Tag Archives: bunny parents

Jan28

Baby Bunny Cuteness Overload

Posted on January 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! Johnny and I have been bunny parents to our sweet Melvin and Penelope since November of last year. We adopted the mother/son pair from the most wonderful couple and they are our little pride and joys. Six months prior to bringing the buns home, Penelope had a herd of babies and we got them when Melvin was a half a year old. Sadly, this meant we didn’t get to experience teeny tiny Melvin until recently. Some pictures from their original parents popped up on her phone memories and was sent my way and I just about died of cuteness overload. Check it out:

^^^ Nelly girl loves box time!!! 😀

Ever since receiving pictures and videos of my baby Melvin, I have been looking at them constantly. They’re just so adorable and are my go to whenever I need a smile. I obviously couldn’t keep all of this cuteness to myself so here we are now lol. The videos that I was sent were an absolute hoot. The one with Penelope featured her enjoying some leafy greens which is so classic Pen! The way to this mama girl’s heart is definitely through her stomach and she lives for the leafies.

The videos of Melvin, on the other hand, showcased his adventurous spirit right from the jump. The couple we adopted him from has a dog, cat, and a pig too and he loved interacting with them. Other videos featured him zipping in and out of hiding spots and climbing about. Mel is our tiny wanderer and is always looking to explore. I was not surprised in the slightest that he had that exact same spunky personality even in his infancy. In fact, as I type this, he was just trying to figure out a way to hop the baby gate we have set up to keep them from going beneath the couch. Mel is always up to something!

Seeing old videos and pics of Mel and Pen made me love them even more and I didn’t think that was humanly possible. They are simply the best bunnies a gal could ask for and bring so much joy to mine and Johnny’s lives! ❤

Do you know what your pet looked like as a baby? What baby animal do you think is the cutest? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov4

Happy Gotcha Day, Bunnies!

Posted on November 4, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone!!! November first was Melvin and Penelope’s Gotcha Day and I guess I’m a horrible bunny mom because I didn’t realize it until the second lol. I have been thinking about their Gotcha Day for months and naturally it slipped my mind the day of SMH. In my defense, it has felt like Johnny and I have had Mel and P for forever ever since we brought them home over a year ago. They are the best little bunnies that we could ever ask for and it is such a joy to be bunny parents:

^^^ Lol at this picture of Penelope!

Mel and P have grown so much since we have brought them home. Not in size, but in spirit haha. For the first several months of having them, they were pretty skittish and it took a decent amount of time for them to get fully acclimated to their new setting and owners. These first months were a testament to patience being a virtue as we slowly but surely increased our interactions with them. A year ago, they barely wanted to be pet. Now, they love to be picked up and cuddled while Johnny and I hang out in the evenings. It’s great!

The best part about this year of pet parenthood has been watching Mel and Pen’s personalities finally come out. Penelope is not as shy as we originally thought and is such a cuddle bug. Our clothes are proof of this because she sheds like crazy. The way to her heart has always been with her favorite treats and she will literally melt over an apple lol. Melvin, on the other hand, is all about adventure. He loves to explore and is currently zooming around our bunny proofed zone as I type this. Mel is such an adolescent and doesn’t like to be held for too long so he can get back to playing. Thankfully, he is never too old for lots of pets from his old mom and pop. 🙂

Johnny and I took our fur babies home during a very dark place in my life and they made every day better. It was a comfort to have these two little gremlins to wake up to and return home to, knowing that they depended on me for their care. No matter how bad I was feeling, just being around them always helped to lift my spirits. Even though they can’t clean their own litter box (I wish!), they take care of me too. My mental health has improved one hundred fold because of them and they truly came into our lives at just the right time. I love them so much! ❤

Happy (late) Gotcha Day to my sweet Melvin and Penelope. The most wonderful bunnies in all the land! Johnny and I love you both!!!

