Our other children

I was playing with our dog last night and realized that it's true how animals and pets become real members of the family. So I'll take this post to introduce you to the other members of our family, from largest to smallest.


These two beauties are Cookie (purple halter) and George. I've had Cookie since we were both 13. She used to belong to my aunt and I was the only person who really "got" her. She was crabby and onery and no one really cared for her. But to me, she was the greatest and still is. And yes, she's still crabby and onery, too, but that's just part of who she is. I can't even imagine how I will feel when That Day comes. I don't want to think about it.

George joined our family back in 2003 (I think) He belonged to a coworker of Uncle John's and they were moving. We went to look at him and came home with a horse for the girls. He's awesome. He is so calm and careful and seems to really understand that the girls are less experienced, more fragile. He's a diamond in the rough. I also don't even want to think of That Day for him, either. He's 25 and the love of Alayna's life (besides Daddy).

We have 2 calves, too, but we're trying not to let them become pets. You all saw pics of Twister from the fair and his "brother" looks just like him. The reason we are trying not to let them become pets, as you can imagine, is because in another year we know they won't be around. At least not in the form they are right now...


Sunny (5) is our great protector. I know, she doesn't look like much more than a yard ornament that could stand to lose a few pounds, but trust me, you don't want to mess with her. Just ask the UPS man or the dog that gets too close to her girls. Poor Luna is sporting some scabs on her ear thanks to a close encounter with Lilly, and therefore Sunny. She is VERY protective of the girls and I, but must think that Andy can handle himself. I wouldn't have it any other way. Not only is she protective, but she's calm and tolerant, too. The girls can climb on her, lay on her, pull at her...and she won't do more than blink an eye, and that's usually because of a finger or toe in it. She's our 4th daughter for sure.


Grumpy (6 1/2) is our cat and resident pest control. She used to be indoors, but one too many times we found her on the counter or table. She's now outside and actually loves it. Her favorite cuisine of the wild variety is chipmunks, followed closely by bunnies. It's sad, but at the same time it's nature and now we don't have them all over the place. Not so good is that she tends to bring them to the front door for us as a prize. She had a litter of kittens on Mother's Day, so we still have 3 of those little buggers running around, too.

As you may have noticed, our animals only add to Andy's outnumbered factor. The calves are male, but if we don't count them it's only Andy and George in the sea of estrogen. And even that can be debated, as George is gelded so not a "real" man. Regardless, we love our animals and they are all a big part of our family.