Officially a Llama Mama!!

Yes, it's true!! Several months ago, I started doing tons of research on llamas. One fateful day, someone posted two llamas for sale on a Llama Chat Yahoo group....in Indiana and in Ohio, both llamas are from the same farm, and are gelded half-brother and sister. The male is 3 yrs old and has been a Guard llama on an Alpaca farm in Ohio. While the female is just a year old and was living on Autumn Hill Farm.

I instantly fell in love with the male's adorable tail and the female's beautiful fiber and coloring. For the next few months, much correspondance transpired, mostly about transportation (how to get both llamas from there to here, such a long way). Emaly, from Autumn Hill Llamas was amazing and helped us work everything out!!
And her farm methods have bred and raised some wonderfully trained and gentle llamas. We are so grateful now that we did the research and decided to go out of state to find our family pets/fiber/pack/and show llamas. They are already fitting in nicely with our kids and with our Laughing Orca Ranch!


The past week we spent lots of time preparing the barn with a welder to fix the pole fencing that had been removed for boat storage for the previous owners. We also bought all of the llamas supplies: feed, minerals, buckets, hay feeders and lots of hay!


Then Monday afternoon, the transporter called and said he was making good time and would be in our mountains by the evening! We're we ready???
Talk about nervousness and excitement! The emotions were flowing!!
When the transporter arrived we all streamed out to meet our new llamas. My first emotion and thought was my memories of Dr Doolittle and the two-headed llama. My first attraction to these gentle, beautiful creatures. When Cataleya (the female) hopped out, she was so beautiful! And I was given her lead rope. Wow! She immediately started sniffing all of us and greeting us.
When Catlinite jumped out....WOW! What a big boy we all thought! And handsome, too!
He was more aloof at first, but very alert.

They were both so happy to be out of that trailer after 2-3 long days of traveling. John took Catlinite's lead rope, we bid farewell to the transporter guy, Dean. And we headed up to the pasture and barn. Both llamas were a little nervous, but stil happy to be free of the trailer. Once in their pens, they both commenced with exploring, rolling around, eating, and doing a few happy kicks and bounces.

We hung out at the barn for several hours, just enjoying them and watching all of the amazing things they did. And, of course, we took a few pics:

Both llamas eating some grain.

Catlinite in his pen.
Cat checking out the hay feeder

Cataleya (the female)in front, and Catlinite (the male)behind.
Both boys hanging out on the hay.
Cat Kushing
Leya Kushing
Handsome boy!
Jenna loves the llamas and they seem very interested in her, too.
Jenna petting Cataleya