Do you celebrate your pet’s Gotcha Day? How has your pet helped you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep24

About Our Bunnies

Posted on September 24, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! On November first, it will be one whole year since Johnny and I welcomed our sweet bunnies, Melvin and Penelope, home. We adopted Mel and P from a friend who adopted Penelope from some type of fair I think? Little did she know, Penelope was pregnant and had eight (Yes, eight!) babies. When Johnny and I decided that we were committed to adopting bunnies, I scoured humane societies and posted on Facebook for any leads. My post was answered by the new bunny parent of nine and we took our babies home two weeks later!

It was and still is so exciting to have pets in our apartment. Melvin and Penelope are our little buddies and we are just as obsessed with them now as the day we brought them home. It is such a blast to watch our two gremlins romp around our bunny proofed area, play with their beloved Chewy boxes, and get into mischief. Mel and P’s favorite activities include snack time, chewing literally everything, and getting all of the cuddles from their mom and dad. Although, cuddling definitely wasn’t on their agenda when we first got them… It took a while for them to get warmed up to being held, but now they are always on the couch with us when we watch TV! 🙂

Our almost first year of being bunny parents felt like a lot of trial and error. It took both Mel and P a while to get about 95% litter trained, for starters. The first few months involved a lot of cleaning up accidents and rearranging their litter boxes to find a solution that worked. We had to figure out the best ways to clean their hutch, the best places to shop for their leafy greens, as well as finding supplies that they liked and getting them acclimated to our touch. This process took a while, but we never gave up and it feels like we have had them for so much longer than a year.

Melvin and Penelope are completely different bunnies from when we first brought them home. Pen was SO shy and was not interested in exploring her new digs whatsoever. Melvin, on the other hand, was quite skittish and would rather run away than be near us. Now that they know who mom and dad are and are so used to us, we finally see their real personalities. Pen is sweet as can be and loves to be held – the way to her heart was lots of yummy treats! Mel is our little adventurer and tolerates being held for a while, then he scampers off to play, play, play. He loves toys and thinks it’s hilarious to dump his food dish all over the hutch as soon as I refill it! Their personalities compliment each other so well and I am thrilled that they are comfortable enough with us to show it off. ❤

Since Johnny and I did not have a birthaversary bash this year, we are hoping to combine it into a party for Mel and Pen’s Gotcha Day. Our bunny babies are so loved and in my perfect world, we would have an apartment full of them!

What is your pet’s personality like? When it your pet’s Gotcha Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun18

Surprise Gifts For Mel & Pen

Posted on June 18, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Johnny and I had a very low key birthaversary week and received so many lovely well wishes and gifts, which were much appreciated. One of Johnny’s sweet aunts apparently didn’t want our bunny babies, Melvin and Penelope, to go without gifts of their own and sent them some prezzies too. It was such an adorable gesture and, as always, Mel and P are spoiled rotten. Hey, these little gremlins are so cute that they deserve it! Check it out:

When I first opened the bunny gift box, I was unsure what I was looking at because I saw a strawberry shape and pattern first. I assumed it was a little backpack for Val! In reality, it’s a bag that you can put hay and treats in that can be clipped onto their hutch. We also have variety because of the carrot one! I love the fact that Mel and P now have these accessories so that they can start styling just like their old mom and pop. And, they actually just tried strawberries for the first time as a treat this week and it was a huge hit!

My gremlins also received a huge set of their favorite toys in their goody box, which are balls made out of various chewing materials. These are a staple in every Chewy order I make because Mel and Pen make such quick work of them and they are only available in a set of three. I like to place some in their cage as well as in our bunny proofed area for them to roll around and toss. While they enjoy all of the different textures, their favorite has to be the ones with openings in them because I’ll put treats inside. My goal is to get Mel and P to be able to roll the balls back to me so now we have lots of practice material to work with. 😀

Mel and Pen loved having gifts of their own and I know because I’m their mom lol. And, yes, they had a blast with the box itself too and were sitting inside of it as I typed this! Spoiled? Yes. Insanely loved? Abso-freaking-lutely! ❤

Do you buy gifts for your pets? What is your pet’s favorite toy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May22

Bunny Care Essentials

Posted on May 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny and I brought our sweet mother and son bunny duo, Melvin and Penelope, home this past November. They are our lil besties and our apartment has so much more joy in it ever since we adopted them into their forever home. The longer that we have had them for, the more amazed I am by the day that rabbits are often given as pets or gifts for children – they are a lot of work and Johnny and I are adults!

