Camps, Kittens, and Creativity

While Emily and Spencer were gone for the week for Girls Camp and Scout Camp (Maddie had helped plan it, but didn't want to miss so much work), our increasingly slowing and growing cat had 2 kittens!! Emily had fun with archery and kayaking, and the WHOLE WARD slept in this cool geodesic dome.  It was killing the kids that were gone to miss the big day after waiting for WEEKS, but since they could really only sleep secluded at first anyway, they didn't miss too much.   We enjoyed 4 weeks of their absolute cuteness, naming them Cosmo Jr and Tigger, and loving that our otherwise somewhat strange cat could at least be a doting Momma....---until we came home from California to find a sad Momma with 2 dead kittens--clearly attacked by some intruder raccoon or tomcat :(.  What is sadder than that?!??!!! I really don't think I can take this pet thing very well!! On a brighter note, living with such opposition is at least good writing material, since Maddie won a poetry award (not about pets) sponsored by UVU, and her submissions published in a book! The 2 of us drove down to her award ceremony in Orem :).