End of January and Early February 2025

Our kittens are really helping us get thru the dreary New England winter.

So much cuteness.



Ally had a volleyball tournament in Connecticut so she and I headed there for the weekend. 





Daisy missed us so much she wanted a glass of wine to celebrate our return.





Ally and I visit with the kittens most mornings before school.

Her daily goodbye to Cloey. 

The kittens were so tiny they propped their heads on her slipper.

Mama Maddie started to seek out love and affection from us.



They learned to walk!




I thought this picture of Cloey and Becky was so cute!

Winter is hard but time with the kittens and Ally at the beginning and end of everyday was good.

Senior Presentation

At Ally’s school every senior is required to give a presentation to the entire school. These senior presentations occur 2-3 days a week during the assembly block all year long. So Ally has know this is something she would need to for years now. She signed up for a February slot so it wouldn’t interfere with college applications and would be done before Spring semester. February 2. She didn’t want any help from us, instead she worked with some advisors from school. Her presentation was based on her college essay and was about her life experience as a gymnast and as a person of color in a white family. It was heartfelt and personal. She was very brave to share so much of her self in a large forum like that. 

Family is invited to attend so Becky and Beth took time of work and we all went together.

Ally and her friend Delilah.

Ally put together a slide show of pictures of herself as a gymnast. This one of her and my parents meant a lot to me.

Her advisor this year, Mr Abrams has been very supportive.

Family photo!

Afterwards Beth and Becky and me went out to lunch at a Middle Eastern cafe. I tried something new! 


The sisters ordered the same thing of course; chicken shawarma. 

It was a lovely afternoon. 

January 2025

The month started off kind of crummy and despite the inauguration today we are going to do our best to make 2025 a great year.

We started letting the kittens upstairs. It was so much fun to have them running around and exploring a new space.

But they still spent most of their time in the basement. 



Ally got a bad cold and missed a couple days of school. One day when she was feeling better I suggested we get out of the house for a while. She asked if we could go to Barnes and Noble. 

I did make her put back a few of those books. But I am thrilled that she’s reading and am happy to support it.

Ally and her guy friends did a Secret Santa gift exchange. They met up at Calvin’s house and exchanged gifts. 

Ally was so thrilled and touched that her secret Santa got her a stuffed Syracuse mascot! Otto the Orange. 

What a really thoughtful gift. 

She did make it to school for her first dissection! They were dissecting a squid in Marine Biology. Ally said she mostly watched her lab partner, but she did hold the skin back!

Lots of naps. 

We said goodbye to the Game triplet kittens. They were all neutered and I went to visit them while they recovered. It was sad to say goodbye but I’m so happy with their new homes and already looking forward to fostering a new family.

Syracuse is having a series of virtual events for admitted students and we attend one last week. 

We got new kittens! They were only 3 days old. 4 babies and their mama.





It took us a few days to name them. We decided on a Presidents theme. Welcome Madison (mama) and her babies; Carter, Kennedy, Adams & Lincoln. Lincoln is the darker one, the other 3 are almost identical.

Ally had her first club volleyball tournament this season. 

Her team lost all 3 games. 

Maybe this blog should be life of kittens. They are just so adorable and 2-3 times a day we are with them.









Ally got a hair cut! Always nice to have a fresh look.