Today, I thought I would discuss some Bunny Care Essentials that are 100% necessary for their well being. Bunnies are not just cute balls of fluff to look at through their hutch and require a decent amount of care to keep them happy. Like the following:

Clean Up Crew:

Bunnies are social animals and it is best to have a pair of them. With a pair of bunnies comes double the expenses and double the cleaning up!! We have a designated area in their hutch for their bathroom breaks and both Mel and P are pretty good about using the litter boxes. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have accidents! Every morning, it is an absolute must that I clean out their potty area of any soiled bedding and refresh their litter boxes. Bunnies are rather picky and as soon as their litter boxes get nasty, they refuse to go in it. It’s obviously not the most enjoyable chore in the world, but having bunnies means having to clean up after them. And, be warned – bunnies go to the bathroom a lot lol.

Play Time:

Bunnies are energetic AF and they are currently zooming around the apartment as I type this. Yeah, bunnies get the zoomies too! Johnny and I are in the process of bunny proofing a section of our apartment for them to free roam all day every day, but for now, they are in their hutch while we are at work and asleep. Any other time, though, their door is open and they have free reign to go in and out as they please. Throughout the play area, we have a wide variety of Chewy boxes, toys, scratch mats, and hideaways for them to interact with. Despite everything at their disposal, their favorite plaything will always be the Chewy boxes! Playtime is so important to Mel and P’s well being and bunnies should never be confined to their hutch for more than a day.

Care Packages:

I love to online shop for literally anything and Chewy has become the site where I now purchase from the most frequently. Since two bunnies is a standard, that means that their essential items run out fairly quickly. Every month and a half or so, I order more bedding, hay, pellet food, toys, and cleaning spray and it typically totals out to around $100 each time. Johnny and I also visit the grocery store weekly for their fresh veggies and occasional fruit treat. While I love to spoil them constantly with new toys, the rest of the order really isn’t spoiling them at all – it is all needed for them to live their best bunny lives.

Consideration Is Key:

If you think that bunnies are animals that you can instantly snuggle up to, pick up, and coddle then you are wrong. Bunnies are, honestly, a lot like cats and you truly have to let them come to you. Bunnies are also prey animals and it is ingrained in them that they don’t like to be picked up. It took time and patience to gain Mel and P’s trust and they show their affection in their own way. They both love to be brushed and pet and, if I’m lucky, they’ll let me pick them up. You are not going to become trusted by your rabbit immediately and you have to be okay with that. Pushing them out of their comfort zone is only going to terrorize them and will ruin any progress you have made. Slow and steady is key and they will come around in their own time and respecting that is essential.

Although I knew what I was getting into before Mel and P came home, all of their requirements still came as a bit of a surprise and it’s important for other people considering bunnies as a pet to know them too. I wouldn’t trade one minute of their care for the world, though, and I am the proudest pet parent to two wonderful little gremlins! ❤

What are some care essentials for your pet? What is your pet’s favorite toy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr10

Bunnies On The Town

Posted on April 10, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past week has been very difficult for Lil Red and Johnny has definitely made things so much easier/better for me. He worked hard while I was gone to spring clean our apartment, make minor repairs, and transform our bunny proofed area the way I always envisioned it! When we first brought Melvin and Penelope home, we put them in a play pen for their recreation time for about two days before we realized it was not the move. Then, Johnny bunny proofed and they were able to free roam while their play pen turned into the corral for all of their supplies.

