A house for Shadow

Every now and then the girls get an idea in their heads and will not let go. About a week ago Cheyenne and Isabella told me they wanted to build a house for our cat Shadow. They found a box and set about colouring it and marking the spot for me to cut the door.

Much to their dismay Shadow was less than interested in their house, but they didn't give up. It needed a roof and some carpet, they decided, so they got out the mats from our Twister Dance Moves game and made a roof and a carpet. Still no go. Maybe he's scared of burglars, they thought. "Mommy, how do you spell "No Scary Cats Allowed?" Cheyenne asked me. I told her and she wrote it on the side of the house to deter any "scary cats" that might be keeping Shadow from his lovely new home.

Over the last week they have tried chasing the saintly and ever patient Shadow around the house with it (which they were told to stop), stuffing it full of pillows so he would be comfortable, luring him in with a doll and just plain old stuffing the cat into the house, which again was a no-no with mom. This morning came their first taste of success. They put the house around the cat as he napped. They were so excited to see him laying there in the house they had built just for him. He even stayed there for a while after he woke up, a big source of pride for the little girls. Unfortunately he got hungry and eventually got up to eat.

So tonight, when I went to the kitchen for my evening snack I saw this.
They hit on a winning plan. There was Shadow, sitting in his house enjoying his food. Of course he bolted before I could get photographic evidence.

Sometimes their persistence amazes me. I am not a particularly persistent person and it's a little strange to see these amazing little people naturally displaying a quality so foreign to me, their own mother. Whether it's a week-long quest to have their efforts appreciated by a cat (a monumental feat, you know, if you have ever owned a cat), the three hours a day at the pool each day last year teaching themselves how to swim or the endless focus on reading and spelling they apply themselves to, unprompted, on many a day, I am inspired by their efforts.

I truly believe these kids will accomplish whatever they set out to accomplish in life. It makes me wonder what I could accomplish if I took a page from their book and pushed on, learning from my setbacks, regrouping and trying a different method of attack instead of getting discouraged or downhearted. I am so grateful for these amazing little teachers in my life.