Hi! We know we've been slow about introducing ourselves to our admirers. We've been so busy growing, learning, and playing that time just got away from us. And now we're almost six weeks old. So while lisa-mom was away at work today, I climbed over the gate and went down to the office to write about us. Oh, in case you are wondering which of us Gifts is writing, it's me, Makana. I'm the one who always escapes over the gate while lisa-mom is at work. She doesn't like that much because she can't find me. But I never hide for long. Usually I come running when I hear her voice. I like my lisa-mom!

Bozidar was the first one born and he's the biggest. I don't know why he's so big, though. He wasn't the biggest when we were born and he didn't even bother to try eating the food lisa-mom gave us until just a couple days ago. You'd think the rest of us would have passed him up. But he's ferocious when he nurses on Shira-mom and pushes away anyone who gets in his way. He's strong! Boz is a good climber, too, but he sure looks funny when he tries to come down the kitten condo head first. He gets half way down and gets scared, then he tries to go backwards, then his feet lose their grip and he ends up hanging from his front paws. It's a good thing the condo isn't very tall. Good as he is at climbing the condo and the cat tree, he still hasn't mastered climbing over the gate. Only Diara and I can do that!

Diara can climb just about anything, too. But she's more sensible than Boz. She hasn't gone anywhere yet where she couldn't get down. (Boz got up on the big cat tree, then he cried until lisa-mom rescued him. He should've known better!) Sometimes she climbs over the gate with me, but mostly just when lisa-mom is standing on the other side. Diara and I love being with lisa-mom. We like to play on her lap and sometimes we take naps there. Diara likes snuggling with people period. She even slept on Ken-dad's shoulder one night. Diara's new Carrie-mom comes to visit us every week and Diara sleeps on her lap, too. Diara and Boz are going to go live with her when we're big. But Diara doesn't sleep ALL the time. She loves to run around our room and she's pretty good at chasing the teasers.

Regalo is the one I most like to watch chase teasers, though. He runs so fast and takes it so seriously! lisa-mom thinks he must have Shira-mom's hunt-and-kill gene. She hasn't seen him drag his toys off to the food dish yet, but she's betting he will one of these days -- just like Shira-mom. Galo and Boz like to attack Shira-mom. They jump at her face, bite her ears, and swat her tail. It's no wonder she doesn't spend too much time in our room with us these days. Oh, she comes in to feed us and to wash us, but lots of times she just hangs out in the hall on the other side of the gate so she can see us, but we can't get her. Well, Boz, Galo, and Brasen can't get her -- they don't climb the gate yet. Diara and I can get her. Girls rule! Ha!

Brasen is the quietest of our little family. He's usually cautious when he tries new things -- except the day that Boz climbed the big cat tree. I think Brasen must have decided Boz could do it he could, too. And so he did. In fact, he climbed to the second shelf of the tree. And guess what? Yes, he had to cry for lisa-mom to rescue him, too! Since then he's kept his climbing to things he can get off himself, like the condo. Brasen loves to eat kitten food and he's the one who told us where the big cats' food dishes are downstairs. So now when lisa-mom gives the big cats their supper, we all go join in the feast. It's kinda crowded around the one big plate. Maybe lisa-mom will give us our own big plate one of these days.

We heard that Easter is this Sunday. lisa-mom made us sit in a silly basket with bright pink grass. We wanted to eat the grass but she wouldn't let us. It wasn't very nice of her -- the least she could've done is let us have some fun since we let her take our pictures. Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring us something fun to make up for that. And if he doesn't, maybe Shira-mom will steal some ham for us. That would be okay, too. Hope you all have a happy Easter!

Makana and all the LostWoods Gifts 

 2004 lisa s vasa