This week, Johnny took it upon himself to make the changes I wanted but simply didn’t have the time or energy for. He bought storage bins for all of the bunny supplies, moved them to the closet, and used parts of the play pen to create a protective barrier around the couch which they so love to hide underneath. This was all well and good but we agree that the best improvement was the fact that the bunnies could finally play on their safety town rug… and Johnny too:

Johnny invested in this nostalgic safety town rug when he was buying bunny proofing gear at Menard’s. It had been sitting sentinel in the play pen for so long underneath all of the bunny supplies that I almost forgot about it! Now, it is cleared off and ready for the bunnies to take over the town. Of course, Johnny had to have the first go at playing on it and took his pinewood derby cars for a spin. It was so cute and the test drive was very well deserved. ❤

After Johnny had his turn at safety town, it was time for Mel and P to explore their new digs and guys… They freaking love it. As soon as we opened the door to their hutch, they both ran right towards the rug and all of the free space that they didn’t have before. While Pen took a leisurely stroll around town, Mel just went insane lol. He was showing off with huge hops, running around in speedy circles, and destroying everything in his path on the rug! The Chewy boxes are cool and all and Penelope still remains very partial to them but I think we found Melvin’s new favorite activity. 😀

Having Johnny put my grand plans for our bunny proofed area into effect was such an amazing surprise for me and our little gremlins. And Johnny got to enjoy the fruits of his own labor too so it was a win/win/win. Chez nous is turning into the ultimate hangout for bunnies and humans alike!

Did you ever go to safety town? What is something nostalgic to you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr7

Chewy Boxes: A Bunny’s Favorite Toy

Posted on April 7, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! My bunnies, Melvin and Penelope, are my precious angels. Things have been very glum in Lil Red’s world for a long time and Mel and Pen have brought so much joy into my life. Johnny and I truly couldn’t have picked a better time to welcome these two little balls of fluff into our home and I miss them constantly when I’m out! We are very proud bunny parents and as a pet mom, it is my job to spoil them rotten and Mel and P definitely aren’t complaining about it. 😀

Two bunnies means lots of everything! We have to restock our supplies on Chewy fairly often for bedding, pellet food, hay, and their cage cleaner. And, with every order, I can’t resist buying them lots of toys. However, it’s the Chewy boxes that are always the biggest hit:

Melvin is my tiny wanderer and has a very playful disposition. Pen, on the other hand, is much more chill but has come out of her shell a lot since adopting them in November. They both enjoy playing with the toys in their hutch well enough, but their true play time comes when we give them free rein of their bunny proofed area. Johnny and I have them out several times a day for hours on end and it is such fun to see them zipping around and getting into adorable mischief. And, of course, having lots of box time!

When Johnny and I were preparing for the arrival of our pets, the Chewy boxes were arriving non-freaking-stop. We had grand dreams of building a cardboard castle for them, which I still hope will come into fruition in the future. However, the bunnies have been doing a pretty good job of making their own hideout all by themselves. For the past month or so, Mel and P have been working diligently at creating a tunnel in one of the Chewy boxes to dash in and out of. The work has been slow going because I limit their time playing with the cardboard so it doesn’t hurt their bellies. And, this past week, they finally achieved success!

I take the bunnies out every morning when I’m working and it was hysterical to watch their little faces poke out of the tunnel they were making. I would look down and there would be a sweet bunny face looking back at me from the cubby hole; It was the cutest! Mel and P worked so hard to create another access point into their box and I am honestly so proud of them lol. It is also the perfect spot to play bunny peek-a-boo at, which is one of their favorite games. Like I said, SO f’ing cute!

Toys from Chewy are great, but the boxes are second to none when it comes to Mel and P’s entertainment. Lucky for them, I just placed a big order on Chewy so another box will be at their disposal soon. I can’t wait to see what they do with it!

