Good morning!

We have never really been morning people, but having a massive amount of pets has changed our morning routine. Up until this fall, we were the type who even struggled to get our boys to school on time. (Horrible, I know.) Now, having started the school year with four bottle babies, a Scottish Highland calf named Hildie, two goats named Valentine and Clementine, and our zebra Indie, we had no choice but to get up early. They need to eat whether we're running late or not! Then over this past weekend, we added two more babies to bottle feed into the mix, another Highland calf named Harley and a zebra named Autumn. (I'll post later about the amazing place we got them!) Getting up in the morning used to be a struggle, but knowing these furry creatures are depending upon us for food forces us to wake up early so we can get everything finished before it's time to start the school day. It's like having a new baby all over again! In the past, the boys may have been up for thirty minutes before rushing to school. These days, they have been up for two hours.

Our average morning starts with me (JoDe) pulling myself out of bed and stumbling into Brickman's room to wake him up. While he goes downstairs to wake up Braylon, I get started on making the bottles. Since it's getting colder now, the boys check the temperature and decide whether they need to bundle up. Then they head outside to feed and love on each baby.

Our routine has definitely changed before having bottle babies! However, it's been a good change. No more rushed mornings getting ready for school. No more boys barely awake to start their school day. The furry babies are happy with full tummies, and the boys have plenty of time to prepare for the day ahead.