our family of 8 (with 6 more on the way)...

I may have mentioned once or twice, the kids' desire to add a new member to our family.

Specifically...the furry kind.

Jeff's allergies have always kept us from giving it serious thought and have also given us a good reason to decline their (very persistent) requests.

You may recall that Sarah got the frogs below for her birthday back in November...

About a week after that picture was taken, Jeff and I undertook a super-secret mission to swap a belly-up frog, named Lily, with a (more alive) one...not wanting to undergo the lifespan discussion with the kids.

Lauren did notice that Lily had somehow developed more spots. We managed to lie explain it in a way that they bought it understood.

A week after our 007 stint, (new) Lily was belly up again. This time, we told the truth. There were tears and hugs and overwhelming sadness. We made the trip to choose a new frog...who was given the name...Lily. We also picked up a gigantic snail.

All took up residence in the tiny little tank (that the people at the pet store warned was too small). I cleaned the (ever so stinky) tank a couple times, before determining two things ::

a.) frogs need to be potty trained (ewwww...)

b.) the tank is just too small

So, off I went on a mission to build a bigger home. The look of praise I received from the Pets Mart folks when I said "I feel sorry for the frogs", was just enough to make me feel good and creep me out a little bit.

I left with a hole in my wallet and a 10-gallon aquarium equipped with a filter and heater, some gravel and some very attractive interior decor.

I spent the next two to three hours constructing the perfect home for Lily and Sparkles and their snail friend, Searchy (there is a reason we didn't let the kids name Julia).

After standing back and taking pride in the home I built, Sarah walked up next to me...looked at the tank and said, "I still want a kitty".

In the end...the kiddos were very excited...just to look at an empty tank that day (you can't add animals to a tank for 48 hours).

We added the frogs yesterday. Lily and Sparkles did their best to hide from the kids, while the snail made far more movement. The frogs are far more active now and I think they're quite happy with their new digs.

The girls are happy too. As I write, Sarah and Julia are singing to them.

We go to the pet store in a few days to pick up six fish to add to the tank. Names are already being tossed around. Stay tuned.

Oh...and...no one has mentioned any pet of the furry kind in about 36 hours.