What is your pet’s favorite toy? Where do you get your pet supplies from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar30

On The 6th Day, She Rested OOTD Bloopers

Posted on March 30, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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On The 6th Day, She Rested OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my On The 6th Day, She Rested OOTD!! It has been an insanely awful few days in Lil Red’s world and by the time Johnny and I returned home this past Saturday, I just wanted to go to bed. Content called, however, and I would have been a monkey’s uncle before I ruined my streak of Saturday OOTD shoots. So, I decided to show the world a makeup free, lounge clothes Lil Red. We also had a power outage at that point so I just had to roll with the punches because applying makeup wasn’t in the cards. Not surprisingly, there weren’t a lot of winners from this shoot. There were a fair amount of bloopers, though, so let’s check them out:

Smiling for my kindergarten school picture like:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lol, not so much a blooper; I just thought that the plushies looked hysterical

Johnny beautifully captured a photo sequence, which I call “Makar & Me”. We begin by gingerly placing the plushie to the side…

About to start freaking WERKING it as much as I possibly can

My “seriously?” face when Makar fell in a matter of two seconds

Alright, let’s get back on the horse and try again

And down he goes! This is also when I decided that we had enough pictures haha

You might notice a cooler propped up to the left of me in these pictures and there is a method to the madness. The room behind the couch is our bunny proofed area for Mel and Penelope and we have had to get creative with ways to keep them away from the areas that aren’t safe for them to be at. One example of this is the cooler! Mr. Melvin used to LOVE running behind our curio cabinet to get to the non bunny proofed living room. So, Johnny placed “bunny blockers”, which included cardboard behind the cabinets and the cooler on top of a box to keep him from hopping over it. As unsightly as it looks, it serves its purpose well!

You might also have noticed an array of Chewy boxes and cardboard behind me too and that is all Mel and Pen lol. I absolutely adore buying new toys for them when I restock their supplies on Chewy and most of them go over pretty well. However, nothing will ever beat boxes for them. Melvin is my tiny wanderer and he is always running in and out of the boxes and jumping on top of them from the stairs. Penelope, on the other hand, is my shy girl and has spent hours burrowing in the boxes and shredding to her heart’s content. When things get less crazy, Johnny and I have grand dreams of creating a cardboard castle for them and solidifying our ranks that I personally gave of “best bunny parents ever”. 😀

Every home is different and, in this case, you got to take a peek into our bunny room as well as a lazy day at chez nous. The backdrop from this shoot might look a bit haphazard, but I suppose that’s what happens when you have two furry little gremlins running about for hours on end!

Do you have a special place for your pets at your place? How have you gotten creative with pet or baby proofing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar29

On The 6th Day, She Rested OOTD

Posted on March 29, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Normally, Johnny and I spend some time on Saturdays taking OOTD pictures during one of our outings. This past Saturday, however, was an incredibly shitty one and by the time we got home around four o’clock, I wanted nothing more than to sink into the couch, watch TV, and play the demo of Diablo IV with my main squeeze. To add salt to the wounds, we came home to no power that didn’t get restored until later the following day. It sucked! On the bright side, it was still bright enough in the apartment to snap some pictures of my too tired to care, makeup free OOTD lol. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

The Office Hoodie: TJMaxx

Leggings: Express

Makar Plushie: Best Buy

Sam Plushie: Ordered from Amazon

Obviously, this OOTD required no thought in the slightest so we don’t really have to go into further detail about that! But, we can talk about the evening where Johnny and I time traveled back to the good old days when TV and video games didn’t exist. Wind storms blew trees down in good old Timber Top, which resulted in the power outage that left us to our own devices; all while not even being able to use any of our own devices! See what I did there? 😉

After we took these pictures, we had about two or so hours until the sun started to go down. During that time, we stayed downstairs and called upon Melvin and Penelope to provide us with some evening entertainment. We must have sat there for over an hour just watching them explore and frolic around our bunny proofed area. Honestly, it was great lol. Melvin and Penelope are our babies and it’s hilarious to see what kind of mischief they find themselves in. They have so many toys, but they both prefer Chewy boxes the best and Johnny and I cheered them on as they shredded, climbed, and zoomed around during their “box time”. Johnny even treated us to his charming rendition of a song about leafy greens set to the tune of “Here Comes The Sun”. So cute!

