the heating pad, with my hand holding her inside her towel all night long, she actually seemed a bit more alive this morning. We stayed home from church while I nursed Precious and held her all day until the afternoon when she wanted to get in her cage. Since she seemed to want to be in her hammock with Peekaboo, I figured he could be her heating pad! She spent the rest of the afternoon and evening sleeping in there with him, only drinking if I gave her water, and not eating at all.
At one point yesterday afternoon when I let Precious down in the study with me, she climbed into the arm of the couch where the ferrets love to sleep. I wanted her out so I could keep an eye on her, so I reached in to fish her out--but first I had to pull out Peekaboo's treasure trove (at left). There was: one huarache, 3 foam paint brushes, one stuffed roadrunner, 40 promotional cards that were once wrapped in plastic until Peekaboo ate it, one unmentionable item, miscellaneous foam stuffing and plastic, and a 6-page promotional booklet about colon cleansing! So now you know what stuff ferrets like!