Once the bunnies had tuckered themselves out and went back into their hutch, there wasn’t much left to do. It was getting dark, the power was nowhere close to coming back on, and our options became limited. We toyed with the idea of a board game, then vetoed it since we lacked flashlights and candles. So, we just went upstairs and listened to what I jokingly referred to as our “Fireside Chats”.

Johnny had the ingenious idea to play some stand up comedy shows on our Bluetooth speaker. After about twenty minutes of the first guy we listened to, I expressed my distaste so Johnny put on someone we can always agree on; Patton Oswald. We love him! Despite laughing our heads off, I knew that it would be short lived because Johnny falls asleep as soon as he gets comfortable. Within forty-five minutes, he was fast asleep and since I wasn’t trying to sit alone in the dark, I joined him. I got ready in the bathroom by the light of my phone and thus concludes the tale of how we were both asleep by nine o’clock on a Saturday night!

On The 6th Day, She Rested; mainly because I didn’t have a choice in the matter! I guess going to bed early on a weekend isn’t always so bad, but I’ll be looking forward to an evening set in 2023 next Saturday. Keep it posted for the blooper reel from this mini shoot tomorrow!

How do you entertain yourself during a power outage? Who is your favorite comedian? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar24

Oh So Cozy OOTD Bloopers

Posted on March 24, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Oh So Cozy OOTD! Yesterday, we took a look at what went right from this OOTD shoot and, today, we will take a gander at what went horribly wrong. This blooper reel features plenty of weird faces, rogue hair sticking up, and taking a moment out of the picture taking process to think about life. Let’s get to it:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going to church on my apartment’s balcony

Not so much a blooper as a complaint that every time I take pictures, without fail, a piece of my hair ends up sticking up like this:

Lol I swear to stoned I’m not god… I really wasn’t stoned in this picture, but it sure looks like it

My “whomp whomp” face, ravishing as always

I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I make this face a day when Johnny says something funny!

Lol, lost my balance a little bit here so let’s take a moment and regain my composure…

By making this face and thinking about every instance in my life that lead up to this moment

A very vibey edition of GIVE ME BACK MY PHOOOOOOOOOONE

Every morning when I sit down to write, I let Melvin and Penelope come out to explore the bunny proofed area until I leave for work. It is my current situation at this very moment and this process is such a blooper in itself. Bunnies are very active in the morning and as I write, I constantly have one eye on the computer and one eye scanning the room to keep track of my pets. I swear, I blink and they are onto a new area before I even have time to open my eyes!

As the bunnies are zooming about the room (Yes, they most definitely get the zoomies too!), I stay on high alert to put out the fires of their adorable mischief. Penelope, for example, freaking loves chewing on our windowsill so I get up to divert her attention every time I hear her munching. Nine times out of ten, however, I will turn around to get back to the computer and she’ll just start chewing again lol SMH. Pen also has a tendency to get stuck on the few stairs that I let them climb so her old mama comes in for the rescue whenever she alerts me of her distress. *Face palm*

Melvin is my tiny wanderer and he is always zipping around the room looking for an adventure. One second he’s on top of a Chewy box, next thing I know he’s on the stairs, and before I realize it he’ll be halfway across the room trying to get under the couch. I can tell that he is especially pleased with himself when he evades me or Johnny by playing hide and go seek under our sofa or wandering into the kitchen through the holes in the baby gate. One morning when we first got them, I seriously spent forty-five minutes trying to get him from under the couch into his hutch!

As the bunnies go about their blooper filled morning of cuteness, I have bloopers of my own that are just unfortunate. I am constantly tripping over my computer cord, slipping on the dip in our flooring, and hoisting myself over baby gates because I’m too lazy to open them. As long as they’re having fun, I guess! Haha, now if you’ll excuse me, Penelope has just started chewing again! ❤

What are some blooper things that your pets do? What are some of the nicknames you have for your pets? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers